Despite how excellent the Grand Canyon FatAss adventure was, there is an definite level of comfort in arriving safely back home. Seeing Sibylle run out into the early Monday morning downpour looking for her husband, last to exit the van in their driveway, was heart-warming. We were more than happy to hand his sick-ass over to his waiting family and head off home ourselves. I was no where near as stiff legged as I thought I would be after the run coupled with the hours upon hours sitting in the van for the return trip.
After returning from doing the R2R2R down at the grand canyon I was just buzzing with excitement. Even after sitting in a “minivan” 50+ hours and returning home at 5:30am in the morning then heading to work at 7:00am I couldn’t shake the buzz. Wednesday is my weekly run with the local gang from Fairhaven runners and I just couldn’t wait to tell my story of the past few days.
Mission accomplished by Team Fat Ass Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim Road Trip: Rick Arikado, Daniel Probst, Glenn Pace, Colin Freeland, Geoff Palmer and Ean Jackson.
My head is still spinning from all of the travel over the past few days. Here's a summary of our epic 5 day road trip:
Thursday 18 October
- 7:30 am - hassle with the Budget guys regarding number of drivers allowed
- 10:00 am - Pick up Daniel in Bellingham, WA
- drive across Washington, Idaho, Utah.
Sunday morning I arrived at Lynn Canyon to find nobody waiting by the Baden-Powell trailhead. I thought I had gotten off easy, having gone down to injury in the Royal Victoria 1/2 marathon the weekend before and having been barely able to walk since then. I went and parked figuring I would just go for a hike along the route with my dog Shazam when Mel, a new Club Fat Ass member from Kelowna pulled up beside me.
We discussed the route and decided not to do the full 32 km as she only had 3 hours and with my hip injury we weren't going to be moving very quickly. She did mention how she could always 'cut back' if she was running out of time but that would be somewhat difficult from the top of the Hanes Valley. It was too bad our situations did not allow us to do the whole course because the weather was perfect, clear skies but not too cold for a fall day.
One of my BHAGs (Big Hairy Audacious Goals) is to complete 100 ultramarathons during the year I enter the 50+ age group.
This post is a work in progress that I hope will keep me focused and allow me to know when I get there. The reason I say, "know when I get there" is because some folks are sticky about what constitutes an ultramarathon that should count in circumstances such as this.
To kick off what I expect will be an interesting online debate, I'd like to clarify how I see the differences between a race, a run, and an adventure run then look at how to prepare for an adventure run.
Well, at 4:44 moutain time, Gilles finished the 7th race of the season with 16 minutes to spare. Woohoo! In chronological order of accomplishment: McNaughton - Illinois Big Horn - Wyoming Tahoe Rim - Nevada Stormy - BC Cascade Crest - Washington Grand Tetons - Wyoming Wasatch - Utah After hearing all season, "they are not done yet". I can state that I never doubted his tenacity, determination and ability to do it. I am incredibly proud and happy that he was able to accomplish what he set out to do. Later, I will ask Gilles to help me withthe times.
The Sunshine Coast lived up to its' name as we were greeted with nothing but glorious sunshine for the inaugral running of the Sunshine in September event. Sibylle, Craig and myself headed out on what can only be described as stunning day.
Mission accomplished by Team Fat Ass Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim Road Trip: Rick Arikado, Daniel Probst, Glenn Pace, Colin Freeland, Geoff Palmer and Ean Jackson.
Sunday morning I arrived at Lynn Canyon to find nobody waiting by the Baden-Powell trailhead. I thought I had gotten off easy, having gone down to injury in the Royal Victoria 1/2 marathon the weekend before and having been barely able to walk since then. I went and parked figuring I would just go for a hike along the route with my dog Shazam when Mel, a new Club Fat Ass member from Kelowna pulled up beside me.
8 September 2007 - Starter Photo
