Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
people,includingBrookeandDillon,havebeensayingI'mlooking
a little thin, so I figured, why not?
But not even my refusal to give up on anything was of help
today. When you know what the Fat Boy comprises, perhaps you'll
forgive me. They pile into a bread roll the size of a full loaf a grilled
half-kilogram spicy sausage patty, a warmed-up half-kilogram of
brisket, a quarter-kilogram of pimento cheese, a half-kilogram
of pulled pork, a big cup of coleslaw, a dozen rashers of smoked
bacon, two handfuls of fried pickles and ten huge fried onion rings,
everything doused in Mac's patented Burnout Sauce, which is a
spicy tomato concoction. Kevin said, 'If you can eat this, you don't
have to pay for it, and we put your name on the Wall of Fame. If
you can't, you have to pay the bill, and your name goes on the Wall
of Shame, which is right by the men's room! Nobody has ever
defeated the Fat Boy.'
It was almost bigger than me, a veritable brontosaurus
burger. I gave what I couldn't eat, which was most of it, to the crew,
and even nine of them could barely finish it. I paid the bill and left.
Very slowly.
July 1
I've been feeling the strain lately. I'm as thin as I've ever been in my
adult life and weigh less than 60 kilograms, about 8 kilograms lighter
than when I started. I know I'll need to bulk up later, to cope with the
Antarctic cold. Here in the south, it's terribly hot and humid. Within
minutes of beginning my run each day I'm dripping with perspiration.
As well as my back, legs and neck aching, I've got a throat infection
that is depleting my energy. My distress is exacerbated by not having
a doctor on my team to prescribe treatment, including antibiotics. I
know I should probably call in at a medical practice for a check-up in
one of the towns I run through, but that would take time I don't have.
So I run on. One step, one kilometre, one day, one week at a time. I try
not to think about what's to come: the brutal and energy-sapping heat
and humidity I'm running into as I head further into the deep south
of the United States and, even scarier, the DariƩn Gap and Antarctica.
Instead, I pull myself up and think of something else.
Search WWH ::




Custom Search