Note:  This post continues with Kelly’s emails and photo’s to family and friends.

Hi everyone,

Appreciate all of your emails of cheers, prayers, and cyber hugs!

This email will go out much later than intended due to no internet connection now.

We got setup at the next checkpoint, Twin Lakes, which is just below our house.  We were one of the handful of lucky recipients to have a special parking permit that got us all the way into town with a secured parking spot right out front of Black Wolf Lodging.  We parked, setup, and were surprised to see Ben and then Sean soon after.  They both got refueled and on their way.  Sean’s coach also had a chance to speak some words of encouragement before the hardest 20 mile section begins… up and over Hope Pass to Winfield.  Sean is starting to hurt some – quads in particular.  He grabbed some real food so hopefully he’ll get a surge of energy for what’s next!

For humor, I included a picture that Riley got of our crew and some of our setup.  (The plate of food was actually my lunch – ran out of time to eat at the house and then didn’t even finish it at the checkpoint since it went so fast!)  We were packed up and getting ready to load the back of the car at our parking spot – which, might I add, involved about 6 or more cars all tightly packed into a driveway!  We had to wait for a car to be moved to get ours out.  No complaints though – we were able to avoid the long walk from the roadside parking (no sign of the race shuttle for so many people though :-(.

It’s 2:00 PM and we are getting ready to depart for Winfield, about 45 minutes from our house.  At that time, Gordo will begin pacing with Sean – helping carry water and gear, encourage him, and just keep him moving up and over that mega hill!