Stage 1 in the Desert

What an epic start! The race organizers didn't make it easy on the runners, setting the route so that there were big sand dunes to cross early on the first day. The dunes have been described as "incredibly tall" and the day was "very hot". Not much of a chance for a gradual warm-up there!

The Stage 1 results show that Jeff came in 81st out of 801 competitors, so in the top 10%! I don't think he even planned to place that high - he was just focused on completing this journey in one piece (minus a few toenails possibly) - so this is an added bonus.

Don't forget you can send Jeff a quick message to say hello and offer any "words of wisdom" to help push him through each sand-filled step... You can do it by clicking here and choosing competitor number 493.

A friend of ours has included the story about Jeff's "Mission Possible" on her blog site (she is too nice!!). There are many great stories on that site about biking, and even more they describe very vividly how it is to push yourself through obstacles and challenges and how very rewarding it all it is in the end. This of course all applies to biking as well as running and life in general.

Jeff and I do a lot of biking together in the summertime, and now after this run across the desert he probably will have lost some weight and will be an even faster biking up the hills - I am going to have to work harder just to keep up this year! He always loves the hills, the steeper the better (notice the smile)...

As a final note for today, congratulations to our friends and all who competed in the ING Atlanta Marathon and Half Marathon yesterday!!!! That is a very impressive accomplishment. Hopefully you had a memorable and enjoyable experience!

Thanks for staying tuned-in... I'll keep providing updates as I get them. Now go out there and conquer all your hills and challenges for today!

Cheers,
Becky