Nocturnal Missions

I'm not getting a ton of sleep lately.

No, this picture was not taken at night.
It's a little more interesting when you see something other than dark.

Weeks ago, I'd signed on to pace with my friend Rich for a few hours on Saturday night as he ran 24hrs as his annual fundraiser for Grand River Hospital's Cancer Centre, starting at 6am on October 24th. You can still donate up until November 14th, so GO DO THAT. You know I'll still be here!

Our awesome friend Debbie was taking the final shift from 1am til 6am (or whenever he reached 100 miles, as he'd set that incredible goal for himself as well), but I was booked in from 9pm til 1am. I showed a bit of sense for once and didn't run down to the farmers' market on Saturday morning - though we did go, of course - and made sure I was at Rich's meeting point by 8:30pm in case he came in a bit early from a loop.

By the time I hooked up with him, he was down to more of a fast walk than running; the pavement had taken its toll on bones and joints, but forward motion is forward motion. I threw on an extra layer - especially as his prior pacer Kristy warned me it was colder than it seemed out - and off we went.

Meandering along

I find Rich very easy company, so the time just flew by. Between the 7km road loop he'd laid out and the 10k out-and-back on some trail (...ish. Some of it was more "rutted mud off the end of a road that hasn't really been built yet") on which we started off, there was no opportunity to get bored, especially as we had some really interesting conversations. Some of them may come up in a future blog post or two - stay tuned to find out!

Ok, I might have lied about the dark shots not being interesting - I'm quite fond of this one.

Partway through the 7k road loop, I badly needed to use a washroom; fortunately there's an Esso station with a Circle K convenience store attached, and I was wearing my vest - in which I always keep a self-sterilizing mask in a small baggie. Rich offered to do some laps around the gas station to wait for me so he could stay in motion, but I told him just to carry on (after making sure I knew which way he was going!) and I'd catch up.

Nothing truly captures my glamorous lifestyle like a gas station bathroom selfie at 25mins to midnight on a Saturday night.

Of course the only running (apart from a dozen steps to cross a road ahead of an oncoming car) I did in the course of my time with Rich had to be up a big hill. Fortunately my legs seemed to be up to it, and I hope I didn't hold him up too much. We did one more partial road loop before heading back to the rendez-vous point with Debbie, who passed us in her car just before we reached it around 12:50am. Not bad timing! All told we'd done around 21km in a bit less than the 4 hours we'd planned, which is some pretty solid walking.

A bit of the road loop, partly through a residential area.

As we traded up pacers, Debbie let us know she'd been out in the afternoon with Charlotte at Huron Natural Area - she was doing a 48hr run as a fundraiser for Impossible2Possible, an amazing charity that provides experiential learning programs (adventures, really) to students of all ages as a way to help them push beyond what they believe is possible for themselves. Knowing that Charlotte is an incredible runner, I wasn't sure if I'd be able to keep up with her, but I figured it would be worth stopping by for an hour or so to see if she needed another pacer or any other help.

Because we were just around the corner, we arrived bare minutes after 1am.

As Charlotte was out on her 150th lap (1 mile per lap)

All was not terribly well. She had her boyfriend Marcin (not 100% sure about the spelling on that) and Brian W. crewing, with Monica W. pacing her, so she was well taken care of...but highly uncharacteristically, Charlotte was down to a walk. It turns out there had been an incident involving some muscle strain that had messed up the attachment points of some of the prime movers for running, so she was now marching her way through the cold night air with her trekking poles.

Here's the thing: that sounds like it would be easier, but the impact and muscle engagement of walking beats your body up in a completely different way than running, and few people are well-trained to walk for dozens of miles at a time. Not to mention, the sleep deprivation was becoming an issue, as well as some stomach upset (possibly due to some fresh peppers on the wraps she'd been eating). Cold, exhausted, unable to eat or to run, Charlotte was not necessarily having an enjoyable time.

There was also no heated shelter tent like Clay had, though there was a propane stove to heat water.
(Tank leans over with Brian and Monica behind - Marcin at right)

Throwing on an insulated jacket (always bring an extra layer. ALWAYS.) and joining in the fun, Monica and I tried to keep Charlotte drinking and chatting as much as possible, but Char actually told us as we set out for another lap "You two just talk and I'll follow the sound" - not a great indication of her mental state. She battled drowsiness and cold, as we kept trying to find things she could tolerate to get calories in: I remembered I'd made a thermos of vegan hot chocolate that was in the car, and the three of us split it between us when we came in from a particularly difficult lap. Charlotte had to change out her headlamp as the battery died on her Black Diamond one, and hated the way the Petzl one sat on her head over the toque she'd donned to keep warm.

I ran ahead to get her BD headlamp on charge, and she changed to a warmer jacket in between laps. She tried to get her head down for a 10min nap, but was unable to sleep as the cold crept inside her clothes and kept her shivering. She wasn't the only one, either: I had to change from the gloves I'd worn comfortably while pacing with Rich into a pair of mittens, and then finally put on a pair of stretchy "magic" gloves under the mittens to keep my fingers from freezing. 

By 3am the cold had claimed another victim: Brian was in really bad shape, and Monica had now gone two hours beyond the 4 hours she'd originally intended to pace. Monica asked if I was good to hang out, and honestly I felt fine - ok, I'd had a small blister on the back of my left heel since before I finished up with Rich, but I was still wide awake and my legs were just fine. She said she'd try to come back after getting Brian home, but it would be awhile as they lived in north Waterloo. No big deal.

Poor chilly Tanker is learning that "oh, we'll just go to Huron for an hour" is a lie.
There is no single hour at Huron.

Marcin joined us for a couple of laps, which gave me someone new to chat with to try to keep Charlotte awake and engaged - it turns out he's from Mississauga, which is where I grew up, so we were familiar with a lot of the same places. What wasn't as helpful was that he'd walk on ahead at his own pace while Char and I fell behind, then sit down on one of the big landscaping rocks at the side of the trail to wait for us to catch up. That got Charlotte thinking about how nice it would be to sit, or even lay down on the trail. I told her nope - the rocks and trail had teeth, and they'd bite her if she tried to sit or lie down. I was ok with her getting a nap in if she needed to, but at the pavilion under as many blankets as I could muster; not out in the dark woods. She'd stop and lean on her poles from time to time, trying to fight off the drowsiness that threatened to overtake her.

Coming in from another lap, Char decided she wanted a cup of flavoured instant coffee, and would wait for it to be ready; there was always a pot of water on the stove, so I could fill her water bottle with warm water and keep it in the pocket of my insulated jacket to keep it from going cold. She sat down on the bench of a picnic table and asked for a blanket; laying back and covering herself from feet to the top of her head. I threw my extra down jacket (where possible, bring TWO extra layers, folks!) on top of the blanket, and suddenly she was out like a light. Marcin asked if she'd said she wanted a nap, and I said she hadn't but she was getting one anyway. We'd wake her in 15mins.

Seven minutes later she suddenly sat up and asked about the cup of coffee, which had gone cold by then - Marcin re-heated water, she poured the cup of coffee into her and changed into a warmer jacket, and then she was up and we were on our way again.

I deeply regret that this is the only photo I got of Charlotte herself all night.
In my defense, it's the only time she sat still!

We walked through the night as frost sparkled in my headlamp, the bright moon having fallen below the treeline. We finally managed to get Charlotte eating again by pulling out Tanker's ubiquitous big bag of popcorn and filling a zipper baggie with it for her to take with her. The best part was that she'd put her poles under her left arm when she pulled the bag out of her pocket, and clutch it against her chest with her mittened left hand while she ate with her right hand. I had opened a pair of chemical hand warmer packets and stuffed them into the map pocket of Char's puffy jacket (she wouldn't take my advice to stuff them in her bra; trust me IT WORKS) - when she hugged the popcorn to her, the hand warmers would flood her core with a pool of warmth. 

We chatted about all sorts of things, including the mentality of hard days (and nights) on the trail. I made her laugh hard enough she had to stop and lean on her poles at one point when she spoke of how it's not always a walk in the park - to which I responded "even when it IS a walk in the park". I felt kind of bad because it halted all progress for a moment, but it was wonderful to have her laughing. Charlotte has always been a relentlessly upbeat person, which I'm certain is one of the reasons she's had so much success running distances that most people shudder to even contemplate. 

The miles ticked by, as did the dark hours until the sun would rise again. Char had started at 7:45am Friday morning, and was really struggling to stay awake in spite of having perked up enough to run a bit of one lap after the nap and coffee. As I approached the pavilion at a run (to get something or other ready for Charlotte when she arrived), I saw someone standing beside Tank, outside the pool of light cast by the shelter - skinny legs in tights, baggy shorts overtop, gaiters, and a brightly multicoloured hat that noone could ever mistake. Just as the last of the popcorn had run out, Ron Gehl had showed up! 

Now around 5am, I was still feeling ok, but poor Tank was frozen. I'd told him to go try to nap in the car, but he was too chilly to sleep (despite pulling our fleece emergency blanket out of the trunk and wrapping himself up in it) and Ron had peered in the car with his headlamp when he arrived, eliminating any chance he'd be able to snooze. I went out for another lap with Ron and Charlotte to make sure that she would be ok if I left her with him, and it was fantastic to see her perk up in Ron's company; I know the two of them have run together for years, through some pretty tough days, and Ron's dirty old man energy can be the absolute best thing to get you moving when the midden has hit the windmill. 

Charlotte was feeling hungry now; she'd had nothing but popcorn for hours, which helped settle her stomach but didn't really fill her up. So, I offered what I could think of; there were some mini muffins at the aid station, and she said that sounded good. I ran ahead to get the paper peeled off one (by Marcin; I couldn't manage it in my mittens) for when she arrived, gave that one to her as she passed and was delighted to hear she'd take another one. I got Marcin to peel the other one, then ran to catch up and was so happy to see she'd eaten all of the first one. The second went down the hatch just as quickly, and I knew that Char would be just fine. I ran the last minute or so of one final lap (I did 9 in total - around 15km) so I could get a bottle filled and warm water, just as the clock ticked past 6am. A friend of Char's that had been out the previous afternoon had showed up in the meantime, so I made sure she had the bottle as she got set to start pacing for the next lap. I bade Charlotte farewell, patting her chest and telling her to remember that she had warmth there if she needed it, gathered up my kit and headed for home.

Along with my incredible, patient, and long-suffering husband.

To be honest, I didn't actually feel that bad - I was still awake and moving just fine, even when I'd run in the end of a lap to prepare things. I could likely have finished off the night, but Tanker needed to go; there were now other people to take care of pacing and crewing, but there was only me to ensure my sweetheart got the hot food and warm bed he so desperately needed.

I heard later from Charlotte that the last couple of hours went great; as she perked up with more calories in her, she was even able to run again! She finished off the 48hrs with a total of 262km, while Rich was able to blow away his fundraising goal of $8,000 by raising more than thirteen and a half thousand dollars for Grand River Hospital's Cancer Centre and completing his 100miles just after 7am!

Photo credit to Agnes J.

Me? Well, I went home for a snooze in a nice, comfy bed (for a smidge over 4 hours, as we had some plans for the afternoon). I'm so proud of my incredible friends for their accomplishments, and so happy I could make my own tiny contribution to their success.

Oh, that photo at the top? That was snapped on the little trot I went for just before sunset on Sunday evening. I hadn't really run much over the weekend, so why not? Tank was even sweet enough to drop me off at a trailhead, then pick me up at the other end so I could do a point-to-point.

I mean, I hadn't run since I got out of bed that day.

I just better not ask if he wants to stop by Huron for an hour any time soon..

If you can't take the heat..

 ..then you might want to evaluate the adaptation strategies you're using.

Why am I talking about heat management when autumn is upon us?
It may be more timely than you think.

There is a large body of evidence to support what every runner (and cyclist, and any other person who does anything even marginally athletic outdoors at summer's scorching heights) knows: athletic performance suffers in high heat. We can, however, somewhat mitigate that performance drop through careful application of adaptation strategies.

I've previously talked about in-competition heat management, so we're just going to leave that out of today's discussion. This is more for folks who might want to do a destination race at some point, or just kick start their heat training in spring to be ready for a big race. Full adaptation takes anywhere from a couple of weeks to multiple years (depending on the type and depth of effect we're talking about), so if the 14 day forecast for Around the Bay or Sulphur Springs predicts a heatwave and you want to limit your suffering, this may have some value for you.

If you're just here for some pretty trail pics, that's fine, too.

There are two different types of adaptation available to us mortals: 

1) Acclimatization: This is the natural process of adapting to a warm environment. Easily achieved in summer by just going out and doing your best to slog through runs (or other types of exercise) on hot, sunny afternoons.

2) Acclimation: This is intended to produce the same sorts of adaptations, but through artificial means of input. Examples include sauna use, overdressing for runs, or use of a treadmill in a heated room.

In both cases, the body is expected to respond to increased core and skin temperatures by increasing sweat rate, reducing time to onset of sweating, increasing skin vasodilation (the expansion of surface blood vessels to increase blood flow, essentially turning your skin into something like the fins on a radiator), reducing sweat electrolyte concentration, increasing cardiovascular stability, and reducing your internal body temperature responses and rate of perceived exertion. With acclimatization, it happens organically - like getting a tan after being out in the sun. With acclimation, you're attempting to produce the same results through other means; equivalent to using a tanning bed.

Except don't ever use a tanning bed. Just don't.

Before we continue, let me emphasize: I am not a exercise physiologist. I sort of have access to a lab, but not one that has any bearing on the concepts I'm about to put forth. That's why this is Seems Like Science™ and not ACTUAL science. Anecdotes are not data, but they're what I've got, so I'm gonna throw down some theorizing based on n=1 here.

I ran around a lot in the high heat and humidity this past summer, often at the hottest, grossest part of the day. I have a pretty solid handle on what that feels like, and how crushing it can be. No, really - I thought my fitness had taken a horrible dive because there were days when I couldn't make it a damn kilometer without having to stop to catch my breath, or walk a bit. It was awful. 

More recent weather has shown I'm not quite as pathetically out of shape as I'd feared

So here's the thing: because I run down to the Cambridge Farmers' Market most Saturday mornings, that means I'm out on the trail for over an hour during that time of day when it's going from positively frosty out to a much more human-friendly temperature. The sun can also make it feel much warmer out than the thermometer would suggest, and because I am a bit of a weenie I often end up hopelessly overdressed for the conditions.

Case in point: it was 1c/33f when I left the house, and 10c/50f when I got to the market

Here's the thing, though: despite being a sweaty mess inside my too-warm clothing, I've noticed I don't experience anywhere near the performance impairment I was fighting in the summer heat. It could partly be because I'm still heat adapted, but then when the thermometer suddenly rises (as it is sporadically wont to do in autumn in Ontario), there I am panting and gasping again.

So what's the deal? I have a theory, formulated on one of those desperately-trying-to-zip-down-collar-and-push-up-sleeves runs to the market: what if it has something to do with the temperature of the air you're breathing in? We can give this a (hasty and uncreative) name: the Respiratory Temperature Theory of heat adaptation, or just RTT because I'm heckin lazy.

Fear not: I'll continue to punctuate my crackpottedness with more trail porn.

If this is anywhere near accurate, this has significant implications for some of the heat acclimation strategies traditionally used by runners in colder climates before heading to races in warmer environments, like someone from Canada doing a wintertime race while on vacation in Florida or Mexico.

If RTT is correct, overdressing for runs - like trotting around in a parka on a mild autumn day - will not help you adapt.

Sauna use has gained an increasing body of peer-reviewed research (you know - actual science instead of just some weirdo blathering on the interwebz) showing effectiveness in heat acclimation for exercise. However, the studies I've seen on trained individuals (like this one, and this one) have used traditional types of saunas, whether humid or dry. In either case, they have used a type that heats the actual air the athletes are breathing. Infrared saunas, though - which are much more economical to both purchase and operate, and thus quite attractive to someone looking to use post-exercise sauna treatment to trigger heat adaptations - would not be effective if RTT is correct.

Stay with me here..

You see, infrared saunas (and heaters, for that matter) use infrared radiation to produce heat. This radiation only warms things that absorb it, like your skin, or other objects in the room with the heater. It doesn't actually warm the air, which is why you might feel comfortable in a room with a quartz infrared heater turned on, but will feel cold again as soon as you turn it off. 

If your lungs (or nasal passages, or esophagus) have some kind of receptors that allow them to sense air temperature and transmit that information to the brain which results in higher perceived rate of exertion, higher heart rate, and general decrease in performance condition, the only way to adapt to the heat would be to repeatedly expose your lungs to warmed air during exercise.

If RTT is correct, then the best methods to achieve heat acclimation would be the use of a treadmill in a warmed room, or the use of a traditional (i.e.: non-infrared) type of sauna. 

It's also possible that humidity plays a greater role in the decline in performance seen in hot climates, in which case the use of a traditional sauna or steam room would be the best method to trigger adaptations. Maybe put a big bowl of freshly boiled water on the console of a treadmill as a low-budget alternative?

Yeah ok - like I'm going to use a treadmill!

There's also the small detail that solar radiation can have a huge impact on athletic performance, as shown in this study on trained cyclists. So, it's possible that my little theory is worth about as much as the paper it's printed on.

Keeping in mind it's only on the internet.

If you figure I'm on to something, feel free to do some experimentation for yourself. If not, well...maybe we'll just leave things to the actual exercise physiologists next time.

EDIT: especially since I've 100% failed to realize that cooler air is denser and more oxygen-laden, which means of course there's a correlation between ambient air temperature and performance regardless of adaptation. I'll sit down, now.

Stay cool out there!

Eighteen-odd Hours in the Park

 ..which is a lot less than 3 days.

Especially on a rain-washed weekend.

There we were - out doing a bit of shopping on a Saturday afternoon, after I'd run down to the Cambridge Farmers' Market that morning. I had some loose plans to take it easy for the rest of the weekend; it looked like a very wet day on Sunday, and I had a big blog post to finish off, so staying in and writing seemed like just the ticket. We were going to go for a little hike after we finished our shopping, but that was it.

Then, a text came in:

"..might.."

OMG OMG OMG I had totally flaked that it was Three Days in the Park weekend!

Yes, you can still donate.
Go ahead - I'll wait right here.

So I turned to Tanker, and told him our hike just turned into something a little more interesting - we had to get our butts to Huron Natural Area!

We arrived around 6:30pm, and when Clay went out for his next lap we were right there with him.

A man on the move

Clay, Tim, Tanker and myself rolled along through a few laps of the 1 mile course that Clay had chosen. While it wasn't flat, it was probably as close as you could find at Huron, and there was a nice downhill stretch that Clay was still able to run.

Tank even ran that section, for the couple of loops he did!

After 3 laps in shoes that I don't like running in (not to mention a cotton t-shirt, cotton hoodie, jeans, and my tote bag; not exactly ideal running apparel for any conditions, let alone rain), I'd almost had enough. I decided on one last lap - during which Tim told me he thought I should stay and finish it off with Clay, and wherein I realised I wasn't wearing a bra - I started to get a weird idea.

As if I ever have any other kind.

Finishing it off with Clay as I was currently dressed was not happening, particularly as it had got dark by then and I didn't have a headlamp (I'd managed ok by the light of Clay & Tim's)...but if I went home and got changed..?

We needed to get groceries, but there was a store between Huron and home we could easily pop into. I talked it over with Tank, putting it to him this way: "Umm, so it's been awhile since I did anything really srupid.."

Bless his heart, he was immediately on board. We hit the grocery store, went home and put it all away, stuffed some food in our faces (it had been awhile since brunch at noonish!), and after donning some actual running gear we were back on our way.

Steven had arrived just before we left, and had said he was good to go til midnight. We were able to make our return by about 11:45pm, while Clay was having a bit of a rest in the shelter that Gary had set up.

Apparently the call had gone out for a tarp or two to block the wind - Gary set up something almost as nice as our house!

Maria and Steven taking a break while Clay rests; Andrea and Tank crewing.
Andrea had been there since Thursday morning, and now says she knows exactly what to do if she's ever homeless!

Along with Andrea - former race director of the Sulphur Springs Trail Run, including the year they offered a 200mi option (that Clay had attempted, but DNF'd at 150mi) and a total badass runner in her own right - Clay had Debbie with him. Debbie is a complete sweetheart, the best trail mama ever, and also a BEAST of a runner. She's completed not only the Sulphur Springs 200 (first Canadian woman to ever complete a 200mi race), but also the Tahoe 200, the Moab 240 (which is actually 244mi), and most of the seven summits (that is, climbing the highest mountain on each of the seven continents). 

That's her right behind Clay as he comes in from a night lap.
I can't think of anyone better suited to help him through this than these two kickass women!

I did 8 laps with Clay as the night deepened, taking no photos in the darkness - just meandering along, making as much bright, cheerful conversation as possible. He was having real trouble with his stomach; now well past his longest-ever run, the staples on which he'd always been able to rely had begun to falter, and some dry heaving had happened. We did our best to encourage him to drink as much as he could, and try some different foods to see if anything would sit. I also tried to remind Debbie to eat and drink, as she was more concerned with taking care of Clay than herself, but I knew she'd been working hard, too.

I was going to stop after my 9th lap for a wee, but Debbie had to use the washroom as well and that would have left Clay out there for at least part of the lap by himself. Not acceptable! So I hung in for a 10th lap, but things were definitely getting on top of me - now well past 3am, I was getting drowsy and my feet weren't necessarily going where I wanted them to anymore. Not to mention, I'd chosen an old pair of socks and a newer pair of shoes that I'd only worn for short distances; the combination was giving me some unpleasant hotspots, particularly on the backs of my heels where the socks were nearly worn through. Ironically, I think some of the fatigue was due to forgetting to take in water and calories; I was busy trying to remind Debbie, but failing to do so myself.

I was disappointed at not being able to hold it together better, but I knew the smart thing to do was to head out and catch a nap and some food so I could return later on. Clay needed assets - people to help him along - and I absolutely refused to make myself a liability.

The right decision doesn't always feel great.

When we left, Clay had 21 laps remaining - 179mi completed.

We got home a little after 4am, where I shoved some more food in my face, piled up some pillows at the foot of the bed, and slept from 5am to 7am with my feet propped up and wearing most of my running kit. I can't say I felt amazingly refreshed when I got up, but I wasn't quite so dozy, and Tanker made us each a strong cup of coffee for the ride back over to Huron. We stopped at T.Ho's for a bulk container of coffee as well, so anyone who was coming out for the final hours (or was still there after multiple hours or days) could have a hot, caffeinated beverage on a rainy morning.

It seemed to be well appreciated.

We found that Clay still had another 10 laps to go, but was taking a bit of a rest; he'd realised he wouldn't be able to make it to 200mi in the 72hrs he'd originally hoped (or get the buckle for doing so from the race for which this was named - Three Days at the Fair), but he was bound and determined to go the distance no matter how long it took him. 

Debbie had already done at least 100mi with Clay, and Steven and Tim were back

Clay emerges, ready (?) for another burst of effort

The party had grown a bit in size by this point.

Clay was mostly just walking by now, with 10 laps left to go as the soggy morning wore on. After each lap he'd get an X on a big piece of bristol board to mark his progress, with some other markings of initials of people who'd joined him on that lap. 190 squares filled - such a massive percentage down, but still a long way to go.


Fortunately, he had good help - if Clay needed anything Debbie would run ahead to get it ready at the aid station, and if it took too long she'd get it sorted out while Clay continued on and then run to catch up.

Everyone should be lucky enough to have a friend like that when they need them.

Me? I made stupid math jokes, some other assorted terrible puns, and got wet.

Like really wet.

The surface of the Board of Education pond was alive with the barrage of raindrops

Actually couldn't really complain, though - I'd dressed well, throwing on the insulated skirt I'd forgotten to bring for the night laps, and while the rain continued apace I was able to stay warm enough with the bit of body heat I generated from walking.

Headed into the woods on another lap - Gary ran along with his rainbow umbrella, doing some lunges, push-ups, and other bodyweight exercises (in jeans) as he was missing his BodyPump class!

Halfway through the final 10 laps, Clay needed to stop for a moment to take some weight off his sore, swollen feet, but didn't want to sit down as it would be too difficult to stand again. So, he leaned.

I swear I'm not holding him down.

Back on the trail for the final push - the rain was relentless, but so was our cheery little band of soaking wet walkers.

The other folks out walking at Huron weren't quite sure what to make of it all, but who cares?

Clay, Debbie, Steven and Tim sharing a laugh

The two stalwart warriors

Andrea - having mostly stuck around base camp/the aid station - joined in for the final couple of laps.

Tim had needed to head out to keep an appointment

At long last, we emerged from the woods one final time and the finish line hove into view. Clay had been saying his goodbyes to the course as we passed each feature on his 200th lap: the stupid uphill, the fake downhill, the orange balloons from someone's birthday discarded in the woods.

Almost there.

It seemed only fitting that the three who had begun this thing back on Thursday should be the ones to finish it off on Sunday.

I ran ahead to get some photos and leave those who had worked so hard for so long to claim their glory. At just past quarter to one in the afternoon, Clay's incredible journey came to an end.

So unbelievably proud of his effort, and of the support shown by our friends!

Clay is never too exhausted to offer up a smile..

..even if the rest of him might need a bit of a rest.

The 200th X was marked on the bristol board, and the final time recorded: 75hrs47mins of continuous hope, effort, and struggle.

When asked why Clay had made more than 200 boxes on the board, he admitted he had no idea!

Trail family is the best family

I'm so grateful to have such wonderful people in my life.
(Photo by Gary)

We helped Clay pack up the RV, then headed on our weary way. Getting home around 2:30pm, I finally got my lazy, wet Sunday afternoon..

..after a completely unplanned total of 52km of running and walking for the weekend, that is.

Chapeau, Clay. Your determination is almost as incredible as your heart.

Sincere thanks to everyone who helped make this happen - the absolute best of the running community was on full display here, proving once again the African proverb: 

"If you want to go fast, go alone - if you want to go far, go together."

Have a great weekend, y'all!