Holy Cr@p! Age Group Championships?

How the heck did this happen?

In 2022, I got off to a raring start with a 2:59:55 (subsequently updated to 2:59:56) at the Mesa Marathon. However, I was not able to come close to repeating that. My 2nd best result was the following month at Shamrock Marathon, with 3:17:02. My total points (with the manner that qualifying was determined at the time) placed me well down on the list. I had no expectation that I would wind up getting an invite.

So, color me gobsmacked earlier today when I looked in my e-mail and got the above notice that I have earned a place at the Age Cgroup World Championships at the Chicago Marathon. Sweet!