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Just then the most wonderful sight: a Winnebago approached and
pulled up, and in it were Juan and Katie. They had been scouring the
back roads for me. I hugged them. I was so glad to see my mates. I was
safe and so was Juan. Inside, I showered and then collapsed onto my
bunk and ate and drank my fill. They contacted Bernie and Gustavo,
who were searching for me too, and they soon arrived in their van.
Juan told me his story. The bike's fuel had run out some kilometres
before the highway. Unable to push the bike, he had left it in the desert
and staggered back to the vans, badly sunburned and dehydrated. He
frequently fell. He had also thought he was going to perish. Finally, he
reached the road and waved down a vehicle that took him to a police
station. It was two in the morning before he was able to contact Bernie
and Gustavo on the police phone. They had repaired the van by then
and came to collect him.
We slept there on the mine road last night.
This morning, before setting out again, I called a meeting. I told
the crew the conclusions I had reached on the mountain. In future,
safety will be everything. We will keep to the main roads, and there can
be no more forgotten phones or half-arsed planning. No more reck-
lessly courting danger. I confessed that I had lost touch with reality,
that the pressure and exhaustion had blinkered me, and that this had
led me to take risks with my own life and with theirs. This run is impor-
tant, yes, but it's not worth a life. I will continue to bust a gut to finish
the South American leg by December 29, but if it is beyond me to do
so, I'll run the rest of the way later. I will still be running from pole to
pole. I will still have raised money for the Red Cross.
Here we were, all together again. In terms of lessons learned, this
has been the most important experience of the event. I take heart in
the knowledge that in a few months I'll be home in Australia, and this
is making me run all the harder to help those in the world living with-
out clean water in places of poverty, violence and natural disasters.
november 28
Tonight we are 1340 kilometres north of Santiago. I am still shaking at
the memory of my near-death experience in the desert. Somehow, the
scare has lifted my spirits. I am more determined than ever to finish
the run and to finish it in one piece. Run, Pat, run. It seems inevitable
