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May 11, 2004
The Long and Winded Trip

Its always nice to see a familiar face on the road. Running legend and friend of TREK USA, Creigh Kelly, joins Dave McGillivray for a morning run in Greeley, Colorado  See more photos in our gallery

Wray Colorado  -  Having crossed the Rockies and dropped more than 5,000 feet to the valley at Greeley, Colorado, team TREK USA anticipated a relatively calm 11^th day through terrain that would be at ?normal? altitude and few, if any, hills to climb.  Our 152 miles, we thought, would be pretty routine. 

The ?Moaners? (group 2) headed out to the half way mark, 76 miles down to Route 34 which would carry us to our final day?s location, Wray, Colorado which sits on the Nebraska border.  Leaving the parking lot of our hotel, it didn?t take us long to get lost, or in the words of our driver, ?Temporarily bewildered?.  Attempting to get back on route, we came across the support RV for the ?Whiners? ? also ?temporarily bewildered?.  Not the best start to the day, we suspected.

But at last we found our way to the start of our journey.  The first 76 miles initially took our ?Whiner? runners through a number of small towns via a four lane highway.  It was a stark contrast to the wild beauty of the mountain ranges of the past few days.  Soon though, the team reached Rte. 34 and the farmlands that stretch through the remainder of the route through Colorado.  This is to be the beginning of our journey through the ?bread belt? of our country. 

The mountain ranges that encircled us for so many days melted away and were replaced by endless stretches of fields of wheat and corrals holding cattle in the thousands.  The two lane road gently rose and fell, almost imperceptibly to the eye (though not to the runner) as it weaved between farms on the left and right.  The smells of the pine forests were replaced by a new, yet equally strong fragrance.  You just can?t gather that many cattle without the attendant odor farmers probably get used to?eventually. We?re not sure we?ll be around that long. 

In the meantime, the ?Moaners? reached their starting point 76 miles ahead.  Their scenery was identical and remained so until the final miles of the day were done.  Despite the relatively gentle terrain at a full 7,000 feet below our high point of the day before, both teams agreed that this was one of the most difficult days of the trip.  The wild card today was the wind.  Our meteorologist, Dave D?Arcangelo, had warned us of high winds, but honestly, we underestimated the power of 40+ mph winds.  Often the direction was off our right shoulder, but a bend in the road (typically on a rise, it seemed) could put the screaming wind head-on.  Running up a gentle incline with the full force of the wind made yesterday?s climb up Cameron Pass seem less impressive. Even when the wind hit at a diagonal, it was so strong that the right foot often got blown into the left.  Eighteen wheel tractor trailers that service the farming industry dominate Rte. 34.  When one passed by, the additional gust was at hurricane strength.  It was not a good hat day!

At our team dinner this evening, we agreed that today left its scares on many of us.  We know, now, that each part of the country will serve up its own challenges and that we must continue to take them seriously.  Though the team still feels strong, we must be cautious of the little mistakes that can create serious consequences.  High winds mean faster dehydration.  Tough days require a good night?s sleep.  High mileage demands proper nutrition.  We are fortunate to have the excellent advice of two coaches, Paul McGovern and Fernando Braz.  We also have frequent tune?ups from our massage therapist, Zo? Alexi, and Lyn Licciardello keeps good food in front of us. Dave Leonard continues to be the tireless jack of all trades, and Ron Kramer reminds us, ?Safety First!?  It is a team effort that will get us through the hardest of days.  What helps us all is knowing that so many back home have kept us in their thoughts.