2018 Meet @gianmarco Report - Official
So gianmarco was heading to the KC area for his son's soccer tournament. He had reached out a few weeks before, so we planned to meet up. After some back and forth we settled on dinner Friday night, as this seemed to be the best option.
All day Friday I kept asking myself these questions:
1. What should I wear?
2. Will he like me?
3. Should I wear a hat or style my hair?
4. What kind of food should we go eat?
Got home after work and settled into my pre-meeting routine. Decided to go with the Kansas City hick stylewear, which consisted of a long-sleeved bass pro shop shirt, jeans, and a ball cap. Wore some old Mizuno running shoes to let him know I mean business.
We met at a local neighborhood bar/grill type restaurant, which offered several different options sure to please every palate.
The Meet
I got there first, and put my name on the wait list, as it was a little busy right after work on a Friday night. I went outside to wait, and here he comes. He was a lot taller than that little picture on strava - who knew?
After exchanging pleasantries, we head in to the bar for a couple of beers. We both ordered a local Boulevard Wheat, which they delivered with a lemon wedge on the side. We head outside to wait for our table. After a couple of minutes, gianmarco discards his lemon wedge. Major points scored there. I had considered dropping mine on the bar when we got the beers, but didn't want to be rude to the bartender. I was able to discard mine at the table later, and we shared a laugh about how fruit does not belong in beers. We are now best friends.
While waiting for our table, we were outside in a bar seating area. It was a little noisy, so I asked gianmarco about his upcoming race. I think the question was something like:
"Are you ready for your race?"
So he starts going into his ethnic background. I'm sitting there thinking "WTF?" Apparently he thought I said "What is your race?"
Glad we dodged that bullet. Didn't want him to think I was some Kansas City racist hick. I'm already a Kansas City cooter, but that's where it stops.
The Dinner
So we sit down to dinner and order. We both ordered as if we had runs coming up - good basic food that wouldn't upset the GI track. His son ordered as if he had a 7:30 am soccer game the next day - chicken fingers and fries.

13 year old kids - lucky little food processing machines.
A quick word about his son - very polite, well mannered kid. Would answer questions with actual conversation and not just yes/no type answers. You could tell he was raised by good people.
So we have another cold beer, and have some good conversation throughout dinner about running, his race, family, all kinds of stuff. It was like we had known each other for years. Very easy conversation.
It was time for the check, and this is where it got ugly. We both look at each other, and the fight is on for the check. I give the waitress my credit card, and due to his speed, jumps up and heads her off at the wait stand. All I could do was sit there and just chuckle - at a much appreciated meal with a good dude. Thanks for dinner

.
The End of The Meet
We head out, and God Bless This Guy. He pulls two local St. Louis brews out of his car - a Schlafly wheat ale and a Zwickel Bavarian Lager as a gift.
All I can say is
@gianmarco is a good dude. The kind of guy in person just as he is here, which is always good to see. Had a great time, and we may try and get out for a run on Sunday.