Heather was instrumental in the run across the United States; that’s evident on every page of this book. She was also critical to the accuracy and emotional honesty of this retelling, and she painstakingly reviewed the statistics, checked facts, and helped me describe some of the more difficult experiences. (Let me say, though, that any errors or omissions made here are mine alone.)
My agent, Stephen Hanselman, and his brilliant wife, Julia Serebrinsky, saw potential in this story and have helped me every step of the way. Megan Newman at Avery genuinely got and then bought into this book about running that’s even more about life. Bart Yasso made an invaluable recommendation, and Frank and Nilsa McKinney have provided so much support, advice, and guidance over the years, pointing me in the right direction. Karen Risch brought magic and meaning to the words.
To all my racing and climbing friends from the Eco-Challenges, the Raid Gauloises, the Seven Summits, and the 120-plus ultramarathons with whom I’ve shared the roads, oceans, seas, mountains, and diverse terrain: I think of you all often, and I hope you’ll forgive me for not calling special attention to each and every one of you, as there are just too many to mention. For all your friendship and support, I thank you. I’m especially grateful for having known Ted Corbitt and having the example of other past ultrarunners, bunioneers, and pedestrians.
In remembering years long past, I want to honor the memory of the late Gary Adams, who encouraged and studied me early on in my running career, photographing Death Valley and helping make it a National Park.
I must also mention Rosa Martinez, a part of the family and a godsend for all of us as the children grew up. She helped raise the kids and was there for us from the very beginning, becoming a surrogate mother to Elaine once Jean was gone. Peter and Susan Alpert, too, were comfort and support during Jean’s illness and after her death.
Sister Mary Beth Lloyd and Sister Virginia Jamele have done so much for impoverished women and children around the world, and I’m honored to be a small part of the fund-raising that helps them do the real work of peace and justice. Ray Zahab believed in and encouraged me, providing the training and nutrition guidance, as well as shaping the mental attitude necessary to complete my journey. I owe my success to my mentor in New York, who wishes to remain anonymous, though I must at least reveal that she has been my guiding light, keeping me focused on the task at hand and allowing me to accomplish the impossible.
Certain people helped me overcome so many obstacles along the way. Dr. Paul Langevin, the magic man; Nancy Smith, who worked a miracle healing my back the very last day; and Robert Spieler from VQ OrthoCare, who was always a shout away during the run—each provided much-needed medical expertise. You kept me moving. Then there were the people who did most of the crewing: my dear friend and neighbor Roger Kauf-hold, Kathleen Kane, Jesse Riley, Kira Matukaitis, Dave Pearson, Jennifer Nichols, and Chuck Dale; and Brian Weinberg, who would come out and pace me at all hours of the night, uplifting my spirit and staying with us till the finish.
My “Stray Dogs” Eco-Challenge teammates, Mark Macy and Dr. Bob Haugh, both came out to run with and support me, including Mace seeing me to the finish. Mace and Dr. Bob, you have been dear friends and mentors for decades, providing support and stability in my life. Corny as it may sound, you two are my heroes. Tom Triumph, who more recently became a close friend, oozes enthusiasm and support; he and his wonderful wife, Therese, and their daughter, Alexandra, and son, Tommy, opened their hearts and doors to the crew in New Jersey as we prepared to finish the run. I must also thank those who have given in the past and gave to me their crewing expertise and support: Theresa Daus-Weber, Todd Holmes, Becky Clements, Bob Becker, Alex Nement, George Velasco, Colleen Oshier, Cole Hanley, Michael Mezzacupo, and Kathy Farrell. I couldn’t have done it without you.
My generous friend Chris Frost allowed me to train and stay at his house, and then came out to support me on this run—twice. Art Webb has always given his undying support, and both Chris and Art ran with me at the beginning, in San Francisco, helping me calm my nerves and settle in for the long haul. Penny and Bud Smith took care of Spike and Moxie, our dogs. Special thanks to Dave Thorpe for his kindness, crewing, and concern; you are a true friend. For the food and friendship you brought out for us, my hat’s off to Deb Sensensey, Craig and Denise Parker, and Mike and Elaine Mullin. Gary Kliewer, Murray Griffin, Kari and Phil Marchant, Ben and Denise Jones, I thank you for your support over the years; it has meant so much to me. Lisa Smith-Batchen and Lisa Bliss provided communications and encouragement that helped me keep the faith.
Thanks to Jesus Gutierrez (El Jalisciense–Ricos Tacos); Blaine Budke and Mitch Farr (the chopper guys); David, Sam, Samuel, and Sylvia Beiler (David’s Awesome Cookies); and Kathi Rogers (Rogers Pumpkin Patch). When I was feeling down, you raised me up.
Jim Simone, Sally Habermehl, and Jan Depuy, I can’t tell you how much it meant to me that you arranged to have those young men and children come run with me.
Dana Offenbach was there in New York at all hours of the day sorting things out to make this run a success. Kevin Kerwin and his wife, Kate O’Neil, were on the ground and making sure the documentary Running America became a reality. Rick Baraff and Amira Soliman were part of the production group, but they also integrated into the crew more times than I can count. When we were short on crew, they always (along with Kate) came to the rescue. Andreas von Scheele, Steve Clack, and Cory Gegner rounded out the film crew, doing a terrific job and putting in long hours.
It was very special to have Todd Jennings, Ira Bellach, Jose Vargas, Irene Chin, Theresa Tokarowski, Sam Wright, Camille Pruvost, and Melissa Lin meet me as I came off the George Washington Bridge into Manhattan—it was fantastic to share the long journey’s end with such wonderful people.
A special thanks to the runners who came out and experienced a part of Running America: Travis and Donavahn Macy; Steve and Barb Shepard; Melissa Burdick; David, Sydney, and Marcie Atwood; Caleb Beasley, along with his wife and beautiful baby; Doug Douillard; Abbey and Arden Habermehl; Nathan Depuy; Juli Goldstein; Michael, Paulette, Corrine, and Evan Hansen; Jennifer, Thomas, and Andree Langevin; Vanessa Loggins; Jim and Maggie McCord; Glen Turner; Cody Westheimer; Christine Wilson; Joel Rine; Pennsylvania state trooper Kevin Warren; and the many, many others who were there to help guide the way and share the road.
I’d like to award a virtual world’s record to Mr. Tracy Pugh’s students at Jackson Elementary in Greeley, Colorado, who ran a combined 3,078 miles together in P.E. class, doing laps and following our progress, too. I loved meeting you in March 2009—believe me, your young enthusiasm was as inspiring to me as I ever hope to be to you.
To Jerry, Linda, and Bethany Douglass: Chris watched over me out there and was a galvanizing spirit, keeping me on track. He will forever live in our hearts.
And last but not least, thank you to Frank Giannino, who set the transcontinental record back in 1980, for all your support and for coming to the finish to congratulate me. You are still the king of the road.
Bibliography
America: The Story of Us. The History Channel/A&E Home Video, 2010.
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, “Plantar Fasciitis,” AAOS.org (http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=AA00149).
Bovsun, Mara. “Edward Payson Weston,” Ultrawalking.net (http://www.ultrawalking.net/historia/weston.html).
Chase, Adam. “On the Trail with Yiannis Kouros,” Running Times, April 2006 (http://www.runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?articleID=7582).
The Distance of Truth. Pageturner Productions, 2008.
Hunt, Linda Lawrence. Bold Spirit: Helga Estby’s Forgotten Walk Across Victorian America. University of Idaho Press, 2003.
Kastner, Charles B. Bunion Derby: The 1928 Footrace Across America. University of New Mexico Press, 2007.
Lehrer, Jonah. “Depression’s Upside,” The New York Times, February 28, 2010 (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/28/magazine/28depression-t.html).
McNerthney
, Casey. “Seattle’s First Distance Hero Risked His Life to Run Race,” SeattlePI.com, November 24, 2007 (http://www.seattlepi.com/local/341003_gardner24.html).
Murakami, Haruki. What I Talk About When I Talk About Running. Vintage Books, 2009. Pollan, Michael. Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual. Penguin Books, 2009.
Talpey, Tom. “The Pedestrian,” RunningPast.com (http://www.runningpast.com/pedestrian).
Tingley, Joseph V., and Kris Ann Pizarro. Traveling America’s Loneliest Road: A Geologic and Natural History Tour Through Nevada Along U.S. Highway 50. Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology Special Publication 26, University of Nevada, Reno, 2003.
Weston, Edward Payson. “Weston’s Auto Lost, Needs His Supplies,” The New York Times, April 3, 1909.
White, T. H. The Once and Future King. G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1939.
Index
Abramov, Alex
Achilles tendonitis
Aconcagua, Mount
Adak Island
Adams, John
Adams, John Quincy
Adventure racing
with Engle
hallucinations during
with Macy
See also Eco-Challenges
Adventure Sports magazine
Africa
adventure racing in
African-Americans
AIDS
Air Drive headphones
Air National Guard
Aleutian Islands
Alone Across Australia: A Story About a Man Who Takes His Dog for a Walk (documentary film)
Ambien
Amish
Amundsen, Roald
Antarctica
ArcticFlowTM Cold Therapy System
Army, U.S., Corps of Topographical Engineers
Asia, adventure racing in
Ault (Colorado)
Austin (Nevada)
Australia
adventure racing in
run across
AXA Equitable
Back pain, severe
Badwater Ultramarathon
cooling off during
crews at
films about
fund-raising with
husband-and-wife crossing record for
out-of-body experience during
power walking in
Quad
Balega socks
Baraff, Rick
Bardo, Brent
Bartle Frere, Mount
Battle of the Bulge
Beasley family
Becker, Bob
Beiler family
Blackfoot tribe
Blisters
Bloody nose
Bloomsburg (Pennsylvania)
Body temperature, maintenance of
Bonking
Boone, Daniel
Borneo
Eco-Challenge in
Boston, walk to Washington, D.C., from
British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
British Columbia
Buchenwald concentration camp
Buddhism
Budke, Blaine
Buffalo (New York), twenty-four-hour race in
Bunion Derby
Burnett, Mark
C.A.M.P. USA
Caffeine
California
Running America ’08 in
Western States 100 Endurance Run in
Call of the Wild, The (London)
Cameron Pass
Canker sores
Capilene clothing
CarbonFund.org
Carmex lip balm
Carson, Kit
Carson City (Nevada)
Carson Pass
Catholic churches
Celestial Seasonings
Central Pacific Railroad
Champs
Champs Sports
Cheyenne (Wyoming)
Cheyenne tribe
Chicago, walk from Maine to
Christian Brothers
Churchill, Winston
Civil War
Clark, William
Clements, Becky
Clothing
Capilene
Gore-Tex
Cody, Buffalo Bill
Colorado
Giannino’s run across
Hispanics in
Leadville Trail 100 in
Pikes Peak Marathon in
Running America ’08 in
training in
Ulrich family farm in
walk to Maine from
Comanche tribe
Constitution, U.S.
Corbitt, Ted
Craig (Colorado)
Crane, Adrian
Crockett, Davy
Crocs
Curtis, George
Dale, Chuck
Damon, Matt
Daus-Weber, Theresa
Death Valley. See also Badwater Ultramarathon
Declaration of Independence
Delta (Utah)
Denali, Mount
Dermatone Laboratories, Inc.
DeRoyal braces
“Desert Places,” (Frost)
Devies, Lucien
Diarrhea
Dillard, Annie
Discovery Channel
Dislocated fibula
Distance of Truth, The (documentary film)
DiZinno, Tony
Documentary films
Douglass, Chris
Dow Jones Industrial Average
DuPont Corporation
East Palestine (Ohio)
Eco-Challenges
Elbrus, Mount
Electrolytes
Electrotherapy
Elko (Nevada)
Ely (Nevada)
Endurox nutritional supplements
Engle, Charlie
adventure racing of
conflicts with
crew for
documentary deal arranged by
drops out of run
injuries of
mountain biking of course by
Sahara Desert run of
seventy-mile-per-day goal announced by
sponsors secured by
at start of run
ENGO blister patches
Ensure nutritional supplement
ESPN
Estby, Helga
Ethiopia
Eureka (Nevada)
Evans, Mount, Trophy Run
Everest, Mount
boyhood dream of
cognitive problems after
fund-raising with
impact on family of risk of
mountaineering experience before
ExOfficio
Extreme sports documentaries
Fairfield (California)
Falcon Knee Brace Hinged Wrap
Fallon (Nevada)
Farr, Mitch
Farrell, Kathy
Fibula, dislocated
Fiji
adventure races in
Financial crisis of 2008
historical forerunners of
Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S.
Fluids
Fort Collins (Colorado)
Fort Lee (New Jersey)
Fort Madison (Iowa)
Fort Morgan Pet Foods
Fort Morgan Times 5K
Fort Wayne (Indiana)
Freddie Henchie Band
Frost, Chris
Frost, Robert
Fuze energy drink
Gabbin, Joanne V.
Gardner, Edward “The Sheik”
Gatorade
George Washington Bridge
Gettysburg Address
Giannino, Frank
Golden Gate Bridge
GoLite apparel and equipment
Gore-Tex
Grand Teton
Great Plains
Greeley (Colorado)
Greenland
Griffin, Murray
Guinness World Record guidelines
Gutierrez, Maria and Jesus
Hallucinations
Hanley, Cole
Hastings (Ne
braska)
Haugh, Bob
Heat exhaustion
Herst, Gerald
Hillary, Edmund
Himalayas
Hispanics
Hitting the wall, see Bonking
Holmes, Todd
House of Representatives, U.S., Science and Technology Committee
Illinois, Running America ’08 in
Indiana, Running America ’08 in
Injinji Footwear
Iowa, Running America ’08 in
Jackson, Andrew
Jackson (California)
Jalisciense-Ricos Tacos, El
Japanese-Americans, internment during World War II of
Jefferson, Thomas
Jim Thorpe (Pennsylvania)
Joint pain. See also Knee pain
Jones, Ben
Kane, Kathleen
Katmandu (Nepal)
Kaufhold, Roger
daily tasks performed by
departure from crew of
on Kilimanjaro climb
Kenalog
Kerwin, Kevin
Kilimanjaro, Mount
Kliewer, Gary
Knee pain
KOA campgrounds
Kouros, Yiannis
Langevin, Paul
all night runs prohibited by
antibiotics prescribed by
at Badwater
back pain treated by
departure of
dislocated tibia treated by
and Engle’s injuries
Kane’s collaboration with
MRI ordered by
oral rinse prescribed by
plantar fasciitis diagnosed and treated by
stretching by
Larabar/Humm Foods
Laramie (Wyoming)
LaSportiva
“Last Great Race, The”
Latinos
Leadville Trail
LEKI USA
trekking poles
Lewis, Captain Meriwether
Lin, Kevin
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