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- - - - DAY 22 - MONDAY, MAY 19, 2008 - - - -

  Today's Distance: 7 Miles
  Today's Route: Lolo Hot Springs to Lolo Pass, MT
  Today's Weather: Sunny, 80 Degrees, Slight Breeze
  Current Elevation: 5,235 Feet (1,104' More Than Yesterday)
  Total Distance Traveled: 620 Miles
  Total Distance Remaining: 0 Miles

Paul's Thoughts For Today:

This morning at 10:00 a.m. MST I achieved my goal of running solo across Montana from the Montana/North Dakota border to the Idaho/Montana border. It was a wonderful adventure that required 20 days on the road to complete the 620 miles. I took a total of two days off (one day to get an x-ray of my left foot, and another day to get some rest before tackling the mountains in the west). I averaged 31 miles per day from the Great Plains in the east to the top of the Bitterroot Mountain Range in the west. In all, I was on the pavement for 158 hours to conquer Montana.

This morning I awoke to beautiful skies and just a gentle breeze. I only had 7 miles to do and left Lolo Hot Springs at around 8:00am. At around the 5 mile mark of the day my family pulled up in our van and began cheering for me. They would stop a couple of times up the mountain to encourage me... which I truly appreciated! They drove up to the finish line to wait for me and Ian Marquand of KPAX Channel 8 News of Missoula arrived to film the conclusion of this trek across Montana. I've always appreciated KPAX and Mr. Marquand for the support they have shown for the P.A.C.E. endeavors. I pushed up the mountain, gaining 1,104 feet in elevation during the 7-mile trek today. At the top of Lolo Pass I saw my family cheering me on... and there was the Welcome to Idaho sign. I had made it! Snow was still piled along the roadway from where the plows had pushed it from the winter months, but the temperature was nice (around 65 degrees). I ran through the finish line and could not help but to let out a yell of joy, relief and satisfaction as I put in the final stride toward realizing this goal. I had just run solo across the 4th largest U.S. state from east to west - battling snowstorms, rain, heat and more. My body shows the wear of the miles and the extreme temperatures of the last three weeks, ranging from 19 degrees to 90 degrees. In fact, during the past week I've logged 247 miles... so there was definitely some fatigue in my legs today. I'm relieved to be done and will now take the time necessary to rest and recover.

Ian Marquand aired a news report on KPAX Channel 8 in Missoula this evening showing the conclusion of P.A.C.E. Trek 2008. That video is included in "Today's Videos" to the left.

I want to thank everyone who helped to make P.A.C.E. Trek 2008 a success. There are so many kind people who reached out to me to lend a hand and to help pull me along. The teams participating around the world have done an absolutely wonderful job! We had about 8,000 kids registered to take part in this three-week endeavor and based on my totaling of the most recent mileage reports submitted by team leaders, so far the participating teams have logged about 35,000 miles during P.A.C.E. Trek 2008 - which is about the same as running and walking 1½ times around the planet! There are several teams that have completed the journey, and some other teams are still logging miles to reach their goal of virtually crossing Montana. I'll continue to cheer on the teams and will post a follow-up journal entry soon with more information. For now, I want to try and focus on getting some pictures posted from the past few days as well as the remaining videos.

This has been a wonderful experience, albeit a difficult one. Trekking east to west is physically demanding when faced with continuous headwinds that dehydrate the body so much. That, combined with the extreme weather conditions over the past three weeks, created a demanding challenge for me. However, I was able to endure through the obstacles as they were presented and I hope that there's a lesson to be learned through that. Thanks to all who have followed along on this journey by tracking my progress through this web site. I hope that you've found the Montana information, fitness thoughts, and Native American details of interest and that you've learned something new through this endeavor. It will be something that I'll always remember, and I'm so glad that I had an opportunity to run and walk with thousands of children across my home state of Montana. What a trek!

Today's Montana "Did You Know?"...
Montanans are relatively thin compared to their fellow Americans, but that's not saying much. More than half of adults in the state are overweight or obese. Montana's Department of Public Health and Human Services recently completed its first Nutrition and Physical Activity State Plan to Prevent Obesity and Other Chronic Diseases. The goal: Promote better eating and more activity among Montanans, starting with children in school and adults in workplaces.

Today's Native Americans "Did You Know?"...
Native American tribes are sovereign nations. That means they are independent. However, Native Americans are also considered citizens of the United States and enjoy all the rights and privileges of U.S. citizens.

Today's Fitness "Did You Know?"...
Increased physical activity has been associated with an increased life expectancy and decreased risk of cardiovascular disease. Physical activity produces overall physical, psychological and social benefits. Inactive children are likely to become inactive adults. And physical activity helps with: controlling weight; reducing blood pressure; raising HDL ("good") cholesterol; reducing the risk of diabetes and some kinds of cancer; and, improved psychological well-being, including gaining more self-confidence and higher self-esteem.

Your Turn! Share Your Thoughts With Paul...
Click here to sign the official P.A.C.E. Trek 2008 guestbook!

Thanks for running along on this journey across Montana!

Keeping on PACE... today and always,

Along The Way...

Today I ran to the top of the BITTERROOT MOUNTAIN RANGE at the Idaho/Montana border. I climbed 1,104 feet in elevation within 7 miles. The Bitterroot Range is a subrange of the Rocky Mountains and runs along the border of Montana and Idaho. The range spans an area of 24,223 square miles and is named after the bitterroot, a small pink flower that is the state flower of Montana. In 1805, the Corps of Discovery, led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, crossed the Bitterroot Range, first entering the Bitterroot Valley from the south via Lost Trail Pass, and then exiting to the west via Lolo Pass. In 1805, Lewis and Clark crossed these mountains and encountered the Nez Perce Native American tribe.

Paul's Current Position In Montana