Done and done!
On August 24th I completed The Great Virtual Race Across Tennessee (GVRAT) 1,000km. The journey started on May 4th when I read a post from race organizer Gary “Lazarus Lake” Cantrell.
Laz said “Here’s bit of advice for those who have never done 1,000 kilometers in 4 months before and are just hoping to finish. This is a long event, and it is not necessary that you are able to begin by averaging over 5 miles a day. The key is to be patient and consistent. You do not want to begin by pushing yourself to excessive distances and risk injury.
Just start out doing the distance you can comfortably do, and stay motivated to go out every day. Some days you will not feel like going out, but the hardest part of every run is the first step. If you just go ahead and put on your running togs and go out the door, you will be amazed how good it feels after you warm up to the day.
On the days that you think you cannot make it, do not get discouraged, or give up. On the days that you think; "this is too far and I will never make it" just realign your goal to getting as far as you can get. One day, you will look, and the next stop is in Buckeye Hollow!”
Incredibly over 19,000 runners signed up for this event, representing 77 countries, and 22 of the 24 time zones.
In total I completed 1,022 kms in 115 days (8.88695 kms / day) and I am now officially a RAT finisher.
I had 3 goals:
1. Win the event: No
2. Finish in the top 10,000: Check, #9911
3. Finish ahead of a Wake of Buzzards: Check, 8 days to spare.
Two out of 3 ain't bad.
On the pathways and trails I had lots of time to think so I came up with my favorite RAT things:
1. Band: Boom Town RATs
2. Film: King RAT
3. Book: A RAT's Tale
4. Song: The RAT Song
5. Food: RATatouille
Finally I'd like to thank Laz and team for putting this on this amazing event, reading the posts have been an inspiration, my wife Sue who supported me on this 4 month journey and my pet raven "Buzz" who was with me every step of the way.
Stronger together.
© 2020 Martin Parnell
