Done in 41!

...hours and 19 minutes!

As many of you now know, we completed the Oxfam trail, #67 out of 103 teams to finish with all 4 people.

I'm very proud to have walked with such a great team. Like Deguchi-san said after, we couldn't have done it if any one of us was missing. Guy kept the spirits up for all of us, and had us enjoying ourselves even when we were walking through fog and rain in the middle of the night. Deguchi-san, despite injury, kept us walking a good pace through the tough final charge to Lake Yamanaka. Amol helped create a great story to keep our mind of the tough final stage, and helped make sure we all got to the finish line by walking the right pace.

Like Sergeant Slaughter says...

We all go home... or nobody goes home!

For myself, I think I brought some Sergeant Slaughter to the team. When we made the team, we were determined to finish with all four of us, which is no easy challenge. Many teams walk the wrong pace and lose a person to injury or exhaustion. Some teams run into personal issues, and lose people or break-up. All of these things are challenges we to ran into. None of us were saints on the course, I know I especially had some rough spots. We all worked together, though, to beat the physical and mental challenge the 100km through rain, fog, and injury entailed.

In addition to teams that warned me, though, there were lots of teams that I found very inspiring. It was great whenever our team ran into another high-energy team, because we both charged each other up for the next round.

Some teams that I particularly have to thank are (more to remember, as they might not see the blog):

The Soundtracks

Team Suzuki

Team Sunshine

All of these teams really helped make Oxfam fun for our team, and are the main reason I look forward to staying involved in the future.

The final, essential ingredient...

A big thank-you goes to the support team, which was really key to us finishing the race.

We had a great team, who all helped us out before and during the race:

Naomi (honorary captain)

Eri

Georgi

Mike

Mako

Mahbub

Our support team did a lot for us. They made sure we got to the event on time, they helped us setup camp and get the food and refreshments we needed, they stretched us out and patted us down after the hard stretches, they took the pictures, and helped make the enkai after.

They did a whole lot, and helped make it an event to remember instead of just a physical challenge.

I'm really glad you all supported us this year, and I'd be glad to support a team with you guys in the future!