OFFROAD FIXATION (aka Inertia 2) MEMBERS IN ADVENTURE WORLD MAGAZINE

I found a new adventure racing magazine last night online. WWW.ADVENTUREWORLDMAGAZINE.COM This type of magazine has tended to come and go as people quickly realize how much work goes into filling pages and acquiring advertising. I was excited to see that they had a short article on the US Adventure Racing National Championships that were held in Potosi, MO last year. I was even more surprised when I saw the article lead off with a full page (page 15) image of Shalom Shoaf and I (I'm sure John Clausen was up ahead leading the way) riding the Berryman Trail. I'm the blurry one. We struggled through some medical issues in that race but finished the full course in 30 hours and 31 minutes in 49th place out of 77 of the top teams in the nation. This reaffirms what I tell my kids, it doesn't matter how fast you are, just how good you look while you are going fast. :-)

Kelly

CHRIS AND I AT THE STARTING LINE

Chris and I discussing R&B at the starting line.

MORE TROLLEY RUN PICTURES

This is the whole Campfire USA crew with a few Kansas City School for the Blind thrown in the mix.

TROLLEY RUN

I did the KC Trolley Run today. This is my third time for this four mile run that takes the competitors from 75th and Wornall down to the plaza. It is listed as the fastest four mile run in the U.S. since most of the course is down hill. The event is a fund raiser for the visually impaired. While I've enjoyed giving to the trolley run charity, Children's Center for the Visually Impaired (CCVI), I've never really known anyone first hand that has benefited from it...until now.

The Campfire USA group that Offroad Fixation has been doing tandem bike rides with the past couple of years has been running in the event every year and many of their members are either current students or alumni of the school.

So this year instead of just running the event for time, I volunteered to run with a visually impaired partner. What a blast! I paired up with Chris at the starting line. I've ridden tandem bikes with Chris before but this was my first time as a running partner. He quickly filled me in on the deal.

We stood side by side with our arms almost touching, our hands clutching a short length of fleece cloth rope. As the fleece made a nice loose loop between us, Chris could tell by the tension or lack thereof, what direction I was in relation to him. I picked our way through the crowd of more than 10,000 runners and made sure he had a clear path and Chris did the rest. He was amazing! He was whooping and hollering at every down hill and he made sure to pour on extra speed as we cruised past three or four live bands, watering stations and mile markers that dotted the course. He brought a smile to everyone watching including myself. I don't think I've ever enjoyed a run more than this one.

We talked as we ran along and Chris filled me in on his school and other stuff going on his life. He is a vibrant 18 year old high school senior that could not stop talking about his prom (and prom date). Oh and we talked about music. Chris is a serious music fan. He has hundreds of CD's and could not only list the names of each but could tell you how many songs were on each one. He is very bright.

This was Chris' fourth running of the Trolley and his best time to date has been around 1:10. As we passed the first mile, I did some quick calculations and told Chris he was on a pace to break one hour and he set his sights on that as we went along. About mile three he was struggling with his breathing as the cold air of the morning had kicked his asthma in gear and we slowed to a walk for a bit but he picked it back up for the final mile and we jogged it in to the finish. The crowds at the finish were enough to pump him up for a final sprint and I struggled to keep up and guide him through the ever present crowd of runners. His father met him at the finish line for a hug. We ended up finishing just over one hour in a 1:03 and change, cutting seven minutes off his PR. Chris was stoked!

If you are needing a healthy dose of good karma, come on out during the weekends of June and July and I'll introduce you to these amazing athletes for our tandem bike rides for the visually impaired. I guarantee you a wonderful time.

Orienteering at Fleming Park near Blue Springs, MO

John, Amanda and I had a wonderful day at the Fleming Park Orienteering Meet near Blue Springs, MO last weekend. The weather turned out beautiful and the day was enjoyed by all ages. I was nursing a swollen knee and bruised ego from a soccer match ealier in the week but decided to walk the Red Course and take the camera along to record the fun.

Check out the pictures online at the link HERE.

SUNFLOWER 24 HR ADVENTURE RAPEL

AMANDA AND JUSTIN

I finally got the pictures downloaded from the camera and found a picture of Amanda and Justin that Dave Shultz took.