The 24 hours from home challenge is a contest to see how far you can get from your home in a 24 hour period on your feet. This year marks my third attempt at this challenge. As an added bonus, Corvin and Danelle have also signed up. The race window starts at noon on Thursday and ends at midnight Sunday.
Danelle started off the challenge about 1pm on Thursday. She wasn’t the first one to log some miles. I caught her going out the door.
Sadly, Danelle didn’t make but a few steps outside the neighborhood when she received a cat call. Some people are just rude. That didn’t stop her as she continued her walk. The plan was to go down Manchester road. This is a very straight and safe route with lots of sidewalks. She was very focused on her walk and didn’t take any photos of herself. I think Danelle wanted to listen to audio books, but continually received calls to chat. I have to say guilty. I was excited for her walk and just wanted to know she was okay.
Ultimately, Danelle walked 14.66 as the crow flies from the house. 33rd overall. I’m super proud of her for going out. Here is her Fitbit after I picked her up.
Next up was me starting after work on Friday. I was going the same route as Danelle. It’s my third event. I had one goal, walking at least 32 miles. That would surpass my farthest distance I got the first two years. Like Danelle, I had an interesting event on the way out of the neighborhood. I found a 1/2 inch wrench that I put in my pocket for good luck.
I took a few photos. My favorite was right after my dinner stop with Danelle at Culvers. Nearby is Manchester Cave located in Seibert Park.
Located in Seibert Park, Manchester Cave was carved from a creek bank in the 1850s. It was initially used to store barrels of beer produced by a brewery that stood in the vicinity of Manchester Road and Louis Avenue. The brewery was built in 1850 and operated by various owners until it burned down twice; the second time in 1870. The brewers needed a cool place to store their beer and the cave provide the necessary temperature. During the Civil War, residents used the cave for protection from passing Union and Confederate soldiers who often forced the citizenry to work for them, i.e. carrying water and supplies for their needs. A Union Army Camp, Camp Bates, was located nearby and was used when Union troops were in the area.
And the most important photo to me!
Continuing down Manchester, I had to calm my nerves after seeing this disturbing site.
If that wasn’t disturbing enough, I had an actual issue that cause me lots of distress. While adjusting my earbud, the soft insert came off and got stuck deep in my right ear. I nearly quit as it felt very strange and changed my hearing! Eventually, it started moving out and I was able to grab a small stick off the ground and pry it out the rest of the way.
Sadly, my walk ended earlier than I wanted. I was chafing on my legs and feet too much. While I could have kept going, I had an event to go to the following day and didn’t want to be miserable amongst my friends. My as the crow flies score was 21.29 miles. 23rd overall
While I was walking, Corvin started walking about an hour after my start. Corvin was walking from his house in La Crosse, Wisconsin. I spent a few hours of my walk on the phone chatting with Corvin while he did his thing. It comes to no surprise for any proud parent, Corvin whopped up on me. He ran a few sections and went deep into the night. Corvin’s as the crow flies score was 35.26 miles on 40 total walked. A pretty efficient route! 11th overall.
Hogan Haake