The big day is almost here…or should I say days? On October 15th and 16th I will attempt to complete a 58 mile ultra-marathon through the wilderness of Reunion, a tiny volcanic island off the coast of Madagascar. For the most part I am very excited, but there are moments of utter terror when I wonder what I’ve gotten myself into. The adventure began eighteen months ago when I decided to challenge myself physically to celebrate reaching the ripe old age of fifty this year.
There is a twist in this effort because of my affliction with Juvenile Diabetes. Long distance running is not recommended for juvenile diabetics and serious training did not begin until after I talked things over with my doctor to get his okay. It was this conversation that led to creating a fund raiser, because it occurred to me that without the medical break-through yielding insulin, I wouldn’t be around at all at 50…let alone attempting something this outrageous.
Diabetic research has a great deal to offer and new discoveries continue to enrich the lives of people like myself. I will be using a device which only became available recently to help me with the Reunion run. Just three weeks ago I began using a Continuous Glucose Monitor, which provides constant feedback on blood sugars, including trends and whether levels are rising or falling (and even how quickly). I cannot begin to express how valuable this information is to someone who needs to fret about blood sugar levels 24/7/365.
So the reason I am sending this e-mail is to seek donations in hopes that future generations might reap even more benefits than I have been blessed with. I’ve run nearly 2,000 miles training for this event and for the last six months devoted 12 to 15 hours each week on the road (or getting ready for the road – there is a lot of details you need to pay attention to when you are diabetic and go out for a 20+ mile training run!), which hasn’t permitted time to pursue contributions. When it dawned on me how close the big race was I decided to get something out – apologies for the “mass mail” approach but I feel strongly this is a worthy cause and I hope you find my effort is worthy of sponsorship.
If you are able to support this drive, please visit my page on the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) web site:
The web site only accepts credit cards, but I have also established a charitable association and you may alternatively make a check out to “Ultra Fund Raider” and mail it to:
Vance Stephenson
6047 Willow Glen Drive
Wilmington, NC 28412
It has been quite a journey so far. When I had that first conversation with my doctor in the spring of 2010, he was initially negative, but proposed a game plan where I would train for a half marathon in the fall, followed by a full marathon this spring. In my doctor’s words, “if the marathon doesn’t kill you, the ultra probably won’t either.” Not only was this sage advice, it behooved me to pay heed because to run the Reunion race you are required to submit a medical waiver signed by your physician.
As fate would have it, my doctor ran in the same marathon this past March and passed me around mile six. We chatted for a bit and then I waved goodbye as he pulled ahead. However, I caught him at mile twenty five and got to exclaim that he would have to sign off if I beat him!
Many other fun connections have arisen from this adventure (one of my favorites is the three-letter abbreviation for the airport on Reunion à RUN), and I hope you follow the blog to see whether the story has a happy ending. The run is nicknamed the “diagonal of fools” because there is more than three miles of elevation gain along the route. The race begins at 4,000 feet and over the first three miles you ascend to over 8,000 (to the highest point on the island, Piton des Neiges, or “Snow Peak”), followed immediately by a 5,000 feet “technical descent”. If I survive the initial up and down, there will only be 45 more miles (with another 2+ miles of uphill) to conquer…
Last year less than half of the entrants successfully completed the entire run, so my goal is simply to cross the finish before time runs out --- I’m not after any pot of gold, I just want to see the end of a rainbow!
But more important, I sincerely ask that you help support this cause. I am living proof of what can be reaped from diabetic research, but there is so much left to do. I appreciate your consideration and will close with a link to the site where you should be able to follow my progress during the race à Race Site. My bib number is 5313 (plus I am the only American entered in the Bourbon Trail run) and should start at 9PM EST on Friday, October 14th (it will be 6AM Saturday morning on Reunion). I will have until 2AM Sunday morning (EST) to finish.
Thank you so much,
Vance
PS. Please know that I am paying ever cent of the expense to travel halfway around the world and back from my own pocket. My commitment to this cause leads me to insure that 100% of your donation goes to JDRF!
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