Susan G. Komen 5K (not in review)
It was like Noah’s second coming: a steady downpour for the past seven consecutive days. I had to cancel a cross-country home meet this past Friday. Runners can brave all sorts of elements, but the course was literally filled with pools of water; I don’t mind the runners getting wet and muddy, but it is out of the question to have them wade through the course. All right, a bit of an exaggeration there.
Needless to say, I was not entirely surprised that the Susan G. Koman 5K was cancelled Sunday morning due to unsafe running conditions. It is a shame, because it is such a worthy cause that has fallen far behind their donation goal by a half-million. It is still possibly to pledge a donation through Kintera.
My running partner, Jon, called me from Princeton shortly after reading the news on the website. He came up and we spent that time kayaking the Delaware River instead. Bright idea that was. Think about this for a minute: it downpours for days on end and we decide that although it wasn’t safe enough to run in puddles, we will kayak the Delaware instead Yeah.
The launch went smooth. We crossed at low tide, and there wasn’t much of a current at that time. We explored the lower regions of a lesser-known D & R Canal lock that empties into Crosswicks Creek / Delaware River by Bordentown City.
A combination of change in tide and the wind hit us on the return trek. At moments our situation was frightening, as we carried backwards despite our attempts to paddle our hearts out. The only strategy was to hug along the coast, where the current would be at its weakest. I made a dumb maneuver and cut across the river too soon. The choppiness of the river scoped buckets of water up and over my kayak that began to fill. Luckily I made it back to the beach before the stress of added water weight and fatigue took its toll.
That simple mistake is a lesson to never underestimate the overwhelming power of nature. This venture reads in the same vein of the “13 Worst Disaster” article in Outdoor magazine. Safety should always be a first priority.
Needless to say, I was not entirely surprised that the Susan G. Koman 5K was cancelled Sunday morning due to unsafe running conditions. It is a shame, because it is such a worthy cause that has fallen far behind their donation goal by a half-million. It is still possibly to pledge a donation through Kintera.
My running partner, Jon, called me from Princeton shortly after reading the news on the website. He came up and we spent that time kayaking the Delaware River instead. Bright idea that was. Think about this for a minute: it downpours for days on end and we decide that although it wasn’t safe enough to run in puddles, we will kayak the Delaware instead Yeah.
The launch went smooth. We crossed at low tide, and there wasn’t much of a current at that time. We explored the lower regions of a lesser-known D & R Canal lock that empties into Crosswicks Creek / Delaware River by Bordentown City.
A combination of change in tide and the wind hit us on the return trek. At moments our situation was frightening, as we carried backwards despite our attempts to paddle our hearts out. The only strategy was to hug along the coast, where the current would be at its weakest. I made a dumb maneuver and cut across the river too soon. The choppiness of the river scoped buckets of water up and over my kayak that began to fill. Luckily I made it back to the beach before the stress of added water weight and fatigue took its toll.
That simple mistake is a lesson to never underestimate the overwhelming power of nature. This venture reads in the same vein of the “13 Worst Disaster” article in Outdoor magazine. Safety should always be a first priority.
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