Quick Reflection

Hello All

Well, I'm back at home sitting in a warm house with the almost howling winter winds outside. A mere -15C(without a windchill factor) here in Ontario, Canada. To think 72 hours ago I was sitting in +40C in Costa Rica, memories.

The Coastal Challenge was my second multi-day run, but the first where I truly met some remarkable and fantastic people. The kind of people that my wife Sara and I usually say, why can't these folks live closer to us. I guess it is the type of lifestyle and athletic challenges that group many good or interesting or (fill in the blank) types together.

As I said, I met some great people and sadly, as life goes, there is a chance I will not cross paths with them again. However, good memories and the chance if I do some other bizarre event such as the TCC, I will meet those from the past and new of the future.

Thanks to all for a great experience. I have been committed to haul myself to California to run Kari's race, the High Sierra Three Step. Is there such a thing as mountain lion repellant?

Coastal Challenge Reflection
Written Saturday, Feb 10, 2007
Salinas Bay


For one week we’re thrown together,
Testing our mettle as we took The Challenge.

Over the same path
Seeing the same sights
Eating the same food
Sleeping under the same stars
Sharing the same pain ---
As bonds are formed.

We’re Costa Ricans, we’re Americans,
Irish or Lithuanian……

We’re business people… educators… pig farmers…
Lawyers and doctors…. Environmental planners…..
Writers…
Fathers…mothers…friends…
Competitors…volunteers….staff.

Yet in this week of common experiences,
This week of shared conversations, frustrations…
This week of laughs, tears, pain, sickness, beauty,
Pride and disapointment, work and play,
Boredom and stimulation……

I’m taking home a little from each person-
Your character, your caring,
Your love and laughter,
Your smile and thoughts and kind words.

May our paths cross again somewhere!
In a beautiful place…
On a soft trail…
Somewhere in the mountains or a lovely valley,
Where familiar faces lead to smiles and shared memories of TCC 07!


Pura Vida!!

Jane Kellogg

Costa Rican Rhapsody

COSTA RICAN RHAPSODY
(to the tune of "Bohemian Rhapsody," with apologies to Brian May, Roger Taylor, John Deacon, and the late, great Freddie Mercury)


"Is this my ultra race?
Is this a death march?
Lost on a back road,
No escape from humidity"

Open my eyes,
Look down at my feet and cry.
"I'm just a slow boy, I ain't no Tico running.
My pace is easy come, easy go.
Downhills slow, Uphills slower.
Anyway the wind blows,
Doesn't ever tailwind for me,
For me."

Merritt, I just killed Tim Holmstrom.
Put some trail shoes on his feet,
Made him run stage 4, now he's beat.
Merritt, the race is not yet done
But now Tim's gone, his photos have blown away.
Rodrigo, ooo-ooo-oooh,
Did you mean to make us cry?
If I show up again this time next year,
Measure once, measure twice
Because the distances really matter.

"So late, will I make the cut-off?
Just want to drink some beer,
Body's aching everywhere.
Goodbye to my toenails - they're going to go
Gonna leave them all behind and lace my shoes
Medics, oooh ooo-ooo-ooh, (any way, this race blows!)
Where's your leukotape?
I sometimes wish I'd bloody just stayed in bed."


"I see so many footprints of front runners."
Juan Carlos, Juan Carlos, why is it you are so fast?
Javier Montero - very very speedy boy.
All the Ticos, All the Ticos,
All the Ticos, All the Ticos,
All the Ticos, There they go - Magnifico (oh-oh-oh-oh)."

"But I'm just a slow boy and everybody drops me"
He's just a slow boy, guzzling electrolytes
Spare him some Gatorade for this hellish odyssey.

"Day is done, build the tent - will I get to sleep?"
Oh no, the wind! It will not let him sleep
Bloody wind! It will not let you sleep (let him sleep)
Bloody wind! It will not let you sleep (let him sleep)
Will not let you sleep - need to sleep (never)
Never let you sleep - need to sleep
Never let you sleep - ooo
No, no, no, no, no, no, no -
"Oh Polar Heart Rate, Polar Heart Rate, Polar Heart Rate, let me sleep."
Eat-all-the-gels! Will the Latvians take him home with them?
With them?
With them?

"So you think you can massage me, see tears in my eyes?
So you think you can heal me, and maybe tomorrow I'll try?
Oh Lindsay, please hurt me more now, please Lindsay.
Just gotta get on - just gotta get on that physio list."


Ooh yeah, ooh yeah.
"Winning doesn't matter.
Anyone can see
Winning doesn't matter -
Winning doesn't matter
To me

But see you all next year..."

All Done!!!

Today I was back at work and thinking about how great a time we had in this years Coastal Challenge. For myself (and I bet for many of the other racers) I accomplished my goal and now have some wonderful memories. Yeah OK, and a few not so wonderful memories too :-)

This evening I started downloading all the pictures Tanya and I took and then started creating the email distribution with the names and email addresses of those of you who entered your information in Jane's book.

I also created this quick and hopefully easy to use blog for all of us to share our memories, links to pictures you may have posted on the web, express our opinions and thoughts of last week, and to just help keep in touch with one another.