2019 World Marathon Challenge

I am a 56 year old woman who comes from a large family.  I have 4 sisters and 2 brothers and I am the second oldest.  My oldest sister (Kelly) was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes when she was 8 years old (I was 7).  A short 7 years later, I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes but due to my sister already dealing with the disease, mine was caught early.  My brother, Andy, was also diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when he was 15 years old.  3 out of 7 children with this disease is quite uncommon.  

I was a child with a lot of energy and a way for my mother to deal with a rambunctious child was to send me outside to “run around the block”.  That was my start into my love for running.  Not because I was told to run around the block, but the neighbor kids got involved.  They would put out lawn chairs for me to jump over or would clock me to see if I could “run the block” faster than the first round.  

It wasn’t until 1995 when I ran my first organized “longer distance” race.  Sure, I had run a few 5k & 10k’s but nothing longer.  In the early 1990’s, I had begun running with some work friends.  We had decided that we would try a half marathon!  We trained together and ran the Vancouver BC half marathon.  I finished in 2:13:16.  My husband asked, could you have continued? YES!  That was my start to training for my first full Marathon. 

Over the years, I would run with my sisters and friends!  Sometimes they would run the half and I would run the full or sometimes we all ran the half marathon.  It was always so much fun running with others! 

I was always one who liked to push to see how far I could go.  When I turned 50 years old, I decided to run a 50 mile race; the Mt Si 50 on 4/22/2012.  The unfortunate thing was that my insulin pump stopped working the morning before the race.  I did what I could with bringing syringes and insulin but with running in the mountains and only one place where I’d have access to my bag, it was a challenge.  I finished but it wasn’t pretty.  From 1995 through 2018, I have successfully run 45 marathons and 54 half marathons!  

In 2018, I decided to apply and sign up for the World Marathon Challenge.  Another way to push to see what my body and mind could do.  This Challenge is running 7 marathons in 7 days on 7 continents!!  I knew I would need to train for a solid 6 months.  Training would mean running long miles and having the opportunity and time to take yoga and pilates classes.  This, unfortunately, would mean I would need to quit the job I LOVED.  I got the note of acceptance in February 2018 and told my boss that I would be officially retiring at the end of June 2018.  He asked me to stay on and consult until they found my replacement, which I did, but consulting was no where near as demanding as my full time job.  This allowed me to train.  

Now what?

Training

Lots to do to prepare for this race!! 

First, I needed to find a coach!  I’ve never trained or run something like this and I thought that for me to be successful, I better get some help!   I’ve never had a coach so where to start?  I tried local running groups here in Pinehurst, North Carolina.  Nope.  Tried colleges, nope!  Then I looked on FB and saw where some people would thank their coach so I reached out and contacted a few of those folks.  I interviewed and still didn’t find anyone that I thought would be a best fit for me.  A co-worker then suggested that I contact her friends friend who is a coach out of Oregon.  Her name is Ann Ciaverella and she is with Summit Performance Coaching!   http://www.summitperformanceracing.com/      Talked with her and told her I’ve been a runner for a long time, I am a type 1 diabetic, I am a horrible eater as I live on hot dogs, Cheetos and beer!  If she decides to take me on, she can’t make me give up those!!  She took on the challenge!! 

First things first, get a watch.  I purchased the Garmin Forerunner 35.  Downloaded the Garmin Connect app and the TrainingPeaks app.  I ended up having to purchase the TrainingPeaks so that Ann could put my training schedule there and we had a great way to keep in touch.  This training was going to be virtual as I live in North Carolina and she is in Oregon!  

Next thing was to focus on nutrition.  I asked her to please don’t make me eat avocado or mushrooms!  Instead, I bought this mix for nutrition to drink during the long runs called Infinit.  It was a custom blend drink that Ann calculated for my height and weight.  You basically mixed the powder with water and put that in your running water bottle.  That stuff wasn’t bad.  It helped keep my blood sugars level during those long runs!  That is a plus!!  The second was my recovery drink which was a mixture of protein and carbohydrates and you must drink this AFTER the long run, all within 30 minutes.  So I mixed Carbo-Pro pure complex carbohydrates with Carbo-Pro Interphase premium protein powder.  I poured both powders into a blender bottle with some water.  Warning:  this stuff is not a hot dog and Cheetos.  I had to drink it with a straw so I could get it down fast!  But man oh man, I always felt great after those long runs!  

Ann also suggested I get Elevated Legs.  I had asked about them as I saw that a lot of the ultra runners use these.  They cost about $700 and they basically massage your feet up to your thighs.  I would use these (they zip on and are hooked to a small machine that puts air into the legs and does the massaging) after my long runs while I gulped down that recovery drink.  

This race is expensive.  All of the gear I would need, plus the entrance fee, plus the flight to the start of the race, plus various insurances etc. I started asking around as to how the racers from the earlier years had covered the cost.  Many had started GoFundMe accounts and put whatever they raised over the cost of the race to a Charity.  I chose the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). 

As I started the training, I began thinking about what running clothes I would need not only for all the days I’d be running but for the actual race.  I reached out to many organizations but only one generously donated some running bras, a t-shirt, hat and leggings;  Handful!  LOVE LOVE LOVE their gear!!  I wore them during training and the races!  Couldn’t have been more pleased!  Check them out!   http://www.handful.com 

One of my favorites is the Skirt Sports running skirts!!  I bought a few more to cover me for the 7 days of the race!  I have always gotten a lot of compliments on the running skirts about the style and the colors! I am wearing one of the skirts in this training picture.   Check them out!!  https://www.skirtsports.com/

While most of the races would be run when it was very warm, we did have to find clothing for Antarctica!  I used this site http://www.npmarathon.com/      to gauge what types of clothes I would need and should be prepared to bring/wear.  This included things like glacier goggles, buff, balaclava, base layers, wool socks and hats, two pairs of gloves, etc.  During training, I chose a date that was a bit colder and ran outside with all of my gear.  I am sure the neighbors thought I was some nut job running around town in glacier goggles and a balaclava!  But a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do!  

Shoes!  I was given advice to have a pair of running shoes that were at least a 1/2 to a full size larger as my feet and ankles will swell.  What I brought with me was a pair of trail shoes for Antarctica (also brought yaktrax) and those were Altra Lone Peak.  Loved those!  Then I had a pair of Saucony Grid Ramble TR3 for the other 6 races!  I never needed the third larger pair of Saucony shoes as my feet and ankles never swelled!  

When training started, my husband and I had already planned some trips to play golf.  One was in Scotland for almost a month.  We had to find hotels with treadmills as I found it very difficult to find a safe place to run for 12+ miles.  On top of that, I am directionally challenged so trying to find streets that actually had a sidewalk was just one of my issues.  Then in September, we had a hurricane Florence!  We lost power for over 48 hours and I had to do a 20+ mile run.  I was not comfortable running outside with the high winds and the amount of rain we were getting, plus the authorities told us to stay off of the roads so I resorted to the treadmill.  However, I had no power, no WiFi, no cellular, nothing!!  But I did have a generator that I had plugged my refrigerator in to.  Well, for a few hours, I unplugged the refrigerator and plugged in my treadmill, put on my battery radio headset and ran.

Training was going well.  I discovered that I needed a more experienced doctor of Internal Medicine than what was available in my home town.  I interviewed and chose a new doctor up at Duke, Dr. Natasha Akhter.  She was wonderful.  She suggested the new Medtronic Insulin pump which is the first closed system of its kind; the continuous glucose monitor talks to the new Minimed 670G pump and used AI to basically understand the individual and adjust!  Very cool!  She also helped me with getting any and all supplied I might need for the race.  We were worried that the pump might get too cold in Antarctica so she was able to get me a temporary second pump, additional supplies if both pumps failed, etc.  Awesome!!  

When I got into the part of the training plan where I was running approximately 118 or more miles a week, I really needed to find a massage therapist.  My friend, Jay, recommended a local young woman.  Jen Engelhardt who owns and runs Head Strong Massage.  She is awesome!  Check out her site: www.vagaro.com/headstrongmassage  She was so helpful with keeping the blood flowing through my body and muscles.  I attribute the fact that I can run with no aches and pains directly to the fabulous Jen!

Pre-Race Briefing

January 28, 2019

I arrived in Cape Town the mandatory 2 days before we leave for Antarctica.  I wanted to make sure I got to do some sightseeing with another racer, Ginny Turner.  We are seat partners on the flights.  Cape Town is where we were all instructed to meet for the pre-race briefings.  It is such a beautiful place and the people are some of the nicest around.  We discovered that the famous Ultra runner, Michael Wardian, was also staying at our hotel on our floor!  We met him coming off the elevator and had some pictures taken with him.  He is one of a kind!  One of my heroes!  

These briefings are to ensure we know what to expect during the race, get to meet all of the competitors as well as the support staff, and receive our numbers/t-shirts/patches etc.! 

The race start is getting close.  I woke up excited to finally grab my carry-on bag, board a bus and head to the airport.  Antarctica, here we come!  The realization that the time has come, training for the past 6 months has put me in a place where I believe I can finish this race strong, and there is no turning back now!  The competitors are all gathering around, excited chatter can be heard in a variety of different languages.  Lots of pictures are being taken of the competitors boarding the bus to the Cape Town airport! 

We are taking a VIP charter plane to Novo.  We are landing and running on the Artic continent and not the islands!  Antarctica is one of the driest places on earth so we don’t expect it to snow!  It is also their summer so the sky will stay light 24 hours!! 

Novolazarevskaya (Novo) Antarctica Run#1

January 31, 2019

While on the plane, I asked if I could sit in the cockpit for a few minutes with the pilots!  Got to see the artic circle from above while they were preparing the land!  How cool is that?  The flight was about 5 ½ hours from Cape Town and we were served a light breakfast.  I had my base layer on before boarding the plane, but as soon as we were coming in to land, I put on the layers I expected to be wearing during the race.  I had my goggles, balaclava, buff, and gloves ready to put on before exiting the plane!  I carried two extra shirts and an extra hat just in case I got really cold.  I was told to bring the buff as the strong sun will reflect off of the snow/ice and will burn the roof of your mouth as most runners run with their mouths slightly open.  Not something I wanted to happen!! 

We exited the plane, put all of our bags on a cart that was pulled by a 4-wheeler/snow mobile.  There was another vehicle that was pulling another cart where all the competitors and support staff could ride if they didn’t want to walk about a half mile to the “containers”.  Since this is a Russian weather station location, there are 6 sea containers set up, all different colors and labeled with different letters.  They had one container for the women and one for the men.  We used this container to change our clothes (from wet to dry), to store our bags, and to rest and get warm.  It had two bunk beds set up so if anyone wanted to lay down, you could.  It also had a few chairs and a table or two.  We were able to plug in our devices if we so wished.  One of the containers was called the Zebra.  That was where the toilets were.  There were two toilets and it was really nice and warm in that container!  The toilet was unique.  It basically had a plastic bag that lines the bowl and when you pushed on the lever on the floor, it gathered the bag and dropped it to a container below and a new plastic bag was placed in the bowl. 

We are called to the start line.  Heart is beating so fast and so loud that I think everyone can hear it.  Doubts are flooding my head; have I trained enough, did my trainer really know what I needed to do to finish this race strong and uninjured, am I dressed too warmly, am I protecting my insulin pump enough to not have it get too cold and fail, will I be last, and am I really ready to take on this challenge?  Richard Donovan is at the start and explains that the drone will fly above and record us.  He said that there will be a “fake start” so they can get a good picture of all of us!  Also, that when we see the camera to, please, try and avoid waving, smiling, jumping, etc. and to just run. 

Since this race is running around the perimeter of the runway, to measure it out to be 26.2 miles, we will do 6.5 laps.  As soon as the horn is blown, we will have 168 hours to cross the finish line in Miami!  The terrain is tough as we had some areas where the snow was deeper and others where you were running on ice.  The weather was kind of warm to start, considering all the clothes I had on so after the first half lap, I took off my coat.  I decided I was going to run this race slowly as I didn’t want to get hurt the first race.  I didn’t care what my time was here as I could make it up on the other races.  At about the second lap, my iPod stopped working.  No music at all.  It must have been too cold.  As I tried to take pictures with my camera, it also stopped working with a message that it was too cold.  As time passed, the sun never really went completely down but it got a tad darker.  When that happened, there were parts of the course that started to look like the snow/ice turned to water.  The wind was picking up and it was getting quite a bit colder.  I stopped to put on another shirt and my jacket.  Then I had to go to the bathroom.  Ugh…that meant going back about ½ mile up to the Zebra.  Can I hold it?  Decided that was not going to be good so up to the Zebra I headed.  At least I warmed up a bit as that container was the warmest place there!  Out on the course I was again, feeling much better.  As the weather got colder and the wind picked up, there was a place on the course where my goggles would fog up and I couldn’t see for like 5+ minutes.  I tried to pull them away to get the air to un-fog them, that didn’t work and instead almost blinded me!  So, I ran blindly, slowly until it started to clear and I could get back on pace.  That happened for the last 3 or so laps. 

I finished!  I looked at my watch and discovered that I had actually run 27.9 miles (a result of the organization starting us in the wrong place and the added distance to the Zebra).   I was cold and hungry.  I found my way to the container that had the food!  It was run by the Russians and we could choose between bread or warm mashed potatoes.  I chose the potatoes and ate what I could.  I also drank warm water!  Anything to warm up a bit. 

Going back to the women’s container, I find there were a couple of men in there.  No opportunity to change to dry warm clothes.  One was the doctor and a few of the men competitors.  One of the women was being treated for hypothermia and the doctor had an IV started, covered her in blankets and put warming gloves on her hands.  As I was in there warming up, another women finisher was struggling with hypothermia and we were able to get her warm by placing her on the bed under covers etc.  The doctor was a bit busy running between the men and women’s containers ensuring all racers were well taken care of.  Also, found that one of the lady competitors had twisted and fallen at the finish line and more than likely, tore a ligament/tendon from her thigh to her knee.  She would decide to change to running the half marathons.  This was not an easy run for any of us!   I was grateful for being uninjured and finishing in 6:19:20. I got warmed up and went back out to get some pictures taken….quickly!!  This was the first of many pictures of me wearing my Pinehurst Caddie Bib, using my putter to put my red ball at the finish line!  After the last finisher, we head back to the plane.  I believe it was around midnight but really hard to tell since the sun was still shining!  However, it was much colder now.  I could tell my calves did not like the terrain as they were very tight.  Flight time back is another 5 ½ hours so our next marathon will start within 10-11 hours after finishing this first one!  We take off:  Antarctica, so peaceful, so white, so cold but so beautiful and serene. 

Short Video:

Cape Town, South Africa Run#2

February 1, 2019

We land and board the bus to go to the hotel where the briefings were held.  We had very little to eat on the plane, basically some bread.  We were told we had about 45 minutes before the race was to start so there was no time to shower after Race 1 and no time to really get anything good to eat.  I was afraid to eat something right before we run as it will upset my stomach.  I will need to wait until after the race.  I prepared my nutrition drink as I figured I’ll definitely need it to keep my blood sugars level. 

The race will start across the street from that hotel.  It is warm and we discover that the variation in temperature from Antarctica to Cape Town is approximately 100 degrees!  We start the race at about 95 degrees.  This race is a little over 4 laps along the boulevard.  One half of the lap is right along the water where the other half is about a block or so away.  It’s a beautiful, sunny, hot day. 

We start out after another “false start” for the drone video.  I feel my calves straining from the twisting and turning from the snow and ice of Antarctica.  I made a mental note to try and massage these calves after this race is finished.  I’m taking it easy this race as I am not a good “hot” weather runner.  I want to enjoy the scenery, the support crews, the people on the boardwalk, etc.  I had several people stop me to ask what we were all doing and what race we were running!  As the race continues, I was getting seriously dehydrated .so much so even my hands were cramping and my thumbs were twisting funny.  I knew I needed to be drinking A LOT more water.  What was weird is that the only water stops they had were on the boardwalk portion of the race.  The other side of the race course, they had these small blue sealed water bags.  I thought they looked like blue breast implants.  They were cold and I wasn’t sure what they were for so I put one in my sports bra and one under my hat to cool me off.  Every time I came across another table with these, I would remove the warm one from my bra and hat, and hand it back to the kid and exchange it for cold ones.  The weird looks I got from these kids was funny.  I thought maybe people don’t put these in their bra’s?  It wasn’t until I was almost done with lap 2 when I ran into another competitor; Ginny Turner.  I asked how she was doing and she did the same.  I mentioned that I was cramping really badly and more water on this side of the course would be great.  She explained that the blue bags were “bite bags” and I was supposed to be biting the corners off and drinking the water!!  Who knew?  I’m an idiot but I learned something that day!! 

The last 4 miles my calves were cramping so bad that I ended up having to walk a lot of it.  I finished in 6:02:09.  I headed to my hotel, the one I stayed in from the first day in Cape Town, for a quick shower, grabbed my bags, took some pictures at the finish line and headed to the hotel/bus for our trip to the airport.  Traffic headed back to the airport was very slow and bad.  Many of us waited at the hotel for the second bus to arrive after the first bus took off.  We were at least 2 hours delayed as a result. 

On the plane, there were a few people who needed the doctor for pain medicine/muscle rubs and/or for him to massage their legs!  I think we all might need him sooner or later!  

Short Video:

Perth, Australia Run#3

February 2, 2019

Sitting on the plane for so many hours is tough.  We needed to stop in Mauritius and Jakarta for refueling and that got us all up and moving.  I was using the Elevated legs and got my friend, Ginny, to try them as well.  Later the runner seated behind us also used them. 

The seats on the plane did not lie flat and many folks were sleeping on the floor in front of their seats.  Since there were two of us in the seats, we really couldn’t do that.  I tried to nap as much as possible but found myself stretching and reading. 

We landed in Perth and took the shuttle bus to the start line.  It is dark, which is good as it is a bit warm.  After two quick marathons and a long plane ride, I was ready to get running again.  This race was 8 loops on a nice paved path.  Although it was dark, the path was pretty well lit.  No need for the headlamp!  The local running group did a great job with stats on Perth and Australia at one of the turning points!  The same group did a great job at the end with a BBQ, a place to shower and a place to rest until all of the racers finished.  The showers felt great except we didn’t have towels and had to dry off with paper towels!  I ate some banana’s and a sandwich then I laid down on an exercise mat after my shower and before we were to gather on the bus back to the airport.  It was my first time actually laying down in about 3 days!  I was happy to finish in 5:02:21, although that is still quite slow for me.

Dubai, United Arab Emirates Run#4

February 3, 2019

We landed and had a rather long bus ride to the start of the race.  It was dark again and they also said that it might rain.  We got out our rain gear, just in case.  This race was 10 loops on a pretty well-lit beach boulevard.  We had meter markings on the path where we started and when we were to turn around and head back.  We really didn’t need to worry about that as there were people at both turn arounds who were counting our laps and providing water/support. 

The weather was nice and warm but not too hot.  It actually rained a few minutes but not hard.  Almost like a spritzing!  There were a few locals we passed on the boulevard; all men. 

I felt good and just ran this race nice and easy.  It wasn’t as boring as I thought it might be as I was looking at the beautiful tall buildings and the water!  Very peaceful.  I finished in 4:54:34.

We were able to take a shower at the local hotel!  Yay.  This also gave me the opportunity to repack my bags and pull out what I needed for the last few races and pack away all of my dirty clothes and things I no longer needed. 

I wanted to get a picture of me putting but I needed help as there wasn’t anyone who could do it.  So instead, I asked two kids at the hotel to take my picture right outside of the hotel looking out over the course.  One of the kids looked at the putter as asked, what is this?  Is this for hockey?  Shocking as Dubai has a Golf Tournament every year. 

After the last racer finished, we got back on the bus for the long ride to the airport to head to Europe!

Leaving Dubai, the airport officials would not allow me to bring my putter in my carry-on and I had to pack it in my checked bag.  Sigh

Madrid, Spain Run#5

February 4, 2019

I am getting really hungry.  The food on the plane isn’t what I’d typically eat for running long distances.  While it was okay, chicken, salad, chips, muffins, etc., it wasn’t pasta or rice or anything with a whole lot of substance. 

We land in Madrid.  While we wait for our luggage, I see a small place by the door that is selling cheese sandwiches.  I go and buy one for me and one for Ginny.  I also tell the others who are nearby that this place is open and what they have!  Many buy sandwiches.   We will eat these on the bus on our way to the start!! 

I am really excited about running this race as it will be run on a Formula 1 race track that is lit up specifically for us!!  When we arrived at the track, a large group of Chinese supporters greeted us.  Apparently, it is the Chinese New Year’s Eve!!  Some of these same supporters stayed out on the track greeting us at the top of the first hill!!  So very kind of them as it was cold and dark!! 

The night is cold, about 27 degrees.  While I had on a hat, jacket, long sleeve shirt and leggings, I needed warmer gloves after the first couple of laps.  I got to a point where I couldn’t feel my hands to even pick up a cup of water.  I had to exit the race and go back to the gathering area (up above the course where the race car drivers change etc.) and rummage through my bag for my Antarctica gloves! 

Funny part is one of our race buddies (from Portugal) left his entire running bag on the plane.  He borrowed clothes and shoes from anyone who had anything to lend him!!  Yikes! 

Also, very interesting was one of the flight attendants (male) was to end his flight with us here in Madrid and he asked if he could run the half marathon with us!  Grant it, he also only had gym clothes and nothing warm but he did it!! 

This race consisted of us running 11 laps around the track of which, each lap contained 2 hills with a 9.8% incline.  Not an easy course but so very cool!  I loved it and even made car racing sounds each time we went into pit road to get water/support.  I finished this race in 4:41:27. I am still the fastest AMERICAN woman!

After the race, I went back up to the warming/staging area to take a shower.  However, the showers were broken.  The local running group supplied us each with lunch bags that contained white bread and cheese, or peanut butter and jelly plus a banana.  I chose the cheese.  It could have used some mustard or mayonnaise but beggars can’t be choosers.  I drank both cold and hot water! 

Since Spain allowed us to keep our checked bags on the plane, we only took our carry-on.  This meant I did not have my putter for my “end of race” photo.  Instead, I used a broom as my putter, put on my Pinehurst Caddie bib and putted my red ball!! 

Santiago, Chile Run#6

February 5, 2019

We had another long flight from Spain to Chile with two refueling stops; Tenerife and Fortaleza Brazil.  When we land, we realize we will be running this race in the dark again.  I have gotten to the point of not knowing what day or time it is.  I didn’t care either as it didn’t really matter.  We had a race to run and quickly get to the next one.  We have to finish in 168 hours!! 

This race spot is new.  We will run in a park that is situated in the middle of the city.  There are police that are at each of the gates as the park is closed but the gates are open.  We had 12 laps to make on this course.  It was too dark to really see much and we all needed to be wearing our headlamps.  The headlamp I brought was too heavy for the hat I was wearing and thankfully, Ginny let me use one of her extra small headlamps. 

The first half of the lap has a rather large steep hill to climb and the course also had us going over two bridges, which was nice.  However, coming off of one of the bridges you had a rather steep drop from the wooden bridge to the dirt path, which was jarring the first time I ran it.  I found this course to be challenging as the terrain changed from very sandy dirt paths to stoned walkways (usually the entrance/exit to the park, I believe) and wooden bridges, all in the very darkness of night.  As I was finishing the first lap and going from the dirt path to the stoned walkway, I tripped over the large gap between the two which sent me flying with my arms swirling trying to keep my balance and not fall flat on my face.  I went “flying” by the guard sitting on a chair and he didn’t move; just watched me fly by trying to regain my balance.  I made a mental note to watch for the gap on the next lap!  I was lucky to not have fallen! 

As I was coming in to complete another lap, I ran past a woman sitting on the bench with a dog.  This dog lept at me barking/growling which scared the crap out of me.  The woman did everything should could to maintain her grip on the dog!   I might have said a swear word or two.  Needless to say, that woman and dog were not there for the remainder of the race.  Whew!  Don’t need to have a heart attack on the course! 

Since it was so dark, the race organizers asked us to shout out our numbers as we made the loop around one of the counters.  That was because they couldn’t see our numbers, even as we ran right next to them! 

I was able to finish this race in 5:04:22 which is a tad slower than the last two but it was very difficult to run quickly in that environment.  Still felt proud to have finished upright and unhurt!! 

They had pizza at the end of the race at the finish line.  However, to take a shower, we had to be walked to the place by one of the local running group volunteers.  She came right after I had finished so no time to grab a slice.  I only had a few short minutes to get my caddie bib and ball but didn’t have time to get my putter!   I picked up my bag and several of us walked to this place to take a shower.  I think this was a gym that they opened just for us.  However, the warm water either wasn’t turned on or had already been used by the other racers as there were 4 of us ladies who only had cold water for the shower.  I did the best I could with just spraying some water on my legs and quickly washing off all of the dirt from the race.  No washing of the hair!  The water was way too cold. 

We had a few minutes waiting for the bus to pick us up at this shower place, and lucky for us, Starbucks had just opened right next door.  Some of us grabbed a coffee and a muffin and got on the bus headed to the airport!  Some racers, including my friend Ginny, were on another bus and would meet us at the airport.  I hadn’t known that at the time, so I bought her a coffee and took it to the airport.  She didn’t drink it but at least I tried. 

We had a delay at the airport.  It took us a really long time to get through the queues to get our boarding passes.  The lady at the counter told me to go as quickly as I could to get through customs and get to the gate.  I did.  When I got to the gate, noticed that there were about 1/3 of us there and the rest hadn’t come through yet.  They had our flight delayed as a result.  Since we were in a separated area for the charted flights, it didn’t appear we could exit again to go grab food etc.  We were told to sit and wait.  In a short time, I see my friend and seatmate, Ginny, walking towards me with a bag from one of the fast food hamburger places.  She said she had stopped and grabbed a few hamburgers.  I wish I had known we had time for that.   Ugh.

Miami, Florida Run#7

February 6, 2019 

I’m still starving although we’ve eaten on the plane.  At some point on this trip, I had tried a cup of instant soup.  That was delicious!! 

We land in Florida and we are all so excited.  We grabbed our luggage and we found our bus drivers who took us to the buses!  Apparently, Ginny and I were on the first bus!  We arrive in Miami Beach to a large group of our family and friends and supporters!  I see Eric first!!  So happy to hug and kiss him!  Then I see my sister, Adrienne and her husband Bryan!  So freaking awesome that they came to cheer me on.  I did ask if any of them were going to run a lap or two with me!!  Apparently not!!  Ha!  Adrienne had made a pretty cool “Bad Ass” sign!! 

We eventually gather at the start line for our last race!!  Lots of pictures are being taken!!  I am feeling good.  Happy that the race is starting later than planned as it would have been much hotter at 1:00 p.m. than whatever time it is now.  It’s dark, that is all I am aware of. 

We start around 9 p.m. and we have 5 laps to do!  I was drinking as much water on the plane as possible as I thought we’d be running in the heat of the day.  I had already suffered from dehydration in Cape Town and did not want to do that again.  It’s a beautiful night with lots of people around and you can hear music from some of the bars close by.  Part of the course runs along a boardwalk where you can hear the ocean but not see it.  Maybe if it was light out but definitely not in the dark.  I come to the first water stop and the young man there was so energetic and so kind that I ended up telling him after a few laps that he was the best water person on the entire race.  He was funny cause he’d run at you with water and telling you he had water!  Ha! 

I needed to use the restroom, like I have on each of the races.  I asked when I made one of the loops where they were.  I was told they were off the course but on my right.  I found one, ran around the entire building pulling on each and every door; they were locked!   I found the second one, did the same thing as that one was ALSO locked.  WTH?  I found the third one, and by this time I really had to go.  Again, locked.  I asked the firemen as I passed them and they told me that they should be open.  So, coming in for another lap, I yell to the organizers to either open the restrooms or tell me where one was that I could use.  This was not good.  Finally, they found a port a potty by the start line that was off the course, you had to climb over a wall and use it in the darkness.  I needed the camera on my phone to see anything.  Eric helped me with finding a step stool to help me over the wall.  Not sure what any of the other racers did but this was a god send!  Apparently, the restrooms close at nightfall and there was no alternative planned.  Once I used the restroom, it was easy street from there. 

I waived at Adrienne, Bryan and Eric as I made my loops!!  On my final lap, I saw them up ahead!  Can’t believe they waited for me.  I had no idea how late it was but knew it was late.  I gave Eric a huge hug and kiss.  We took pictures with the Pinehurst Caddie Bib, with the American Flag that Ginny’s friends brought, with the medals etc.  What an experience!!  What a joy! 

I finished this race in 4:41:13 which was my fastest time.  I finished the entire race as the fastest American woman!  I also finished in 5th place of all the women.  Seems appropriate since my lucky number is 5, my bib number on this race is #5 and I finished in 5th place!!  When I added up my total time spent running over 7 days, it was 36:47:28.  Therefore, I ran 183.4 miles in 36 hours.  Not too bad, I guess.

Summary of WMC 777 

Some random thoughts:

• You need to take the training seriously!  Do it as prescribed and stay healthy.
• Don’t look at each race as 26.2 miles.  I focused only on laps.  My trainer had me running my long runs in similar ways.  
• Be sure to drink the recovery mix after each race to help with the healing of your muscles.  
• Know that your times will not be your usual times, at least not for me, as you will need to run off course to use the restrooms, you are running on unusual terrain, and you are tired, jet lagged, and hungry.  Don’t let your times get to you.  Focus on the goal!  
• If I were to do this again, I’d bring some of my own food.  Not just crackers but something more substantive.  The airplane food is just airplane food.  You will be running a lot of miles and you need something that will stick to your ribs, give you energy and sustain you. 
• I’d not assume that there will be showers so I’d bring more baby wipes. 
• I’d probably pack a little differently and make it easy to transfer things you’ll need for the later races and make it easier to find other things you’ll need like your race bib, the ankle monitor, water/recovery bottle, etc.  It just seemed like it was always a hassle trying to find where I put things. 

For those of you who enjoy numbers, here are a few:

• 12 flights to include 4 refueling stops
• Approximately 33,000 miles flown (it is 25,000 miles around the equator!)
• Approximately 79 hours 35 minutes in flight time
• Ran a total of 183.4 miles
• Ran 7 marathons in total run time of 36:47:28
• Finished as the fastest American woman
• Finished 5th out of 13 women
• I am the 31st out of 39 women to have completed the World Marathon Challenge
• I am the second woman to have completed the World Marathon Majors (WMM) and the World Marathon Challenge!  WMM will be my next blog! 
• Zero blisters!! 

Would I run this again?  Absolutely! 

The race organizer, Richard Donovan and his crew, were awesome.  First class all around!  Richard is a legend in breaking world records.  He is the first person to have run 7 marathons on 7 continents in 7 days or less.  When he did this challenge, he used commercial airlines!!  I will be forever grateful to Richard for creating this adventure to allow people, like me, to fulfill their dreams!  I discovered that a lot of the athletes on this great adventure had been on other races that Richard has put together!  Don’t doubt that I will follow suit! 

Thank you to all those who sponsored and supported me in this adventure!  This includes my husband, my family and friends, Jen Engelhardt (Head Strong Massage), Ann Ciaverella (Summit Performance Coaching), Skirt Sports, Handful, Medtronic, Dr. Natasha Akhter, Joe Pizzi for the Buckeye Strong pin I carried, Mark and Sue Boynton who lent me the Pinehurst caddie bib, Tim Dalton and Karin Carrier who lent me the rosary that I used for each race/flight, Ran Morrissett for the GolfClubAtlas polo shirt, and Joe Pizzi and John Zeitler for calling the Pinehurst Pilot for getting an article written.  If interested, read here.  https://www.thepilot.com/news/pinehurst-woman-conquers-the-world-one-marathon-at-a-time/article_b4cda820-2e0f-11e9-bb8a-6f189c09fceb.html  

I could not have done it without all of you!!  Thank YOU!  

The morning after the race, I ate the biggest juiciest hamburger ever!  Here is proof!  

What is next for me, you might ask?  I am running a marathon in all 50 states and so far, I have run in 28 states.  I should have started this when I first started running as I have completed 53 marathons to date and I’d be done already!!  However, since I’ve just retired and my husband is also retired, we are now combining the marathons with a small golf excursions.  Life is great!  

Onward and upward!