Day 64 - Big Sur, California

Paul moves on down the Big Sur coast.

The Run passed quietly through the night out of the Bay Area to the California Coast along Route 1 near Santa Cruz. The Orange team started at 9am before Monterrey and soon found itself along the coast past Carmel. Lansing said, "Its so beautiful, I want to move here."

The news of the day was that Rudy rejoined his team in Salinas. Rudy was taken very ill in Japan and did not run for several days. As soon as he landed in SF, he was taken to a relative's home where he lay for 2 days in fever. His wife and son flew in from Michigan. Feeling weak but determined to rejoin the Run, his wife drove him down to Salinas, where the rest of the Yellow team were staying. Armed with medicines he took charge of the navigation as his team started running at 3 pm around Big Sur.

The 'Mellow' team was running along one of the most beautiful places in the world, a place where Rudy said, "We saw the most beautiful scenery in Europe and Siberia and Mongolia. But I had forgotten how gorgeous the US is." Of course, Paul laconically replied, "Just like Scotland."

Lansing crosses one of the beautiful bridges along the Big Sur coast.

Chris Emerick, the Run photographer, celebrates his birthday in Cambria with a dinner at a table for 2 with Polly Green the videographer; both of them are shooting the entire Run. Many runners and staff don streamers and storms in with a small cake and 2 candles. They have been getting good footage and good workouts as they spend half their day bicycling with their cameras strapped on their backs - which makes it easier to stop anywhere to take shots of the Run. Next to the restaurant is a karaoke bar, where Lansing woos the audience with Georgia (sprinkled with BPR news). The bartender is motivated and donates to the cause.

Team Yellow Spotlight:
Heiko had started the Run with a knee injury, not knowing how long he would last. His doctor told him that the needed surgery could wait till after the Run; so Heiko has been overcoming his pain. His stomach still queazy after the eastern Asia stretch was not doing well adjusting to rich American food in huge quantities. He had to stop twice during his run as his body rejected the food, but he still finished his stretch in amazing time.

Heiko looks better than his stomach feels.

Paul took over, in pretty much the same state. His stomach felt heavy and he had gone through an awful stretch in Mongolia, China, and Japan (read his blog for details as well as Heiko's upcoming entries). But he refused any offer from his team to cut down his stretch; he had kept going before in extremely bad conditions. Dill Driscoll had given the few runners present in the Salinas hotel lobby a pep talk at 1am where he repeated, 20% (18 days) are going to be hell, count the bad ones and complain only after they cross 18!"

Paul

Laurel, who had gone through Europe without problems, found herself hurt in Japan and did not run a couple of days. Her toes had become black early in Europe but now her calf was really hurting. Trying several oils, ointments and bandages, she took off on her stretch in Big Sur running on the inside lane facing traffic. She bravely covered 6 hilly miles and took an offer of help for the remainder from Rajesh of the Blue Planet Run Foundation. Rajesh was traveling the Yellow team for the day and borrowed running shoes from Jason Gross. Jason was the substitute runner in Paris who broke his ankle on the second day there and had to return to the US, but was so committed to BPR that he became a driver for the US leg.

Laurel.

Since Rudy was not running, Simon from the Green team drove up to take on his leg and the Green team started one shift early ... the Run must go on!