june 21 day 43 24 miles total 1124 i lost a half hour to a little stomach disturbance another 15 minutes to beginning a rescue mission for my faithful companions walking stick and straw hat. then we walked right into the chicago monsoon. roads were flooded some closed sidewalks were rivers and my faithful rain gear finally failed. thanks to faithful crew and companions yesterday’s aimless meanders were not repeated. i should leave chicago behind Read more…
june 20 day 42 27 miles total 1,100 how do i describe this day? words are inadequate. gary indiana was yet another post-apocalyptic landscape of collapsing buildings and vacant lots. huge industrial buildings sat empty. if you took away the traffic you could make end of the world movies there… but everyone we saw was friendly. there were still a lot of beautiful buildings and the steelyard baseball field was as pretty as you will Read more…
But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. -Isaiah 40:31
june 19 day 41 29 miles total 1073 this was a great traffic day. much of the morning was spent strolling down our own private half of a 4- lane that had been barreled off for road construction. the truck drivers delivering materials had been seeing the troupe for two days and one asked what was up. word passed thru the construction zone faster than we did and we marched through like conquering heroes… but Read more…
Road Warriors of VolState Sweat, pain, pit bulls, and shotguns—welcome to Gary Cantrell’s old-school ultra. by Susan Reynolds Heavy clouds hung low in the sky over Hickman, Kentucky. Seventeen runners gathering for the 2009 Last Annual VolState Road Race greeted one another in good humor, their nerves betrayed only by frequently witnessed fidgets: tugging at compression-shorts hemlines or unpacking and repacking small items in a waist pack. For most, the adventure began on Tuesday, July Read more…
june 18 day 40 21 miles total 1,044 i called it early today. 39 days of pushing around the clock was enough and it was time to take a breath. a second straight day of people telling me; “ the heat index is over 100!” made the decision even easier. i was in sort of a grey area. easily reducing my schedule deficit to less than a day. but no chance of making up the Read more…
june 17 day 39 31 miles total 1,023 how could a day that started so well turn so grim? another afternoon of high 90’s temperatures and a blazing sun. that’s how. notching a 1,000 miler was a thrill. strolling thru beautiful elkhart completed a perfect morning. then we hit the highway to hell. no shade intermittent sidewalks traffic crushing heat… and the sun that merciless sun. it was not pretty and i don’t know exactly Read more…
after 999.75 miles i got lost and had to stop and consult my map to figure out where to go next. despite that i hit 1,000 miles at 38 days 3 hours 35 minuets and 35 seconds! pr pr pr pr! (for you dale) laz Patrick wrote: They say “the journey of a thousand miles begins with but a single step” – but how many of them really know what they’re talking about? You Read more…