|
May
18, 2004
Thanks
 |
Bill
Lapsley pays homage to Merrimack
Valley running legend, Jim Kapelson
See more photos in our gallery |
Ohio - Yesterday was a tough day. Last night was no picnic either.
The day ran late, the hotel was
?basic?, there was no high speed internet,
the diner was mediocre, and dawn came early.
The assignment was to run 166 miles ?
another long day.
Weeks of sleep deprivation were beginning
to make the team just a little ?punchy?.
When dawn broke, life
began to look up again.
Group 1 began its half in Plymouth, but
quickly left behind the dreary city portion for
the outskirts which once again featured the
rolling farmlands that we had enjoyed earlier. Though the day was muggy, warm and overcast, the beauty of
the countryside was in such stark contrast to
yesterday?s tribulations that we began to feel
a lightness once again return to our legs.
It wasn?t just the
scenery that revived us, however.
Apparently yesterday?s journal report
reflected our mood well enough to worry many of
you. You
sprung into action.
We received scores of emails encouraging
us to ?push on?, and to remind us the
importance of our journey.
We are humbled, thankful, and inspired.
Here is a brief sampling of emails we
have received:
Hi
Dave , My name is Meghan I am a twenty-two year
old single mother of Elizabeth who is 21 months
old, I just want to tell you what an amazing
thing you guys are doing. This world has
become a scary place and it is so nice to hear
some good come out of all the bad. So
thank you. I would have donated so money
but unfortunately I struggle to raise my
daughter alone, but my thoughts and prays are
with you and the charities you are running for.
Sincerely, Meghan
There
are a lot of people cheering you on. I wish you
could hear the chants of thousands who track you
daily, cheering you on. Keep it up!!!
Julia Kim,
Boston
Thinking
of you guys and checking frequently from the
deserts of AZ
Greg "Big Blue" Mason
I
have been reading the journal faithfully and I
need to tell you how amazing you all are. What
an incredible experience too. We are cheering
for you every step of the way. Scot will be at
Fenway screaming for the two us.
Best of luck in you final week and send my love
to all :)
Kristine
Hey
Tom, one more short observation.... I'm sitting
here wondering what to draw and thinking about
all the crap that's going on in the world right
now...not to get too schmaltzy, but it's
refreshing to tune in every day to a bunch of
people who are actually doing something good and
being able to live a little bit of the
experience with you.
Hang in,
Dana Summers, Editorial Cartoonist, Orlando
Sentinel
This would
have been worthwhile if we had only inspired one
kid, but you all have done much more than that!
...I think you may have even inspired some
adults! Thanks! Keep it up...we love you guys!!!
Can't wait to see you in person!
Sherrie
I
have two kids in San Diego, so I go west almost
yearly. However, I remember having my only
goal a couple of years ago...when I went
west..... was to see a rattler. You guys
did that. I told Bill that TransAmerica @
9 mph couldn't be any better. Thanks for
the vivid descriptors!
John Laverty, Plymouth, MA
Keep
up the great work, we're proud of you!
The
Noland Family
Believe me,
you have 40 fifth graders from the Squantum
School in Quincy cheering you on and following
you on a daily basis, primarily done through my
printing and their reading of your daily journal
entries! We trace the day's route on our
map, keep a chart of the daily mileage and the
total miles traveled, and then the math teacher
in me creates myriad problems to use that data.
:-) (Yesterday's weekly math quiz had us
dealing with mean, median, mode, and range of
the first 13 days!)
Emily Blampied
Squantum
School
Quincy, MA
Just
wanted to know I have been following your
"long run" across the USA every day
via your fantastic website...you guys are doing
a great job out there!!!!
Cheers
-- Don Fredrikson, Lincoln, RI
You Trekkers
are truly inspiring! I have so much admiration
for all of you. Know that you are in the hearts
and prayers of the Kelly family.
Hang
in there we are all cheering you on. You have
done so much for so many and come so far. You
are all great inspiration for all of us home.
Thank you.
Looking forward to seeing you all in Boston.
Remember
"the little things"
Kenny
Hi
Tom, I'm Katie and Dave's "Auntie Joanie"
and live in Amarillo Tx. Just want you to know
how much i'm enjoying your trek on line and how
much admiration i have of you. keep up the good
work lots of folks are rooting for you.
lots of love and a kiss to dave i hear the new
baby is BEAUTIFUL!!!! AJ
We have been following your tremendous progress from the beginning.
We wanted to let you know that we wish you a safe and speedy return!!!!
Best Wishes,
Paul, Chrissy & Bryan
It?s pretty hard to
whine about being a little tired after receiving
emails like those and the many others. We
promise that the reminder of how many people are
behind this effort will stay with us and sustain
us on those days that might be a particularly
nasty challenge.
With lightened spirits,
our two groups made excellent progress.
Group 1 ran through beautiful farmlands,
and at one point came across an Amish community.
We had the opportunity to talk with an
Amish woman who was bicycling into town.
She found our trip interesting and we
found her to be charming and sincere.
The Amish lead a simple life devoid of
many of the technical advancements that we find
so necessary.
As we ran past their homes, we saw no
telephone or electric lines.
There were no cable lines nor were there
satellite dishes on the roofs. Thinking about
the aggravation we?ve dealt with in trying to
get internet and cell service, we can see why
they wear those peaceful smiles!
As we ran into the
afternoon hours, we received a call from Dave
D?Arcangelo, our meteorologist.
As though he was looking over our
shoulders, he called our attention to gathering
storm clouds off to our right to the south. He warned us that we would have only a few hours before our
path would intersect that of the storm.
He was concerned that the storm could be
severe and that the attending lightening could
be dangerous. The pace quickened.
Group 1, with its earlier
starting time, completed its 83 miles with only
a couple of runners getting caught in the rain.
Group 2, however, was further down the
course and had a later start due to the 83 mile
drive. Mike
Barry and Paul McGovern got caught in a
downpour, and Gov finished just moments before
the skies opened in an amazing display of
energy. Heavy
rain and lightening kept our team huddled in
their vehicles for nearly 45 minutes.
We are grateful that Dave D. has kept
close watch over us.
As a result of his call, we kept the
support vehicles especially close to the
runners. We
don?t mind getting wet, we just don?t want
to be lightening rods!
Today we concluded our run
in Ohio, and again, we crossed into our
?home? time zone ? Eastern Standard Time.
We are looking forward to tomorrow
because we run to Cleveland!
OK, running to Cleveland doesn?t sound
that exciting, but it is only 112 miles away.
It will be like a vacation!
The other highlites are that Dave
McGillivray will be featured on the Ken Coleman
radio show (a very popular ?drive-time?
show), and Hap Farber will be doing a medical
lecture for a group of physicians. His fee will
be donated to the TREK USA charities. Perhaps
the most impressive part of his lecture will be
the ?visiting Physicians? from TREK USA who
will be in the audience.
We can hardly wait to report that story!
?Dr. Howard, Dr.
Fine?.Dr. Howard ..."
PS
If there are any ideas, comments or
questions about the journal, send me a note:
Tom
@TREKUSA.org
|
Count Down to Boston:
