Day 4

Hey everyone! The guys have completed day 4, ending in Vidalia GA. They got an early start, waking up at 6:30. After having breakfast at the hotel and taking some extra supplies, they packed up their gear and set off for the day around 7:40.

They worked out a strategy of running 20 minutes with 10 minute walking breaks. This worked out really well for everyone, and it will most likely be how they will continue to run.

Becoming famous, or being recognized were never reasons why they are doing the run, but they are enjoying some small notirity. After about 4 miles on RT 280, a lady in a van pulled up next to them with her flashers on, talking on her cell phone. Rolling down the window she asked, "Are ya'll the guys that I saw on TV?" She excitedly told her husband on the phone that it was indeed them. She wished them luck and told them she would be rooting for them on their trip. It seems like this voyage has been filled with support of the friendly strangers they were hoping to encounter!

The rest of the day would be spent on RT 292. Andy said that this road was pretty much perfect; Little to no traffic, and good shoulders to run on. Here the group encountered their first substantial hill. After some hard work they were over the hill and coasted into a small town along the route for lunch. After lunch they continued on for 13 miles to Lyon, GA where they took advantage of all Jared has to offer at Subway.

While at lunch, Seth O'Dell of Partridge House PR called with some excellent news. A woman from the Vidalia, GA newspaper wanted to interview the guys. The guys finished up their lunch, and continued on the road to Vidalia.

A few miles outside of Vidalia they met up with the reporter. During the interview, the reporter told them of a campsite that was just over a mile down the road. The usual campsite fee is $15, however in another act of kindness the reporter was able to get the fee waived. They finished the interview and set off for the campsite.

The guys put up their tents for the first time on the trip without a problem. Dewey was especially tired today and passed out almost immediately. Ken and Andy set off across the street to a small technical college in hope of finding a shower. They were unable to do so, and returned to camp for the night.

The group covered about 28 miles in about 5 hours today. What a feat! It is amazing to hear from them every day, knowing they are fulfilling their dream. From a guy who was in the college suite when this idea arose, to writing up the events of the day, it is incredible that it is all coming together. We will keep you all updated with every move they make! Thank you to all who read and pray for these men. They appreciate all of the love and support, keep it coming!

Oh....GIANTS BABY!

- Rick

Day 3

Greetings ya'll from Claxton, GA! We began the day with our friends that put us up last night. Scott's friend Sarah made us a fantastic breakfast caserole that we ate very willingly. Scott, Sarah, and Trieste gave us a ride to where we left off in Lanier, GA. Scott ran with us for a little bit, and we let him push the jogger for the duration of his guest appearance. Yes, Scott was the first celebrity guest on the Nation Run. After he left us, the 4 of us drilled through the first 15 miles of our day in about 2 hours. All of our physical fitness is pretty much starting to catch up with one another. We stopped for lunch at a little watering hole with the food we had left over from robbing the continental breakfast yesterday. We continued on down the road for another 6 or 7 miles to Claxton, GA. As we sat in the shade thinking of a place to eat and sleep for the night, a man came up to us and asked us if we were "the guys on the news this morning." We responded yes, and he was super excited to meet us. The past 2 days have been filled with little stories of people recognzing us from the news and wishing us goodluck. Beeps from passing cars, everything has given us that extra boost of confidence that we need to keep going. I was looking at the weather today (which by the way was 77 and sunny!) and it showed a map of Georgia. I located Claxton on the map, and I was taken aback by the distance we've covered on that map. I am so excited to get out there each day and get closer and closer to our dream. Tomorrow, we could be crossing the 100 mile mark, which gives me the chills to think that the Nation is here and is is happening the way we always wanted it to. Thank you to all of our friends and family for checking up on us. We do this for you. We miss all of you so much out here on the road. We're in a hotel for the night to watch the superbowl and we'll be getting a super early start tomorrow morning, around 6-7am. Have a great night...GO PATS!!!

-kenneth

Day 2

Day 2 started on the outskirts of Garden City, GA. We got moving around 11am, a little later than we expected. We experienced the first flat tire of the trip only an hour into our day as the jogger Dewey was pulling slowly lost air. After a quick change we headed down route 80 for about 16 miles until we got to our new home, route 280 (we'll travel hundreds of miles on this road). Right around the intersection there was a BBQ joint on the side of the road so we decided to investigate. We got a delicious meal of BBQ beef, and assorted sides for $6, a great deal for the quality and quantity of food. We experienced more Southern hospitality by the owners of the restraunt, they were very friendly and very excited for our journey. A bit into our meal a man walked in and asked if we were the same guys he saw an hour or so ago running down route 80. We were. The man was a veteran of the first Gulf War and was very interested in the scholorship for Philip.

After lunch Ken and Diddy moved ahead and Dewey and I stopped by Ken's Gas Station. We poked around for a bit and grabbed a couple Gatorades and proceeded to get in line. We experienced more Southern hospitality when a man told Dewey and I to go ahead of him. We step up in the line and a women turns around and asks "Ya'll are the guys from TV yesterday?". I was obviously pumped and yelled out "Nation!" and proceeded to tell her, the cashier and the rest of the store, who was now looking on about our trip. They all seemed very interested and into it. As we were talking the cashier accidently swiped Dewey's powerade with someone elses food. Long story short, she payed for it in support of the dream.

We got back on the road and worked on catching Ken and Diddy. We ran past a house with an enormous yard, about the size of a football field, when out of nowhere a little weiner dog comes running from about 70 meters away, just trucking across the yard. I don't know if that story comes out as funny and adorable as it was, but there it is. Eventually we caught up with Ken and Andy and we finished our day in Lanier.

We took it easy for a while and met up with Scott, Tree and Sarah who took us back to their place and made us a delicious dinner, I am enjoying as I write. We met up with Scott through Alex Grout who has been a huge help this trip. First his dad hooked us up with some gift cards, and now we have a delcious meal and a nice place to stay. Thanks a lot Grout!

-Durkin

Day 1:

The day started out around 9am when we loaded up Debbie Farmer's mini van with all our gear and headed out toward Tybee Island and the Atlantic Ocean. Her son Will also joined us, as he was excited to meet us. It was cloudy, windy and a slight rain was beginning to fall as we exited the van. Later in the day Durkin confessed that it was his ideal running weather. We got everything set up and headed out towards the water just before 10. Durkin's brother and friend also came down to wish us off. After a few pictures, we were finally off. It was unreal to think that this day had arrived and we were all on such huge highs. However, it did not take long before we were quickly brought back to reality. Only about 1/2 mile down the road the jogger was drifting hard to the left, something that it has done while training with it. After only a few short minutes of actually running we had to stop and make the appropriate adjustments. The first two hours were slow as we stopped to take pictures, grab things out of the jogger, and stop to fix both the jogger and the bike. The local news stopped and interviewed us on the side of the road about 3 miles into our journey. We watched it on TV this evening. We were only on for a brief moment but Ken gave them the thumbs up. Once we got settled in, things started to flow. For most of the day we worked on a 10-10-10 system where each of us would push the jogger for ten minutes and rest for 20. It was nice pushing the jogger but even sweeter those 20 off minutes. Around 12:30 the sun started to come out and the clouds began to disappear. We finished up our day around 3:30 and just under 24 miles. As we waited for Durkin's brother to pick us up Ken and Matt sat on a curb shirtless. A local thermometer read 71. It was a weird day with strange weather and new feelings. I think it finally started to sink in that for the next four months this would be our lives. Thanks for reading and for all the support. Check back later tonight for photos of our first two days in GA.

Tomorrow We Start

We arrived in Savannah around noon today and got picked up from the airport by Debbie Farmer (a long time friend of Ken's aunt). Tomorrow is her birthday and she has agreed to pick us up from the hotel and drive us to our starting point on Tybee Island. If we continue to meet people as nice as her the entire trip, this is going to be way to easy. We just got settled into our hotel for the night. I know, a hotel on the first day? Durkin's brother Mike is driving down from N.C. and has offered to put us up in a hotel for the first two nights of the trip. We will officially begin our journey tomorrow at 10am. It has been a lot of mix emotions from everyone today. We are sad to say goodbye to everyone we love so much but are excited to get out on the road already. It's been a long 3 years. We spent the afternoon exploring historical downtown Savannah and looking for lunch. We stumbled upon Lenny's Sub Shop and were blown away. The friendly atmosphere and openness toward us was far from anything that we expected. Tomorrow, after we finish for the day, we are heading back for some free hats and another delicious meal with our new friends. What a feeling that for the first time in our entire lives, we have no idea what tomorrow will bring. There will be no one to answer to but ourselves.