2015 Polar Bear (Half) Marathon In the Books

Well my friends, Know No Boundaries made it to Churchill, Manitoba for the 2015 running of the Polar Bear Marathon. It was ALMOST a bust as our luggage did not come in  to Winnipeg, Manitoba until Thursday night (the 19th) & we had a 7:30 AM flight the next morning.

 Arriving into Churchill , we got our first impression of the local weather. . . . . . 

Sunny & warm!

NOT!

After we got our luggage (you know, the luggage that almost wasn’t!), we headed off to the Tundra Inn in town.

Friday night, Albert Martens (our race director), gave us some words of wisdom & assigned us to our Support Vehicles.

After this, we headed back to the hotel for a good night’s sleep (really?)






A quick pre-start photo to be sure I had all that I needed.

Race morning was not as windy, but every bit as cold. Temperatures at the start of the race were -8 F with a wind chill of -22 F.



                             (Can you say Brrrrrrrr?)

After Oh Canada sung by the local children of Churchill, & a quick pre-start photo, we were off into the sunrise.






No fanfare, no starting clock, just a BANG of the shotgun & we were off; each of us keeping track of our own times.


I hung with a couple from S. Carolina as we shared a support vehicle (remember, there are BEARS OUT THERE!).



The sunrise was beautiful & it allowed all of the runners a glimpse of God’s beauty!

From town out to the airport road, it was mostly ice, so “running” was spotty at best. Most of us were just trying to stay upright.

Just past the airport road, the course turned to gravel, so the footing was much better.



As in all races, it is always good to read road signs & follow directions. Here is one sign that one doesn’t see every day! 


Despite the temperatures, I was warming up pretty quickly, My balaclava was on, then off, then on, then off. My zipper was up, then down, then up, then down & my gloves were on, then off, then on, then off.



During one of the off times, I snapped a shot of my hand! WEIRD, EH?


Mid-race, the urge to take a Selfie was overwhelming. 








Onward I ran, mostly toasty, but the tops of my feet were beginning to get cold & I was beginning to slow down (I always seem to be undertrained. I couldn’t imagine how I’d perform if I actually trained harder.)

By the Half Marathon point, I was a bit farther behind than I cared to be & my feet were pretty cold. I decided to call it good at the Half Marathon point. I mean come on, less than 100 people in the world have ever run a marathon OR half marathon on the “edge of the arctic” here in Churchill.

Good thing we were in the van, eh?

(Bear: “Why do I always leave my can opener at home when there is food around?”)

All photos courtesy of Power to Change Films.

The Bear is On!

Know No Boundaries will be teaming up with Athletes in Action to run the 2015 Polar Bear Marathon scheduled to be held in Churchill, Manitoba on November 21, 2015.

Churchill is a remote community in Northern Manitoba where just the environment much of the year can pose their own boundaries & limitations.

Our participation in this event will bring awareness to their needs, allow us an opportunity to share God’s love for them all while pushing our own boundaries.

 

Average temperatures in late November will be a “balmy” -30 degrees! (Yup, that IS a minus!).

Help us by making your Tax Deductible donation by clicking the DONATE button on our home page; Know No Boundaries.

Thank you & God Bless you!

Passion vs. Business

As many of you know, my PASSION for Know No Boundaries has literally known no boundaries. I have spent countless nights brainstorming about ways to help others & what fundraisers would work best. I have looked for many different events & races where I could “push my own personal boundaries” in order to be a living example of “breaking through.” In essence, I have walked the walk AND talked the talk.

Through this passion to help other people, I have not been as diligent in the business side of things.

When looking for board members (E.g. fundraisers, accountants, etc.), I have looked to friends & family rather than those who know the business of non profit foundations.

Although everyone had golden intentions, my passion was not transferable. I could not infuse MY PASSION into someone else.

I decided to step back & re-formulate HOW Know No Boundaries will be in the near & far term. Where do I want Know No Boundaries to be in 2016? IN 5 years? In 10 years?

In order to know this, I had some alone time recently & dug deep down inside me to figure out just exactly where I want to take this.

Well, I decided that I was going to focus on the business side of KNB for the remainder of 2015 & come out in 2016 re-focused & re-determined to grow my dream.

For now, stay tuned & pray for us (as we will for you.)


Thank you & God Bless;
Ken

One Hill of a Challenge

Several years ago (actually 6 years to be exact), a good friend; Ken TZ Childress; & I decided that we would celebrate our July birthdays by doing something crazy related to the number of years of our birth.

We started when we were 50 years old & ran 50 miles, at 52, we did 52 repeats of the Pedestrian Bridge across the Arkansas River. (NOTE: It was great with a nice breeze until the sun got down to where it was beaming down on us below the  bridge covering). Why do I recall that someone stole our pretzels from our make-shift aid station after 6 years?

I believe that at 53, I ran 53 stadium stair repeats. At 54 & 55, I honestly cannot recall. At 56 however, I suggested that we do 56 hill repeats of a nice “hill” along the Creek Turnpike Trail (south of 91st & Hwy 169 just around the curve past the Fairmont Inn). 

The first problem was that I had not run up it beforehand to actually see just how tough it is.

None the less, we got the tent set up & began the climb.

And climb we did. The first assent told me already that this was NOT a good idea.

Oh well!

By the time Ken got there, I already had in 2-3 loops, but TZ did not waist time to start in.

I will say though, that the view from the top was very nice.

“Hello down there! Can anybody hear me?”

TZ & I were not alone as Cameron & Brandon Plate  were zipping up & down the hills like they were nothing. (Oh, to be young again . . . )













Michelle Bates got in her loops as did Jason Bement. My son Michael also came out to get in some repeats to add to his Crossfit training (Note: He did mention at home that his calves were smoked.) He was also nice enough to take a really killer video.

There was another group of guys there doing their hill repeats as their training for an upcoming hiking trip to Colorado.

All in all, it was ONE HILL OF A CHALLENGE.

And as we say at Know No Boundaries - “There’s no mountain top view without a climb.”

As for birthday number 57 next year, let’s see what TZ & I come up with.

Our 2015 Fall Fundraiser is On!

Know No Boundaries is starting our 2015 Fall Fundraiser.

We will once again be raising funds to help the remote Canadian community of Churchill, Manitoba & will also be joining forces with Albert Martens & his Athletes in Action team.

Our Fall races are going to be Pumpkin Holler Hunnerd in October here in Tahlequah, Oklahoma & the Polar Bear Marathon actually IN Churchill, Manitoba in November.

Funds raised during this fundraiser will go to help this remote Northern Canadian community with many things that we often take for granted.

Churchill is also the Polar Bear Capital of the World so we’re sure to see plenty of bears! (Lions & Tigers & Bears - - Oh My!)

We will also have an opportunity to help with Athletes in Action’s Christian ministry which will be awesome for us!

Our fundraising goal is $3000 most of which will go to the community of Churchill. Most of the travel expenses, etc. are not coming out of the monies raised & will be covered in other ways. This way, Know No Boundaries sticks to our commitment to give 98+% of all funds raised to the cause at hand.

Although our website is currently undergoing a re-design, donations can still be made on our CrowdRise site.

PLEASE pray about it & if you decide to make a donation, you can click DONATE NOW & you will be taken to our CrowdRise page.

Thank you & God Bless.

Ken

The Heat was On!

June 6th & 7th brought scorching temperatures for the inaugural Urban Adventure 100 in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Runner’s World Tulsa held the multi distance race the first weekend of June. Runner’s had the option to run 25 miles (one loop), 50 miles (2 loops), 75 miles (3 loops) or a full 100 miles (4 loops) of a course that wound through many parts of Tulsa. 

The morning started with all of the runner’s excited, with many running their first ultra. As it had been fairly cool the weeks preceding the race, all of us were unsure how we were going to deal with the heat. It was predicted to get close to 100 °F during the day! Aid stations were set to be at various Quik Trips along the course with Runner’s World the main aid station for the start & finish of each loop & the race as a whole.

The energy was high during the first loop of the course. All of us were fairly close together however the group spread out fairly quickly.

Without fail, temperatures rose fast & the sun was relentless. It took it’s tole on many runners as many of us dropped down to a shorter distance.

Know No Boundaries was no different. Despite our preparedness & drive to finish the 100 miles that we committed to, the roasting temperatures were enough to make us drop after 34 miles.

Needless to say, the high temperatures did not deter all of the runners to drop or changes distances.

Approximately 11 of the 31 runners who signed up for the 100 mile distance fought the elements to complete the full distance. THEY were the ones who were able to claim the coveted 100 mile belt buckle.

Well, although the buckle eluded us this time, we are committed to get the proverbial “monkey” off our our back in anther 100 miler later this year.

God is good & He will bring us through in another race.

Know No Boundaries is also going to attempt to run the Polar Bear Marathon this November in Churchill, Manitoba Canada this year as we had to pull out at the last moment last year. The funds raised will  help the community of Churchill, a remote community in the far North of Manitoba, Canada.

Stay tuned.

God Bless.

Runner’s World Tulsa’s Urban Adventure 100

We have our next adventure on our sights! It will be the Runner’s World Tulsa’s Urban Adventure 100 scheduled for June 6-7, 2015 here in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Although all of the details have not been worked out yet, the recipient of our fundraising will be a local woman who HAS & IS undergoing tremendous mental, emotional & spiritual struggles. Struggles that one would find almost impossible to comprehend. She has reached a “boundary within herself that most definitely is in need of assistance. As our relationship with this woman grows, we will try to share what we can so that YOU, those from whom we need your spiritual & financial help; can better understand this loving soul for who we are helping.

Due to the seriousness of her needs & the complexity of the situation, we will not be able to post any photos of her nor use her name. Our financial goal for this fundraising event is $4,000. The monies raised will go towards helping this loving & innocent soul & her counseling/therapy/medical expenses.

You will have to know & trust that we here at Know No Boundaries are centered on serving God & God’s people and that it would not only be against our mission as a foundation, but against God’s commandment to us to care for His people.

Pray for us that our fundraising is successful.

Stay tuned & God Bless You.

Rocky Raccoon 100 - Race Report

What BEAUTIFUL weather greeted us the morning of January 31st at Huntsville State Park in Huntsville, TX. It was dark & in the 40’s at the start as many friends from Tulsa (Runner’s World Tulsa) went down. Jason Bement & I had a quick pre-race photo as the his beard will be gone after he crosses the finish line February 1st.

Know No Boundaries was running this for Baby Henry Bell who was born in August 2014 pre-mature &  weighing only ONE lb. 12 oz! This would be our 4th 100 mile finish.

Although rain was predicted, constant prayers during the race & faith met with success as it only sprinkled a bit during the night.

The RR100 course was absolutely beautiful however it could have had a bit less roots!

Plenty of wooden bridges & winding trail throughout the park provided a perfect environment for prayer &  contemplation and to concentrate on WHO we were running the race for - Baby Henry!




It was to be (5) 20 mile loops to get the 100 mile finisher’s buckle however this race, it would allude us.

Due to many of the rolling hills, lower back spasms would take their toll  having us drop at mile 75.

Disappointed - of course. Do I feel that I let people down - yes.

Although in talking to family & friends about this they say that they ARE NOT disappointed or let down, it is my own internal feelings that I some how, did.

I always run with my heart & know that others are suffering more than I am so this helps me press on. I am SO INSPIRED by others who help us to do what we do at Know No Boundaries.

Well, no time to wallow in any sorrows or disappointments, there are more people who need God’s help & we plan on running more races to help.

Please continue to follow us on Facebook  & go to our website to see “Wuzzup” with us.


God Bless;
Ken (aka K2)