Runner No. 1

My opponent Alan Leo suggested we start our four-hour, all-you-can-drink ''Starbucks Marathon" at the 12 Winter St. cafe in Downtown Crossing.

The place was centrally located and perfect for my strategy of hitting all downtown locations.

''Sure," I said nonchalantly, noticing him sweating a bit.

It was 9 a.m. when we got there. I was feeling great. My pulse was at 64 and blood pressure was a healthy 112/82. At the first stop, we had a Komodo Dragon -- an Asian Pacific bold coffee. The place was crowded from the morning rush. ''It takes about three cups of coffee before I really know where I'm at for the day," Leo said, trying to throw me off. Good try, homie, I thought. We finished our first drink together as Dean Martin sang ''That's Amore." And then we separated.

My objective was simple. I had to hit as many Starbucks as I could by drinking as little caffeine as possible. Next spot was the 27 School St. location next to the old City Hall.

To get me going on this journey, I ordered the drink I usually need to start my day: grande nonfat vanilla latte. ''Can I ask you a favor?" I tell the young guy taking my order. ''Is it possible to fill it only three-fourths of the way?" I explain I'm in a competition and that this is for the Cause. The guy winks, then gives me a fist-to-fist pound.

Here at this stop, however, I encountered what would be my downfall. The view from the window showed a busy Boston street with pedestrians rushing by. A Lionel Hampton jazz song played in the background. The day was calm. By drinking coffee in Starbucks, it's easy to get into what the company calls its ''coffee experience." I spent more than 20 minutes there, and would have stayed longer if it wasn't for the old clock above Boston Five Cent Saving that was stuck at 1:00 -- the deadline to end this contest.

I ran outside and tuned my iPod to Eminem and Jay-Z's ''Renegade" to hype me up as if I were about to take the football field. To beat Harvard, it would require some extra passion. ''Cause see they call me a menace; and if the shoe fits I'll wear it," Eminem says. ''But if it don't, then y'all'll swallow the truth grin and bear it."

I hit the 25 Washington cafe for a root beer, the stand at 1 Federal Building for a hot tea (no restroom), the State Street spot for a caramel coffee (still no restoom!), then on to Congress Street for some Pellegrino water. I tried to stay no more than 15 minutes at one place, but it was hard. I wanted to enjoy my drink out of habit.

By the halfway mark, I was needing to make restroom breaks at the Borders bookstore. Bathrooms at downtown Starbucks, I soon discovered, were not uniformly pristine.

I finally hit the Starbucks at One Financial Center five minutes before the contest was over. I ended up drinking six caffeinated drinks, a water, and one soda. I didn't know it at the time, but my pulse had shot up to 99 and blood pressure to 126/86. Staying still was no longer an option, and my heart was playing the conga against my rib cage.

I also didn't know that Leo had solicited the help of an MIT pal to map out a detailed plan so he could visit 13 Starbucks. ''How did you do?" he asked me back at the office, his hand shaking. He looked like the devil after an Iron Man race. But he won.

And I lost.

Fine. So, it took the best he could muster plus some imported MIT brainpower to beat me.

I immediately challenged him to a rematch next year, and he accepted.

He doesn't know it yet, but now I have a secret plan. Hint: less Lionel Hampton, more Eminem.

Russell Contreras can be reached at rcontreras@globe.com