We Did It!

We did it!!! And when I say we, that’s exactly what I mean. Thanks to Tracy cycling the last 14.5 miles with me in the heat, Jared and Emmett being the best support team I could have asked for and so many prayers and words of encouragement, we made it to the east edge of Portage La Prairie!!! That is pretty much the exact halfway point of Manitoba and marks the end of my run for the summer of 2019. A few days ago Tracy and I agreed that reaching Portage was attainable and that’s been the new end goal ever since.

When the day started, my plan was to split the 14 miles into two runs. But once I reached the highway sign showing Portage was only 9 km away, I was determined not to remove my runners until we had run through Portage. Jared and Emmett would then drive a mile or two down the road and offer fresh water, coke and or freezies (yes freezies, I wish I would have thought of that on day one). As the miles kept adding up and my pace slowed I found myself walking almost the entire length of Portage (even though it was slower I knew I had nothing left in the tank). Then, just when it felt like Portage would never end, Tracy told me

the finish line was only 1 km away. That was all I needed to hear to put my head down and run the last 1000 metres. My pace was so slow and so laboured and I’m sure there were caterpillars passing me but I made it to the sign, before nearly collapsing with relief in Tracy’s arms. We did it!!!

(I hope to post a more comprehensive summary in the coming days.)