...2007 Run Continued

This event started at my home (9:00 am) in Amherstburg at Lake Erie and we ran into Amherstburg to be joined by a group of public runners in the Sobeys Parking lot, including Lisa from AM800. We proceeded to Villanova High School via CR 20 and CR 8, which will later be the road that proved to be our heat break, not heart break challenge. CR 8 intersects the entire county and is as straight as Essex County it flat, that is very flat.

We were greeted by over 50 incredible students and coaches from the Villanova and Western Secondary Cross Country teams. We picked them up after a short break and then proceeded up CR8, they turned back after 2.5 km. As we approached Essex it was after twelve noon and we crossed Hwy #3 we cleared the 42km mark. To all of us the farthest we had ever officially run in a sanctioned event (the marathon).

At 46km we stopped at the Woodslee Credit union who very generously fed our road crew and sent us off on our way with encouragement and a full crew. The hardest part of the run was just ahead and none of us were ready for the conditions. There was a 6 km section outside of the Town of Essex on CR8 that was fresh blacktop, fully grown corn on both sides, no wind at all and temps over 110F off the asphalt. We slowed the pace and every km would try to hydrate with hope to hit the graveyard in one piece at the turn down CR 27, Belle River Road.

At the turn we knew that all we needed to do was to complete the full length of Belle River Road and end at the marina on Lake St Clair. A large crowd of supporters as well as the Mayor greeted us with best wishes at 5:30. It was preceded by a pasta dinner at the Knights of Columbus in Belle River. Thank you to all for your support. The OPP were awesome!