Footprints

by Budd Glassberg

Reprinted with permission from the Zionsville Times Sentinel on March 26, 2008

Setting Our Sights on the Wrong Goal

How many times has someone aimed his quiver at a target only to hit a bulls-eye on an entirely different target? It is not that unusual to choose a path only to find it leads you in a completely different direction. My younger daughter, Elle, and I just left Glen Turner in Winona, Mississippi. We had taken a detour on the less traveled roads in the south in order to meet up with Glen. For those readers unfamiliar with Glen, he left Oceanside, California on February 17 of this year in hopes of running from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean completely unsupported, while averaging the most miles per day. He had hoped to arrive in Savannah, Georgia on April 11 a feat which would have set the record at 46 miles per day. There have been 204 transcontinental crossings on foot recorded and there are currently ten more attempting it. Much less common is the solo unsupported crossing. Each unsupported attempt was run while pushing some sort of cart, often a modified baby stroller, to transport the runner’s food, water and supplies. Months ago, Glen began designing a cart to carry his burden.

Glen Turner has had a distinctive running career which has included some monumental feats, such as winning a prestigious six-day race and placing second in a ten-day race in New York city. His name is known among ultra distance runners. His hopes to break the solo, unsupported transcontinental record was his goal. Glen understood that he needed to construct a cart which would not impede his progress. While going through seven iterations of his cart’s construction at his home in Colorado, Glen also tested each model on long runs in hopes of perfecting the cart’s utility. His final product, which he has named the Zzzomer looks very similar to an Indy race car. It is aerodynamic, low to the ground, made of very light materials and includes a solar panel to charge his array of electronic devices that he has brought along on his journey. His earlier versions included a two wheeled device that he ran in front of, but he settled on a three wheeled cart with two in front and one in back while he ran in the middle of the cart. The cart attaches to Glen via a hip belt. The front wheels are designed to turn as Glen shifts his hips. The Zzzoomer is equipped with Zipp wheels. Zipp, located in Indianapolis, is one of Glen’s sponsors and is the manufacturer of elite bicycle wheels. Glen designed his cart in a way that he might rest his legs on a fold down rail while gravity would help the Zzzoomer roll downhill. A video of his cart in action is available for viewing at his website at http://www.grtrunning.com/ .

Once Glen began his adventure, he found it easier traveling by pushing off with one foot and scooting and gliding rather than running. To be sure he needed to run while going uphill or against a headwind, but more and more of his time he traveled by this newly invented form of travel he calls zooming. Despite towing a total of 135 pounds of supplies and vehicle, twice the weight he had anticipated, Glen has averaged greater than 65 miles a day. In fact, as of the day this column was written, he had exceeded 100 miles in a day five times. Weather and flat tires early on in his journey have been the only things slowing Glen down. He solved the flat tire problems by purchasing Armadillo tires, a superior product he heartily recommends, but the weather is an obstacle he has not yet solved. The Zzzoomer converts to a bed at night for Glen, but cannot protect him from the rain.

Solo, unsupported, transcontinental purists would claim that Glen is technically not running across the United States and therefore will not hold the record. Glen agrees with that assessment. While setting out to break the record, he stumbled into what he believes is a better means of transportation for long distance travel while keeping foot contact with the ground. Zooming allows his legs to rest and recover from long distances without the soreness and injury associated with long distance running. It still provides an excellent means of exercise and travel.

When Elle and I met up with Glen, he was zooming on a two lane highway coming into the town of Winona. By the time I had turned my van around to join him, two people had already approached the Zzzoomer and were questioning Glen about it. He later told me that this has been going on for 2,000 miles. Wherever he goes, the Zzzoomer attracts a crowd. People are intrigued by it and are amazed at how far and fast he has traveled. Many have asked Glen where they might get a Zzzomer. Glen allowed me to test zoom his machine. We then ran together for a while and stopped at a restaurant where Elle and I bought Glen a dinner.

We had a pleasant visit while Glen discussed this trip and future plans. He is planning to finish the final 500 miles of this journey by the time this column will run. He then plans to run in the ten-day race in New York a month from now. He is curious to see if his zooming will translate into the same fitness associated with long distance running. The ten-day race world record holder will be at this race, so it will be a good test of endurance. I must say that by the looks of Glen, his transcontinental travels have had a beneficial affect on his health. He did not look like a person who had just traveled 94 miles that day. He looked healthy, somewhat rested and vibrant. Glen is seriously thinking about changing his plans of doing more long distance runs and concentrating instead on promoting zooming and his Zzzoomer. As Elle and I headed west while Glen proceeded east, I thought about how strange it is that no matter what we think we want to do, life has a way of revealing to us what we are here to do. My wish for Glen is that he find fulfillment in the new direction he is heading.

Budd Glassberg is a 23 year resident of Zionsville who works and volunteers in the community. Visit www.runz.com for reprints of all his columns. You can reach him by email at budd@runz.com.