The skies cleared over night but temperatures remained low.
We're happy for our down sleeping bags and jackets - items that at first seemed
superfluous but now are indispensable.
We're eager to get moving again after yesterday's
disappointing effort and are on the road by 7:30 a.m. We're in much better
spirits today with the glow of morning light transforming rolling fields of
corn into seas of gossamer, gently waving and pulsating to the whims of a warm
morning breeze.
Our expedition team consists of Ray, Bob and myself as
runners and the Argentinian man-wife team of Fabian and Lola Fasce as support.
They prepare meals, provide us with food and water on the road and have our
camp ready a night. Support like this is essential on an expedition like
Expreso De Los Andes where physical demands are so taxing that there's no
energy left at the end of a day. Rounding out the team is Ottawa whiz kid
Jordan Thoms who's at the helm of our communications machine.
On a typical day, Lola stays close to the runners in her
vehicle and is in constant communication with Fabian who's at the head of the
convey in his truck. At a predetermined distance each day Fabian will find a
suitable lunch or camping spot and set up the mobile base camp. We're gypsies
of sorts - a traveling people - with our i2P possee rolling up to an
appropriate spot and having it transformed into a buzzing encampment within
minutes.
Once camp is erected the team gets down to the business of
sharing the adventure with the outside world. Hours of video footage is
downloaded to computers and then distilled into short, compelling video clips
of the run, photographs are reviewed and selected and blog posts are written.
All this material is then uploaded and shared with the outside world via the
cutting-edge MVS BGAN satellite system, the same system that allows us to
video-conference live with thousands students and teachers around the world.
Today's run begins with tough times from the get-go. The
first 30 kilometres is uphill - no exaggeration, all up hill - but we manage
alright, our heads in the game. We reach the town of San Luis at 50 kilometre
and stop for lunch - a break we dream about throughout the morning run. Mobile
camp today is nestled against a derelict building off the main street of San
Luis, a scrubby spot by normal standards but an oasis for us because it's in
the shade and we get to stop. We comment how this would never be allowed back
home - setting up camp on an sidewalk - but here life moves at a more relaxed
pace, the only attention drawn is that from a group of bored pre-teens looking
for change to buy a Pepsi.
We're rolling again by 3 p.m. with Bob joining Ray and I for
the afternoon. I am trying to build up my mileage through my injuries and
decide 55 kilometres will be my exit point today. Ray and Bob continues on to
produce a very impressive 80-kilometre effort for the day - the second longest
day of the expedition.
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