Day 9 - 21.42 Miles - Seligman Hollow, MO to Bentonville, AR

Seligman Hollow, MO - The beginning of the end:

It was a beautiful day for running! Temperatures were lower and winds, while gusting at times, were more cross than head on. It was a nice change from the previous couple of days. Knowing you're near the finish, as in any run, can be a big boost too. Equally as big a lift was having my younger brother, Jon along for the day. Here's a video of us starting the day:

Jon and I had a few tough hills in the early miles. I decided to push it up this one a bit. It's debatable who actually won the race to the top, but I think I did. However, I know Jon took it easy on me since it was "my day". Oh, and Jon didn't wait long at the top of the hill to turn on the gas and remind me that he could have blasted me. Thanks bro, for letting me think for a moment I had some gumption!

I have to admit, I felt a little guilty that I didn't have at least a full marathon distance to cover on the last day. However, 21.42 miles was a welcome change from the grueling 35 to 40 mile runs I'd been managing for the previous 8 days. I decided to make sure I put in a good 1/2 Marathon time, assuming I could muster one, and then just enjoy the last 8 miles on cruise control. That worked out really well.

More milestones:

We crossed the Missouri/Arkansas border about 1.5 miles in to the run. From there, we set our sights on the 300-mile mark, which was 4.76 miles in to the run. Eventually, we even broke through the 500k point at 15.76 miles into the run. It was really fun to have so many big marks land all in one run.

Friends:

Just before we reached the 500k mark, I was joined by Kevin O'Neill (my best bud). Kevin even ran a stretch with me! Kev told me he never doubted for a moment that I would complete this run when I told him about it months ago. Thanks Kev, your confidence in me means a lot!

A modern day hero:
Lisa is the council director of Central Missouri Girls on the Run in Clinton, MO. A few people over the last 9 days have accused me of being a hero, but I pale in comparison to real heroes. Lisa is a real hero. In fact, in my book, she's a super hero. An accomplished marathoner herself, Lisa ran 5 or 6 miles of the final day of MO-AR TREK with me just to show her appreciation for what we've been able to do for her council. Lisa works with young girls every year to improve their esteem, their fitness, and their understanding of their own aptitude. Lisa makes a difference in our kid's lives every day. Thank you Lisa, for joining me for a run & to help us celebrate the completion of MO-AR TREK. You are truly amazing! You can bet you'll see Lauren and me in Clinton, MO in the future to visit you and your GOTR participants. YOU are my hero.

A sprint to the finish:

As for the finish, it wasn't just me who deserved to cross that line. Lauren and I ran the last bit together. This is significant, because Lauren would never run, unless in a life threatening debacle with a carnivorous animal. As we neared the finish Lauren turned to me and asked if I would sprint to the finish. So we did. This embedded video shows our last push. Sorry, Lauren, for turning on the speed too much - but at least I did wait for you to cross through the tape with me! :D

Celebrate!:

We, of course, would not have come all this way without celebrating. It wasn't an over the top party. I'm glad about that because it's not really my style. Instead, we have tasty & healthy homemade food and fun games to play, like washers! What a blast! However, the party didn't even last until dark because Lauren and I were so darned tired that we crashed a bit early. All in all, it seemed that everyone had a great time. Thanks, Mom & Charlie, for hosting such a nice party.

More to come:

There are some things that are worth fighting for. I believe that the health of our children is one such cause. This was easily the most difficult task I've ever taken on in my entire life. It was worth every step and all the pain and frustration of the journey. In my mind I'm sure I "quit" a million times over the course of 9 days, but I never voiced it out loud. I just figured out a way to keep going. I'm not a gifted athlete, I'm an average guy. Before MO-AR TREK, I've never run more than about 80 miles in 1 week. I'm not fast either, but I learned that when I believe in something worth fighting for I'm willing to go the distance no matter how long it takes. There are many others out there willing to fight too. Consider that with your help we've raised over $6,300 to be shared among 3 Missouri Girls on the Run councils. There's a lot more on the way because several people pledged an amount per mile completed for the MO-AR TREK. I'm hopeful that we can get to $8,000 plus. Thanks for supporting this cause and the Girls on the Run councils in Missouri!

Most of all, thank you Lauren, for helping me reach my goal. We did it together, and I'm proud of what we've accomplished for ourselves and for Girls on the Run. You were with me every step of the way, never doubted me, and always supported this crazy idea 110%. We really are best friends, and have demonstrated through MO-AR TREK that love is a verb, not a noun.

I'll be making another post later today. I'm a "numbers" person and I know many of my ultrarunner friends will want to know some of the stats. Things like elevation change and other factoids are helpful in understanding the scale of difficulty of long runs. I'm happy to share that a little later today as Lauren and I make our way back to St. Louis - in a CAR.

Please know that I received and loved EVERY ONE of the comments you all posted out here on the blog. I'm sorry I couldn't respond to all of them, but know that they helped - each and every one of them. Feel free to post more questions and comments as thoughts come to mind and I'll be happy to respond.

All the best from Bentonville, AR,

Jason