CHaD successes

The Children's Hospital at Dartmouth (CHaD) Half-Marathon was run yesterday in Hanover and Norwich. According to the official website, this race/fundraiser has brought in more than $200,000 in donations. Ellen ran a fantastic race, completing the 13.1 mile course in 1:51:23, or an 8.5-minute mile pace. Final standings can be viewed here. Congratulations to Ellen and everyone who ran, walked, donated or volunteered in this event!

The race organizers also coordinated an attempt to break the Guinness World Record for most people gathered in one place dressed like superheroes. They evidently succeeded, assembling 1,016 costumed individuals on the Dartmouth Green before the race. Kudos to the new world-record holders!

In other news, researchers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced on Friday that one of the biggest threats to the ozone layer is nitrous oxide. This didn't come out of the blue, as the EPA had already declared nitrous oxide a threat to public health back in April due to its heat-trapping tendencies.

The public-health-threat part is a bit ironic considering nitrous oxide is better known as "laughing gas" and is widely administered in dentist offices (and some paramedic ambulances) the nation over. Lest any dentophobes feel guilty, however, the article scarcely mentions nitrous as an anesthetic and anxiolytic. Rather, the gas is produced as a byproduct of fertilizer and other non-medical applications. A pun here is obligatory, but I will leave it for you to supply. Leave a comment if you come up with a good one.