Day 136 September 19, 2011 Calgary to the foot of the Rockies 71km – Guest Blog Dave Bell

Riley has been on the road since May 7^th making this day 136 for him and Mike, day 8 for Russ and day 1 for me.  The anticipation of joining the team on the road has been growing since this adventure began.

I was dropped at the Calgary Zoo bright and early and found the MCC backed expertly in front of a locked parking gate where the run left off the previous day.  While Riley went through his pre-run routine we were informed by a security guard that “If the Police saw you parked in-front of a locked gate, they could issue a citation and if you would like to camp at the Zoo, you need to register at the North lot.” To which Mike responded “Oh, we’re not camping, we just arrived and are running across the country to raise money for Prostate Cancer.” While his response resulted in a warmer reception we still had to move along, as our runner was not ready to hit the rainy road.

Russ and Mike were both anxious to join Riley for the run along the paths of the Bow River, however 30 minutes into my tenure on the MCC, not being from Calgary and never having driven a vehicle larger than an SUV, I thought perhaps a tutorial was in order.  Mike graciously offered to mentor me for the first 10km while Russ and Riley braved the rain.

After 10km Russ switched off with Mike so he could finalize the logistics of meeting-up with the various Fire Departments he had contacted to provide Riley with an escort and additional runners to show their support.  With the uncertainty of emergency calls preventing our escorts from joining, Russ hedged his bets and had 3 separate departments (Rockyview, Redwood and Calgary) lined-up to join us and low and behold all three joined Riley outside of Canada Olympic Park.  At the pinnacle we had a parade led by the 50 Engine from Redwood, a bush buggy, 4 firemen running, Riley, the MCC, 3 more trucks and a second bush buggy.  It was quite a sight for the passing motorists and I was in my element at the helm of the MCC.

Slowly but surely the various departments left the caravan and we were back to the 4 of us; with Riley the runner as the constant.  If I was impressed by the thought of Riley running 71km/day before watching it happen, I gained a new appreciation when I laced-up my brand new runners and joined Riley.  The first KM felt good, the second was inaudible based on my heavy breathing and the third (my last for round 1 day 1) was pure agony. Having been incented with a $10 donation/km ran, minimum 30km in my week with the team, I completed 3km, knowing I would still need another 2 to be on pace to hit the minimum threshold.

On a side note, it is incredible to watch Riley run.  He has developed what can be described as a low impact shuffle and while it doesn’t seem as though he is going very fast when puttering down the highway in a vehicle, stride for stride, he is moving. 

With 2km remaining to hit 71km for the day, I once again was working to keep up with Riley and managed to make my 5km goal.  For the statisticians in the group I managed 7% of the distance run by Riley on the day.

The night was capped off with an incredible show of support from the Redwood Meadows Fire department.  They hosted us for an incredible BBQ dinner, desert, use of their showers and a spot to park and plug-in the MCC for the night.  After catching-up (or attempting to) on emails we called it a night.

Thank you to all the departments who came out, leaving Riley grinning ear-to-ear.  Thanks to Mike and Russ for welcoming me into the close quarters of the MCC and showing me the ropes of being on the support team.  And of course, the biggest thanks are for Riley, who through his determination, and drive to do something about Prostate Cancer has made this all possible.  I may not be able to walk when my week is up, but I will never forget my time here and the impact Riley is having on so many across the nation.