Thank you Colorado, Rotary International and Water for People. Team Green began our day off, Day 75, at a wonderful exchange event in downtown Denver organized by Water for People and the Denver Rotary. Activities included a free pancake breakfast, a pancake eating contest, our "BPR show," and the baton exchange between Emmanuel and David of Team Silver. Both had guest runners. David ran out of Denver with four local runners. We then took a side trip to Boulder and returned to Denver for an appointment with Foot Solutions, a major supporter of BPR's cause and a provider of shoes, gait analysis and foot supports for the runners.

We spent the night in the prairie at a motel in Stratton, Colorado. Our ride through the eastern plains included points of interest like a lighthouse with widow's peak set in a field, buffalo, square lined up hay bales of varying sizes, farm oases and lots of flat, flat, flat. Temperatures remained in the 90's. Stratton has a drive through liquor store, a sports bar, gas station and not much else, although we ate some good homemade food in the motel's restaurant.

Team Silver had an exchange in front of our motel on Day 76 at 9am and we gathered to cheer on Shiri. Town kids showed up including the Town Marshall's son Zach Cooper who knew quite a bit about the water crisis for someone his age. He biked in with Shiri. After some pool time, Team Green started our 3pm to 9pm shift about 20 miles east of Stratton and a mile or so into Kansas. I will be staying on the Green Team for the duration.

Kansas turned out to be more flat, flat, flat, at least until my run, the fourth leg. Kansas is primarily corn and sunflowers. Today I was thinking how no place lacks points of interest. I was thinking this because so many descriptions of Kansas say it is just plain boring. Not the case, although it is clearly very middle America.

Outside of Goodland, Kansas, I talked with a contractor named Harry Baker and his friend Justin. Harry has a fantastic stand of juniper and spruce trees surrounding the home he is building. I complimented him on it and he told me they were the product of nine years of TLC, including watering, fertilizing and picking out the tumbleweed. The trees were perfect except for a few that had been tipped over by a tornado. From there we discussed the eight year drought that the area has been suffering. He said many of the trees in the area forming important windbreaks were dying. We also discussed the status of wells in the area, many having become contaminated by nitrates from the farm soils. He and other locals who showed up during the day to find out what we are up to were very keen on discussing the water crisis, particularly given their own local concerns. We also had local media come out to some of the exchanges.

Goodland is a small but interesting town. It is the sunflower capital of the world. There is an 80' Van Gogh "sunflower" painting, one of eight in the Van Gogh billboard series produced. Unfortunately Goodland invested a pretty penny into this tourist attraction but it has not brought in the numbers. The other unique fact about Goodland is that the first helicopter was built here and it rests in a museum in town. The winters are harsh. This is the town my niece had told me about that had a tumbleweed storm last year. Up to 10' of tumbleweed was piled up by high winds in and around buildings. Harry told me they had to pull it all out by hand and burn it. What a sight to see that must have been!

Today was hot again in the 90's and dry. Harry told us we were very lucky as it spiked in the 100's the days before. We are still at some altitude, about 4800'. Today we saw cropdusters and unusual farm machinery. Silos and barns form the horizons and oases of homesteads pop up every few miles amidst the fields of corn. Our driver Rob joined me for most of my run, which was six miles of cumulative uphill after a day that had been flat, flat, flat. We also had another "Dot headwind." The remainder of my run was pretty flat and the sun was setting with a lovely breeze. The fields were full of crickets, grasshoppers and dragonflies. I saw something in one of the fields running at the speed of a bullet leaving a cyclone of dust behind. Best guess is it was a big white and very fast rabbit. I ended my run at our last team exchange where our technical director and staff had a BBQ going and fed us all dinner before we headed to Oakley, Kansas for the night. We will be in Kansas for several more days. The forecast is for some rain each night for which the locals are praying.

Water is life. Pass it on!