2K to go!

2K to go!

This line became a running joke during the inaugural RE trip, back before GPS watches were common and back when our now-expert team of drivers in Morocco were just as new to their role of run support as we were to leading running trips. Hot, tired runners would reach one of these oases on wheels, top off their water supply and ask, in varying levels of desperation, “how much further?!”

These guys knew exactly how long it took to drive from one tourist destination to another, but from this random spot on the road to that other random spot that we picked as a finish line? 2km sounds like a good answer!

And so, runners who would have otherwise quit and jumped in for a ride had they known that there were actually 5 or 6 or 7km left were convinced to keep going - after all, it’s only 2K more! It was in this way that more than a few people ran the highest mileage weeks of their life, in less than ideal conditions (did we mention it was HOT that year?) and finished the week doing more than they’d ever imagined they could do.

Well, this trick has come in handy this year! When we can’t see the finish line and desperately want an answer to the question “how much further?!” it sure helps to focus upon something we can wrap our minds around. By the summer, we’ll be back! No? Okay, let’s just focus on autumn, those trips are sure to happen. We’ll salvage the year. No? Okay, start putting things in place for 2021!

And that’s where we are right now. Despite the current virus surge around the world and despite the fact that we already had to cancel the Run Patagonia trips scheduled for January (don’t worry, new dates coming soon!), there is finally some very real hope on the horizon. Between lots of good news on the vaccine front, borders beginning to open (with caveats) and more airports and airlines beginning to utilize rapid testing as a way to re-start the tourism industry, we might actually be approaching the final 2K of this long, difficult journey.

The sentiment of hope is finally high amongst most everyone that we work with, and we’re busy preparing to open a big batch of 2021 trips, scheduled and planned in a way that best maximizes the viability of each one. Those of you with 2020 trip credit will hear from us within the next few weeks, and everyone else will have a chance to grab spots after that.

In the meantime, pick up some holiday gifts for yourself from our swag shop (we have hoodies!) and keep putting one foot in front of the other. After all, we’ve only got 2K to go!