Hopkins 4K for Cancer

June 20, 2006

Topeka, KS
Kansas is surprisingly hilly, just like Missouri – I really pictured this part of the country being MUCH flatter. But it’s still gorgeous, and the “hometown feel” of everywhere we go is welcoming. At the Topeka YMCA, we were treated to swimming and showers (which felt great after a hot day in Kansas). Then the members of the Methodist church in Topeka volunteered to make us an incredible dinner (we’re fed like royalty on this trip!) with the best potatoes I’ve ever eaten in my life, not to mention cherry cheesecake afterwards! Several of the volunteers were cancer survivors and/or caretakers, and it was inspirational to hear their stories and to see that, after (or while) being so sick and receiving months of painful treatments, these wonderful people and their families were still willing to spend hours making a feast for a bunch of strangers. Unable to find one of our projector cables, we gave a modified presentation on the laptop, and then chatted with the community members until it was time for them to go home.

We had a meeting tonight about various things, including some of our upcoming challenges. The “Boulder Challenge” was introduced – it will be an 85-mile day into Boulder followed by a huge 18-mile climb up to Ward, where we’ll be staying at a church retreat. I’m excited, but very nervous – many of us, myself included, aren’t seasoned cyclists, and that climb would be tough on its own, let alone as the last 20 miles of a century! But I think everyone will try their hardest, and, knowing the 4kers, encourage each other up the mountain. My mom and uncle are meeting us in Boulder, too, so that will be motivation to get to the top. We also talked about the Vegas challenge, 160 miles through the desert in July. Should be interesting, and hopefully flat!

We unfortunately didn’t get to see a lot of Topeka, but the church members were so good to us that it didn’t matter.

-Emma