Updates From The Road
August 4th - August 8th - 2003
Day 1, November 16th
The run today began in Lexington, KY, with five runners. Throughout the day, nature provided a constant stream of purifying water, and a chill in the air to invigorate the senses. The starting point was a local friend's house who was in need of spiritual support. The group completed 47 miles, and along the way they met up with group of bicyclists. After finishing up in Lancaster, KY, they met up with the bicyclists in a local cafe, where the outpouring of community support took everyone by surprise. Dinner was provided, and shelter for the evening at a local half-way house was coordinated.
Day 2, November 17th
Two runners and a van, with a key shared between them. The strategy was to drop runner 1, drive up, runner 2 starts running, runner 1 finishes and drives up, etc. Through this strategy they covered 47 miles. The running began at five a.m. in the midst of fog and darkness. By ten a.m. the sun shone, and the warmth was welcome. The roads were challenging, and the weather conditions were a factor. The running today ended just south of Somerset, KY. The lodging tonight is tent city. All is well, and anyone who wants to come out for a day is greatly welcomed.
Day 3, November 18th
The running commenced around 7:30 a.m. A runner from Cincinnati joined for 25 miles and went back home. Between the three runners, 65 miles were covered. Around 3p.m. the weather turned wet, and eventually it turned into a full-fledged storm. The runners are in Wartburg, TN, and opted for dry, interior lodging due to weather conditions.
Day 4, November 19th
The running began around 7 a.m. in the rain. By mid-afternoon the sun was shining, and it grew very warm. The warnings on the radio were to look out for loose trees. Due to the profuse rains, trees were falling, and Jim witnessed one. The runners were joined by Jon and his sister, Cheryl and they were a site for sore eyes legs and everything else. Jon took over and covered 8 mile. At 2 a.m. Curtis, Pumla and Devin found the runners. A total of 48 miles were covered.
Day 5, November 20th
Due to the increase in participation, a whopping 110 miles were shared between six people. A boost in energy for the group! If everything goes well we will cross into Georgia tomorrow. Jon and his sister ran their miles this morning and then headed back to Kentucky. Everyone has agreed to go the distance, We will have to all run 20 miles each every day if we want to make it there by Saturday.
Day 6, November 21th
Today was great! What a beautiful day, we started off at 6:45 running our way through Georgia. Georgia always reminds me of Australia because of the red soil. I had to make up a couple of miles today left over from last night and they went by fast by 4:30 we had finished up the running day and were on our way to our overnight in Lannett AL. To Jim and Judies house and a warm place to sleep. Jon called me around 6:00 and told me that they had a huge dinner waiting for us. Unfortunately we were not going to make it until later we still had about 50 miles to cover still to get there. Jim and Judy understood this is the third time they have opened their home to us when we have been running through this area. It was great to hear from Jon and know that the miles were covered and everyone was safe. As always we were greeted with smiles and hugs at Jim and Judies. We spent a little time catching up and called it a night. It would be a very busy day for everyone tomorrow. All the activities at Fort Benning and we still have miles to do.
Day 7, November 22th
Another beautiful day! For the last two day's I had been riding with Cutis and Pumla because Pumla doesn't have a license and Devin had been riding with Jon in my van because he doesn't know how to drive a standard. This was a problem now because they wanted to run the last of the miles so when they finished they could go on in to Fort Benning for the conferences being held today. Then another John volunteered to drive support. Problem solved, so we had our morning circle and headed off. Today Jon and I ran better than we had in the last few day's. We both just felt re energized knowing that we were going to make it. That every mile was covered by foot and by prayer. I want to take just a minute and thank all the people that walked, ran, prayed and were with us in spirit. Thanks to you we made it.
