Badwater 267 VR

Know No Boundaries will be running Badwater 267 VR during the month of January.

BADWATER: It’s a frame of mind, a global family of horizon-chasers, and a statement to the world about priorities and preconceived notions of what is possible. Badwater is a way of life! Are you ready to Badwater in 2021?

AdventureCORPS® – the organizers of the iconic worldwide series of Badwater® races – are pleased to announce two BADWATER 267 virtual races in which competitors will virtually and sequentially traverse the routes of all three Badwater® races – the 51-mile Badwater Cape Fear, the 81-mile Badwater Salton Sea, and the 135-mile Badwater 135 – for a total of 267 miles. These are the three events which comprise the legendary Badwater Ultra Cup – and now Badwater 267 VR.

• Badwater 267 VR > a 31-Day Event from January 1 to January 31: Starting on New Year’s Day, you will have 31 days to complete 267 miles on foot and you can do them anywhere you want, including on a treadmill or indoor track.

This event is part of our ongoing mission to be the example to drive others to break through their boundaries as well.

"BEAR" With is (actually, without us)

We are running the Virtual Polar Bear Marathon Saturday, November 7, 2020 & have partnered with Athletes in Action in order to 1) Raise awareness of the needs of Northern Canada's indigenous First Nations and 2) to send 100% of all funds raised during this event to them to help. with current travel restrictions due to COVID-19, many races have gone virtual.

Although there will be a few local First Nations runners in Churchill, Manitoba,

most are running it virtually.

Although we won't get the "enjoyment" of the -30 degrees F weather

OR the polar bear spectators, we will still; be running the 42km distance.

Our ask - - - PLEASE click on the DONATE button at the top of this page to make

a tax deductible donation to Know No Boundaries & help us, help others.

As I mentioned, 100% of all money raise will go to help the First Nations people through Athletes in Action.

And So it Continues

Life as we knew it is gone. Whatever our past "normal" was, it is & will be no longer. We must realize that whatever our NORMAL was, is not coming back. We have a NEW NORMAL. One that is fraught with twists, turns and dead ends.

And although it will be like a maze, we can navigate our way through it.

It will take more than grit & determination! It will take a total reliance on God & His Divine Providence to help guide us through this cacophony of uncertainties.

Here at Know No Boundaries, we continue to push forward on all fronts. Although the methodology is different, the ultimate goal of breaking boundaries, breaking those internally woven chains continues.

Endurance events are still happening & we are still participating in them, albeit all while practicing "social distancing". (NOTE: For us, this has NEVER been a problem as we are always so far behind everyone, we are social distanced from the get go! 😆

The events that we have on our calendar are our Virtual Run Marathon (scheduled for July 31st), the Tulsa Urban Adventure in September (likely the 50 miler) & then a leisurely 100km at Pumpkin Holler Hunnerd in October.
Although these challenging times may seem to go on forever, Keep On Keeping On. Keep your eyes focused on God, run the race set before you and YOU WILL win!




Until next time - - - - God Bless you;
Ken

Life Has Been on Hold!

Seeing a my last Blog Post was after the 2020 running of the Post Oak Challenge, LIFE as we knew it, has changed.

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed life as we knew it for the entire planet! We have Live BEFORE COVID-19 and Life AFTER COVID-19. There is no going back, no do-overs, no life as it "used to be."

There are plenty of people touting that they can't wait until life gets "back to normal" (whatever that "normal" is).

Each and every time that I hear this, I cringe! I hope and pray that we NEVER get back to "normal." At least if that "normal" is life as it was.

Normal was crowded restaurants, stores and parks with people with their faces all buried in their cell phones! Normal was crowded roads and highways with people complaining of the traffic or the slow-poke in front of them as they are running late for some critical meeting (or sorts). Normal was pulling up to the drive-thru at your local Starbucks for that latte or mocha to drink on your way "somewhere."

"Who was that masked man" (from the Lone Ranger or old Batman re-runs) will now have a different meaning!

If all of this is the "normal" that we are all too eager to get back to . . . . I PRAY that we NEVER return to it.

I pray that a warm hand-shake when meeting someone new means more. I pray that spending one on one, face-to-face time with friends at a locally owned coffee shop having real conversations flourishes. I pray that smart phones are looked at a bit closer by smart people who divest themselves from their incessent addiction to them and spend real time with family, friends, colleagues and even enjoy Nature (God's creation).

Let us awaken from this stupor in which we've been in for several years to truly value what is important!

Until next time - - God Bless You;
Ken

2020 Post Oak Challenge (25km)

This year's Post Oak Challenge was indeed a challenge. Severe intestinal cramps the entire night before the race relegated me to dropping back to the 25 km distance (rather than the 50 km) that was originally planned.

Wet days prior to the race made for very wet & muddy running. Plenty of roots, rocks & hills! There were some GREAT views of the countryside and some of downtown Tulsa, but I had my work cut out for me as I plodded through the course.

At the last Aid Station, I was ready to throw in the towel. THANK YOU Lynna for talking me into continuing on. All I had was to climb the Hill From Hell, plod through more roots, rocks & hills, make it through the Heaven's Gate to make it to the finish line.

I was soooo ready to be finished. This was a tough race for me.

One thing that I do look forward to in every one of my races, is the wonderful conversations that I have with Our Lord. As I spend a lot of time alone, it is in the quietness that I can hear Him. Whatever suffering that I had during the race, is always offered up for the suffering souls in Purgatory. Hopefully offering this will relieve some of their suffering & bring them sooner to the Beatific Vision that we all long for.

Speaking of grand visions, my vision of the finish line was indeed a welcome site.

Blessings to you until next time;                                                                                                                                   Ken

Back On Track (with my book that is)

Well . . . . . . it has been a while since I have been here. My apologies. Things have been nothing short of totals chaos around the house. Aside from all of of the personal "stuff" that has been transpiring, my being back in school & the associated reading and paper writing the comes along with it has been taking up A LOT OF MY TIME.

None-the-less, I am set on worn on, finishing and publishing my book; "Running From the Heart: An Ultra Runner's Conversation with God" by this summer.

I have reached out to several ultra runners that I know and who are devout lovers of God and who have deep dialogues with Him during their ultra endurance events.

It will be a compilation of the stories, reflections, transformations & struggles that each of the highlighted runners, how they have brought God into their ultra running & how they converse with him before the event, during their darkest moments in the midst of the race and the praise & thanksgiving they give Him when they are done.

Stay tuned for updates & the eventual publishing of it soon enough.


Thank you & God Bless you;
Ken