Katie Spotz is one of the people who have influenced me the most in my pursuit of an adventurous life. We were introduced almost 7 years ago and I was immediately inspired-- a mutual friend had invited her to a holiday party at my house and she ran 10 miles in the snow to attend. Definitely my kind of person. I was slightly intimidated by her accomplishments- and the fact that she's a decade younger than me- so it took a little convincing for me to get brave enough to run with her. They always say if you want to become a better runner, run with someone stronger than you. Running with Katie most certainly made me a better runner...and probably a better person in general. We formed what we called The Adventure Club. Incidentally we couldn't get anyone interested in the adventures we had in mind, go figure... Our adventures led us on night runs in the woods, urban runs with Rocky moments on courthouse stairs that both of us were too hot and tired to really hum the theme song, winter runs through the zoo running in and out of the aquarium and monkey house to warm up...we dreamt up incredible adventures we would someday embark on and she inspired me to go big and plan my future transcontinental run. I moved away to Georgia and Katie joined the Coast Guard and moved away to Maine. We checked in regularly to report our adventures and share each others excitement in our accomplishments-- 100 milers and runs across states and lofty plans for future endeavors. Everyone needs a friend who helps you keep the dream alive, who makes you believe you can do anything and who believes that you actually can. Katie is that friend.
I wasn't surprised when she told me she was planning to run across Maine in one shot, I just wondered how I could get there to be part of it. I wanted to be the solid support staying up all night and helping troubleshoot and fix problems and witness the strength and determination it takes to run 137 miles on hilly pavement in one go.Katie made that happen and got me to Maine to be part of her incredible adventure. I believed that she
could do it, even when she questioned it. This was her longest distance to date and her tenacity and will were nothing shy of extraordinary.
She completed the run in 33 hours raising nearly $19,000 for clean water...I am so honored to have been part of the highs, the lows, the laughter, the tears... Her fundraiser is still open and there are still plenty of people in the world without clean drinking water. Here's a link to her fundraiser and information about how donated money will be used if you're interested in supporting.
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