Canada Challenge Story Part 1

Hey Gang !

Well, the Canada Challenge 3 Coasts was exactly that...a HUGE challenge ! Please keep checking daily at www.rayzahab.com on the top right corner of my homepage for the link to Canada Challenge tracker for additions to photos and video.

First of all I really want to say thank you to all of you who supported me and my team as we ran this incredible journey. There were many of you out there on the trails, in towns and on internet with kind words, and support for Spreadthenet.org

I encourage all of you who have not yet purchased your bednets to please, please go to www.spreadthenet.org and buy one ! (or two, or three...)

Also- an incredible donation to tell you about. Upon completion of the last leg- the West Coast Trail- Kathy gave me some great news. A very generous company donated $5 000 towards the purchase of bednets. Yay !!!
So...this is an official corporate challenge ! Corporate world- lets buy bednets !

Over the course of the next week I will send out two newsletters with some stories from the field. In this first email I would like to tell you about the Northern Route and my preparation for this leg of the Canada Challenge.

Preparation for an expedition like this is really complicated...so I am so-o-o thankful I had the right team helping to pull this together. First of all - thanks to Telus for making the expedition possible.
Mike Kenney of Matrix Solutions was instrumental in pulling together the logistics of the Baffin Island leg. Mike's and Matrix's expertise in the North made preparation seamless. Mike helped us prepare the route, organize travel, and he connected us with boat transfer to and from the Akshayuk Pass. First Air, the airline of the North, got us up to Baffin and back. We were so relieved to have such an experienced and reliable airline getting us around as we would have to make sure that I could get to the East Coast Trailhead in time to keep my goal of finishing all three trails in 10 days or less. There really was no room for delays or setbacks. Ken Borek flew us on the leg from Pangnirtung to Qikiktarjuaq...and of course we would run back (check route on my website!).

Gear wise- oh my gosh..tough one. First and foremost was the issue of hydration. Even in the Arctic you need to stay hydrated- you need to drink just as much- and getting water meant drinking from streams, etc. I was connected to a fellow named Andrew Moorey of globalhydration.com by my friend Joel, and Andrew explained to me that his product Aquatabs would provide all the purification I would need to ensure safe drinking water. Needless to say- I didn't get sick the entire expedition- so they worked great ! Tiny tablets that dissolve into my water- and the water is ready in minutes for drinking. I needed something easy and reliable, so Aquatabs fit the bill. Now I would have clean water- and in order to stay hydrated and consume the easiest calories possible I used Gatorade Endurance formula. Gatorade got us across the entire Sahara last winter- and I totally trust it- so it was a no brainer for me. The last thing I wanted to worry about was getting chronically dehydrated while running these three trails virtually non-stop.
I am asked all of the time- what do you wear ? Well, the gear for this expedtion included CW-X clothing- in layers to provide warmth and support; Inov-8 Mudclaw 270 shoes- super lightweight and grippy; Fuelbelt hydration packs and bottles; Wiley-X Eyewear- durable and provided awesome eye protection is the intense sun up North and on the East Coast; Injinji socks; Magellan GPS to guide us, and Crocs to let my feet have a break between trails ( I can't tell you how much I looked forward to getting into those!).

The morning of our departure Chuck Dale and I quickly packed up the remainder of our gear and headed to the Canada AM morning show where I did a quick interview, and then it was off to the airport to catch the First Air flight to Iqaluit, and then our Ken Borek connection to Qikiktarjuaq.
Chuck would run the first trail with me, and then provide support on the East and West Coast legs. As you will hear in my next email, Kathy (my wife!) ran portions of the East Coast trail, as did a host of others who were welcome to join in. Kathy's family also provided support on the ECT. More about that later.

In the Iqaluit airport we bumped into North Pole legend Richard Webber and his wife Josee as Josee was returning to Chelsea. Small world !
We arrived in Pangnirtung later that afternoon- and then had to basically leap frog the Akshayuk Pass in order to get to Qik to then grab a 100 km boat ride back to the start of our journey. When we left Pang, our pilot said he would do his best to fly low through the pass so we could see what we were in for running back the next day. It was incredible. We flew a few thousand feet above the pass floor, winding our way between the mountains that were topped with glaciers. These mountains were different that what you normally think of. These were like walls of rock shooting straight up into the air. Very, very sheer and steep.
Mount Thor appeared as a vertical rock wall that ascended 1000's of feet into the sky. I can't believe people climb it.

When we arrived in Qikiktarjuaq, a small community of approx. 900 people, we were greeted instantly by the warmth and hospitality of the Inuit people. What an amazing culture. The people of the North are so inspirational ! The harshness of the climate and topography make for arduous and long winters. But everybody seemed so happy! We met with Parks Canada and had our orientation where we were told what to do in case we encountered polar bears- and how to deal with all of the extremes of the Akshayuk Pass. Just days before, Mike called to tell me there was a polar bear in the pass. Although cute in photographs, I was almost positive they wouldn't look so cute in real life- I didn't want to disturb them at all !

The next morning we met Billy and his wife and at the docks and got ready for our boat ride up the fjord to the start of the Pass. We were accompanied by a brother and wife team up photographing the park for an outdoors magazine. They were such great people. After around 3 hours on the small fishing boat, Billy turned around to me and said "Weather is pretty bad...big waves. This is gonna take awhile!". We ended up arriving at 12 noon, somewhere around 5.5 hours instead of the usual 2.5 hours in good conditions. I was so thankful Billy and his wife were our guides to the waters edge. We felt very safe with them. Billy gave us advice on the terrain before we left, and as we headed out I wished I had more time to sit with him and hear and learn more.

The Pass would be approx. 100 kms (we recorded around 115 on gps by the time we finished) and would cover terrain that was so mixed and varied I couldn't believe it. There was one constant though- we would be wet the whole time ! Constant winds in our faces would sometimes be strong enough to force us to walk.

The first 10 kms didn't seem so bad, and we made good time running fairly quick...and thats when the tough stuff started. We hit our first stream crossing (there would be over 50 glacial river and stream crossings). As we tried to find the best way across the frigid water, trying to avoid huge current, we saw a polar bear track. Yikes !!!!! It was huge !
Okay, now I'm freezing...and terrified !
Crossing the streams would become routine- and hugely time consuming. Some of the crossings were higher than waist deep and we could hear boulders rushing past us as we crossed. The current was so strong- and the rapids in some of the rivers daunting. The levels of water depend on the melt rate of the glaciers, and the levels were very high as it had been warm and sunny days previous, and today it was raining.

I have to say- this is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen in my life. As a matter of fact it's right up there with the Tenere Desert in Niger. I felt so proud that this incredible place is in my country Canada. We are so lucky.

Chuck was doing awesome- he asked for adventure- and he was getting it ! Chuck accompanied us in the Sahara as our Physical Therapist and jack of all trades- and is an incredible runner- so I knew he could do it and was the right man for the job as support.

We arrived at the Rundle Glacier later than we expected due to the crazy amount of river crossings and slogging it through the tundra that was always ankle deep. Fog was setting in, and as it got dark we had to cross the most dangerous river in pitch black with our headlamps reflecting off of the fog. Crazy thing is when we did manage to get ourselves across, our feet would be so frozen that we literally could not feel them. We would then start running on the endless rocky terrain, and after they thawed out we would realize that we were bruising our feet constantly !

We occasionally would stop for a 5 minute break and refill our hydration packs with Aquatabs water and Gatorade, and take in the scenery.

As the sun rose the next day we were really determined to finish. We passed by Mount Thor which was even more spectacular from the ground- and started to make really good time as we were now on real trail for the first time. The last 25 kms I really pushed the pace- and we actually able to run quickly for the first time since the first 10 kms.

The last 15 kms were on sandy, rocky terrain- which as you can imagine I felt very comfortable on after running in the Sahara for 111 days! We were in a race to get to the boat before our guide Jimmy left without us ! I would have felt so bad if he used up his fuel to get us and we weren't there. Gas is very expensive up there. Also, we didn't have enough gear to last another night ! We were soaked, feet bruised and exhausted. 27 hours after starting we were finished ! Yay !
When we got back to Pang I got to hang out with Charlie Qumuatuq- it was his boat company that got us to and from the Pass. Charlie was awesome. He discussed with me Inuit issues and what life is like up there for him and his community. It was totaly cool to learn from him. Chuck was crashed out so I went for a tour of the town with Charlie. Next day I got to stop by the Parks Canada office and was honoured to meet Billy Etooangat
and Dave Argument, both parks officials. The Akshayuk Pass was named after Billy's grandfather. Cool.

Our flights were scheduled to leave around noon, so we had to keep moving. I confided to Chuck that I had no idea how I was going to run the next two legs of the Canada Challenge the way I was feeling. I still had the shakes from the cold and my feet were swollen like small footballs !

I guess I would find out. I would be in Newfoundland the next day.

More to come !

Canada Challenge and Other News !!!

Hey Gang !
Back on board after a crazy summer of speaking, running and planning !
Planning what ? The Canada Challenge ! Please check out my website for more info- you'll see the link on the front page.


My goal is to run 3 very extreme coastal trails in Canada- one right after the other. All in an effort to raise awareness for initiatives I totally am down with. Check the "awareness" section of my website. The trails are 1000's of km's apart, and will be super tough running combined with insane logisitics. I start in canada's North on Baffin Island, then Newfoundland and finally British Columbia. I have incredible people helping in the planning- and without their expertise i don't think i could even be half as prepared !

Mike Kenney of Matrix Helicopters in North west Territories has been an incredible expediton advisor- helping to co-ordinate the complex logistics of the Baffin and Newfoundland sections of this "race against time".

More to come on the interesting stories of people, training and logistics involved in this expedition. By the way...we leave this August 21st 2007 !

Media so far has been awesome- and the story has appeared in newspapers across the country !

Clients have also had amazing spring/summer events. Please check my website for details under "client news".

Talk soon- I am off to salt Lake City with Charlie.

Summertime!

Hey Gang!

It’s hard to believe but the summer is here! I would like to take this time to thank you for all of your support over the past several months. Life has certainly changed and it’s so exciting to look back on this past winter! Dreams have come true but I couldn’t have done all that without all of you. My friends and family have been so incredible. You may remember getting a newsletter from my brother John while I was in the Sahara. I’d like to personally introduce you…everyone, meet John Zahab! John is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist at the Ottawa High Performance Centre. His assessment protocol and program development are a great addition to my online coaching services – geared to get you running. Not all of you are my coaching clients but I still wanted to tell you about him!

In addition to providing Strength and Conditioning for Sports Performance services, John offers conditioning programs for Return to Sport (after injury) and Functional Fitness (for the active individual, who may not participate in athletic events). Additional information on John’s services and other great services offered at the center may be found at www.ohpc.ca. John offers a variety of appointment times throughout the day – including some early morning and evening times, to accommodate before and after work needs.

I’m looking forward to the weeks and months ahead, when I hope that I can continue to be an inspiration to many of you - as much as you have been an inspiration to me! May you come to soon realize all of your goals - be it performance oriented or leading a healthy active lifestyle. Should you have any questions regarding my brother’s services, please don’t hesitate to contact him directly at zahabj@istar.ca .

Stay tuned for some updates about some of my clients. There’s a few different people racing around the world. I’ll keep you posted, until then, may you have a safe and healthy start to your summer!

Yours in health,

Ray Zahab

www.rayzahab.com

rayzahab@rayzahab.com

So great to be back!

Hey gang!!

I'm sorry for taking a few weeks to write to you all! Thank-you all so much for all your support while I was in Africa!! It was so amazing to get all the emails and hear news from home!

It's been great to home! It was pretty funny stepping back into a Canadian winter after being in the desert for so long but I'm so happy to be home! I just returned back from the Northwest Territories and serious winter! It was great to be there for a couple of talks and to be there for the race as well!

I'll write more later but wanted to send you all a quick hello and word of thanks.

Right now Kathy and I are on our way to California where Kevin, Charlie and I will be on the Tonight Show! You can watch us on Tuesday night (tomorrow night). It will be great to see the guys!

Stay tuned in for more updates!

Ray

Correction! Ray will be on The Hour Tuesday March 6

Quick correction!

If you tuned in tonight to The Hour you would have seen that Ray will actually be on tomorrow night!

Tuesday March 6 11pm:
The Hour with George Stroumboulopoulos
*watch Ray tell his story!

Catch Ray on The Hour - March 5

Hi everyone!

Ray has been back on Canadian soil now for a full week and it's definitely been busy! Hopefully you've had a chance to see him on TV or catch him on the radio. It's been exciting to hear from people all over the country about how Ray has inspired them.

On Monday March 5 you will be able to watch Ray tell his story on The Hour with George Stroumboulopoulos on CBC Television at 11 pm. Tune in!

Hope you all out there are doing well!

Jenny

Update on TV appearances!

Hey folks!

Ray landed tonight and was welcomed home by a crowd of family and friends! He's so dark we almost didn't recognize him :)

As soon as time and rest allows Ray will be posting himself soon but until then you'll have a number of opportunities to see him on TV:

CBC Newsworld - Sunday Feb.25 - 1:00pm
CTV's Canada AM - Monday Feb.26 - 8:40AM
CBC Ottawa Local evening news - Monday Feb.26

Many thanks to everyone for coming out to support Ray tonight, for keeping up to date with his progress, and for sending encouraging emails while he was away! It has meant a lot to Ray!

It's so very easy to get caught up in life's troubles and forget what's going on in the world around us. A big thanks to Ray, Kevin and Charlie for giving up the past 4 months to remind us all that nothing is impossible. And also for bringing exposure to the water crisis in Africa. We have much to be thankful for as life hands us our possibilities!

Keep those emails of encouragement to Ray coming. Please send to jenny@rayzahab.com

Ray & Kathy on Canada AM Monday morning

Just a quick note to let you know Ray & Kathy will be on CTV's Canada AM on Monday morning! Please keep checking here over the week-end for an update on timing. It's also quite possible there willbe another TV spot for Ray early next week. Info will be up as soon as we know!

Tune in! And make sure you read your Ottawa Citizen on Sunday!

Keep those messages for Ray coming (please send to jenny@rayzahab.com)! Any words of encouragement, well wishes and stories of how Ray's journey has touched you would be great!

Hope to see you at the airport tomorrow night (Friday night) at 11:00!

Update!

Hello All!

Things are busy in preparation for Ray's return to Canada! There has been a tremendous response from the media and people all over the world! It's so exciting to know how inspired people have been. If you have a special story about how Ray's journey has touched you please send me an email with the story. I will compile them all together and give to Ray when he gets home! All stories and well wishes welcome!!

Ray & Kathy will be returning to the airport on Friday night (Feb.23) at approximately 11:00pm (landing at about 11:10). If you would like to join us in welcoming them home please come! We'll be gathered in the arrivals area. Please feel free to get creative and bring signs/balloons!

Check out the article featured on yahoo today...click here!

If you have any inquiries concerning booking an interview or speaking engagement with Ray please contact me!

Jenny
jenny@rayzahab.com

RAY COMPLETES RUNNING THE SAHARA

Have a coffee in your hand? ...good enough! Time to raise it to Ray! On Tuesday Feb.20 Ray and the team completed their journey!

It's been done, the impossible has been conquered!

Stay tuned for details regarding Ray's return to Ottawa (likely Feb.23). We're hoping to have a greeting party at the airport to welcome him home! Time to get those signs and balloons out!

Ray had family with him at the journey's completion but most importantly Kathy, his amazing wife! Here's to 2 of the most amazing people in the world! Ray, we're inspired and so very proud of you...we knew you could do it!

Jenny
jenny@rayzahab.com

February Update: The Final Leg

Hi Folks!

In just days from now Ray and the team are expected to finish Running the Sahara! I'm quite certain this expedition will seriously raise the bar of all that we consider possible. Kathy left late last week to join Ray for the expedition's last 500Km's, while family and friends will leave in a few days to join them as well. A dip in the Red Sea will complete things and it's expected the team will do this on the 18th or 19th. Ray will likely be home on Feb.23 but I'll keep you posted with updates! There will be a welcoming party at the airport, please feel free to join in! Stay tuned for details regarding arrival time!

Please note that ball class will be cancelled for the next 2 weeks and will resume Feb.27 (6pm).

Will have more updates for you soon! Exciting times!!!

Jenny
jenny@rayzahab.com

Kathy's Visit With Ray!!!

I have finally settled back into my normal routine after spending a week in Niger with Ray, the team, and Lisa and Nicole (Charlie and Kevin’s girlfriends, respectively). We had an amazing week! Ray and I had not seen each other in 2 months; it was incredibly emotional to see his smiling face when I arrived! He has lost some weight but looks great - one would never guess he’d already run close to 4000kms at that point!

Unfortunately both Lisa and I lost of luggage on the way to Agadez (still in London as it turns out!). I felt terrible as I had packed some pencils, paper and Canada teddy bears for when Ray and the guys have the opportunity to visit the local schools. Also in the luggage were gifts of coffee and chocolate (desert treats!) from our family and friends to Ray for Christmas. Even though the bags did not arrive, Ray really appreciated the fact he was in your thoughts. Ray was happy to see I arrived safely, and I was happy to see that he is doing so well!!

We spent the next five nights camping in the most spectacular areas of the Desert. It is very inspiring how day after day after day these guys wake up, have a quick bite to eat, and are running before sunrise. Myself, Nicole and Lisa would typically sleep in until after sunrise, eat, and catch up with them via the Land Cruiser (we actually did get up a few mornings in time to see the sunrise)! Our routine would be to drive ahead of the guys maybe 5-10km, stop and prepare Gatorade for them, offer them words of encouragement and then continue on. While we were in the Desert there were several sandstorms which would be reason enough to stop the average person from running…not these guys! The 50-60km winds only fueled their fire to finish those days…coming into camp with sand-caked faces! They are so strong and so motivated!

As Niger is a French speaking country, our friends in Quebec will be pleased to know that Ray is pretty much bilingual now and speaks fluently with the local peoples (the Tuaregs). The Tuaregs we met were so kind and gracious, and they have a strong sense of community – it was a wonderful opportunity to learn more about their culture. Being there also made me realize that even with the lack of infrastructure, including wells to supply clean drinking water, people make the best of what they have and do not waste anything. The Desert itself is extremely beautiful – we saw lots of camels and donkeys, huge sand dunes, and you can see so many stars at night. Ray and I would count our lucky stars (all pun intended!) – it was an amazing way to spend out first Christmas as a married couple!

Since 2004 Ray has raced in Morocco, Niger, Libya, and Egypt and has always told me how much he loves the Sahara – in particular, the people and the sand dunes. Having just spent only 1 week in the desert in Niger, I too know its lure.

What Ray, Charlie and Kevin have accomplished thus far is a feat of strength and perseverance. Raising awareness with respect to the lack of clean drinking water in Africa is of paramount importance. Please check out the website at www.runningthesahara.com for more details on the expedition, the charity (H20 Africa), and the documentary film.

Cheers, Kathy

Kathy's Visit With Ray!!!

I have finally settled back into my normal routine after spending a week in Niger with Ray, the team, and Lisa and Nicole (Charlie and Kevin’s girlfriends, respectively). We had an amazing week! Ray and I had not seen each other in 2 months; it was incredibly emotional to see his smiling face when I arrived! He has lost some weight but looks great - one would never guess he’d already run close to 4000kms at that point!

Unfortunately both Lisa and I lost of luggage on the way to Agadez (still in London as it turns out!). I felt terrible as I had packed some pencils, paper and Canada teddy bears for when Ray and the guys have the opportunity to visit the local schools. Also in the luggage were gifts of coffee and chocolate (desert treats!) from our family and friends to Ray for Christmas. Even though the bags did not arrive, Ray really appreciated the fact he was in your thoughts. Ray was happy to see I arrived safely, and I was happy to see that he is doing so well!!

We spent the next five nights camping in the most spectacular areas of the Desert. It is very inspiring how day after day after day these guys wake up, have a quick bite to eat, and are running before sunrise. Myself, Nicole and Lisa would typically sleep in until after sunrise, eat, and catch up with them via the Land Cruiser (we actually did get up a few mornings in time to see the sunrise)! Our routine would be to drive ahead of the guys maybe 5-10km, stop and prepare Gatorade for them, offer them words of encouragement and then continue on. While we were in the Desert there were several sandstorms which would be reason enough to stop the average person from running…not these guys! The 50-60km winds only fueled their fire to finish those days…coming into camp with sand-caked faces! They are so strong and so motivated!

As Niger is a French speaking country, our friends in Quebec will be pleased to know that Ray is pretty much bilingual now and speaks fluently with the local peoples (the Tuaregs). The Tuaregs we met were so kind and gracious, and they have a strong sense of community – it was a wonderful opportunity to learn more about their culture. Being there also made me realize that even with the lack of infrastructure, including wells to supply clean drinking water, people make the best of what they have and do not waste anything. The Desert itself is extremely beautiful – we saw lots of camels and donkeys, huge sand dunes, and you can see so many stars at night. Ray and I would count our lucky stars (all pun intended!) – it was an amazing way to spend out first Christmas as a married couple!

Since 2004 Ray has raced in Morocco, Niger, Libya, and Egypt and has always told me how much he loves the Sahara – in particular, the people and the sand dunes. Having just spent only 1 week in the desert in Niger, I too know its lure.

What Ray, Charlie and Kevin have accomplished thus far is a feat of strength and perseverance. Raising awareness with respect to the lack of clean drinking water in Africa is of paramount importance. Please check out the website at www.runningthesahara.com for more details on the expedition, the charity (H20 Africa), and the documentary film.

Cheers, Kathy

Happy New Year - Ray on Canada AM!

Welcome to 2007!

This will definitely be a New Year's Ray will not forget! 2 Announcements for you today!

First, Ray will be on Canada AM tomorrow morning (Wednesday Jan. 10) for a 5 minute interview via sat. phone at 7:15 am sharp!! Please tune in and let anyone else who might be interested know. We'll try to bring you details of the interview later this week.

Second, ball classes have resumed from their holiday break! Classes are 6-6:45 pm Tuesday's and Thursday's at the Churchill Seniors Centre in Westboro. Registration is $100+gst for 10 classes. Please don't hesitate to contact jenny@rayzahab.com for directions.

See you in front of the TV tomorrow morning 7:15am...Canada AM on CTV!