Run For Freedom - 2004
The Run
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PeaceHq |
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Run For Freedom - 2004 |
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Friday June 25th, 2004 Fran Hardaway and Dale Van Fleet pulled into the McDonalds on Man o War drive in Lexington after a 3 hour drive from Owensboro to meet Larry Crane. Dale was going to transfer to Larry's car for the drive up to Ohio while Fran had to stay in Lexington for a family wedding. Dale Van Fleet and Larry Crane pulled into the Amelia Peace Hostel at around 8:00 pm, friday June 25th. It was the evening before the first day of the 2 day 2004 Run for Freedom, and they had decided to arrive friday night rather than get up at 5:00am to drive to Chief Little Turtle statue for the start of the run. Their arrival was not so much for convenience as the opportunity to socialize with the Toren clan the evening before the run. Jim Toren came out and greeted them with hugs and handshakes and the catching up process began. They were all veterans of several events from the past and it was good to be going back out on the road the next day. Jims mom and dad were out at a movie and when they arrived there were more hugs and handshakes all around after which John and Larry headed for what Jim calls the computer dungeon to share the latest on the Peacehq web sites. Dale slept on Jim and Julies futon while Larry had the honor of the elder toren's much used couch, 6:30 am was going to come mighty early so everyone retired til the am. |
Participants "Big" Dale Van Fleet Fran Hardaway Jim Toren John Toren Jon Blickenstaff Jon Burkindine Larry Crane Terry Stagman Day 1 Day 2 Top Home |
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Day 1 Wake up call came at about 6:30 am at Peace hostel Amelia. After first cup of coffee it was decided Jim would go to pick up Terry Stegman on his way to Chief Little Turtle statue, while John, Dale, and Larry would go straight to Little Turtle to meet any spontaneous runners that might arrive. By 8:00 am the group consisted of Jim, Terry, Jon Blickenstaff and his wife Angie, Larry, John Toren, and Dale. The only commited runner who wasn't there yet was John Burkindine and Jim said "don't worry about it hes always late". Just as we were begining to start our morning circle at about 8:20, amidst many cheers and jeers, Jon drove up in his old BMW 733i (an odd choice of vehicle for someone so self avowed green). Angie stayed for our circle, but had to return home, so our running/walking group was Jim, Jon, Jon, John, Dale, Terry, and Larry, 7 intrepid souls to share our sweat and soreness sacrifice for Leonard Peltier and emblazon southern Ohio with our footprayers! I thought back to a misty Earth Day morn on this same spot when only 4 intrepid souls stood in circle and was warmed by the growth of our group. It was good to have John and Terry back on the road as both had been unable to attend events of the recent past because of personal committments. Larry read a Jewish prayer for traveling sent by his former wife Janice and we ended our circle to begin the miles. It was decided that we would all do 5 miles today and end our days run at Williamsburg, Ohio to overnight at Jim's friends Delza and Cathy's. Doing short miles today was planned because we were going to drive to Portsmouth, Ohio after finishing the miles to attend the wedding of Dan Baylog's daughter Peggy, a family of our brother and sister peacemakers and runners. Jim started us off with the section similar to the one I had done for earth day, across the river into Ohio and then up alongside the Mighty Ohio. Terry rode with Jim and got the second section up from the river and through the southwestern part of Cincinnati. 
Next came the 2 Jon's riding together who would get us all the way out of the city into the open land west of Cincinnati along highway 32 which we would follow all the way to serpent mound, our destination for the final day. Finally, John, Dale, and Larry were riding together to do the last section. Since we were doing the last section, we marked the route for the early runners, and John took control of the navigating because of his familiarity with this area. Finally we arrived at our section and Dale hit the road first, then I took John up to his section where we discovered that my miles ended at the exit for Williamsburg, so John decided to go on down the road to give a jump start for the next day which would contain many more miles. I drove back to where Dale would finish and left the car for the crow hop and I was finally on the road again. Highway 32 is a 4 lane, but not limited access, so we could run down it without running afoul of the local law enforcement. Again just like Kansas the Great Spirit favored us with perfect run/walk weather, sunny - 78 degrees and a little lower humidity. This was a good road to walk, wide shoulders and moderate traffic, one where you could focus on your footprayers with little thought for safety. After a prayer of thanksgiving and recording my thoughts I settled into a rythmn of feet hitting the Mother earth in tune with chants and affirmations of peace and comfort for Leonard.
As always I was reminded of and humbled by how small my sacrifice was compared to others who had given their all for their beliefs.
Dale was waiting for me at the Williamsburg exit and when we were coming back from picking up John,
Jim called on the cell phone to ask where we were. He was at the exit and in a few minutes we were all headed for Delza's and Cathy's to drop off vehicles for the approximately 100 mile drive to Portsmouth. Dale, John, and I followed Jims van with Terry, Jon, Jon, and Jim all the way to the church and
we arrived just in time to see Peggy and her new husband walk out the front doors and get in their car to leave. We were asked to stay at the church as they were coming back to take the last formal pictures for the families and one with all the runners who had come. So there we were, 7 sweaty runners in shorts, sneakers, and Run for Freedom tee shirts standing on the dais of the church with the bride and groom for a group shot to record our coming. Some of the friends and family surely wondered who all these crazy people were, but Dan and Peggy showed by their beaming smiles that they appreciated our being there. Another mission completed.
Well almost, we still had to go to the reception and eat like the hungry fools we were. After sharing some food and conversation with the wedding party we were off again for the 100 mile drive back to our camp for the night at Delza and Cathy's. At this point I would like to thank Delza, Cathy, and their son David for the gracious and generous hospitality they gave to us while we were at their place. They have a beautiful home on a large lot in the country outside Williamsburg, Ohio. We enjoyed the quiet layed back atmosphere, so much so that Dale slept on one of their couches while Jim slept on the other, no tent camping for them. Delza, Cathy, and David cooked out for us and put together a veritable feast, and Cathy even made a sugarless banana pudding for John Toren as his birthday dessert, and bless his heart he even shared it with the rest of us. I think I heard someone say he turned 39 this year!? Jim's wife Julie, who came out to share dinner with us and who chanted the Jewish prayer over the bread, was a welcome addition to our circle, but she had to return to Amelia for business. Jon Burkindine also had to return home this evening to be with his family, and we would not only miss his miles tommorrow, but also his infectiously good humored attitude. After dinner everyone kicked back and found their spot for conversation, rest or relaxation, and since Jim and Dale have a persistent habit of waking everyone up at 0 dark thirty, it wasn't long before the 2 tents in the yard and the 2 sleeping vehicles (the iron tents as we call them) and the 2 couches were chock full of contentedly snoring run/walkers recharging their batteries for the miles tommorrow. Til the AM!
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Participants "Big" Dale Van Fleet Fran Hardaway Jim Toren John Toren Jon Blickenstaff Jon Burkindine Larry Crane Terry Stagman Day 2 Top Home |
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Wake up call went out at 6:30 am over a tranquil country setting and the runners started stirring around, mostly looking for a fresh cup of coffee. We gathered for our morning circle one runner short of yesterdays group, as Jon Burkindine had gone home after dinner last night to be with his family. After profuse thanks to our hosts and hugs and handshakes all around the group hit the road to complete the miles to Serpent Mound, our destination for the run. We were in 2 vehicles today with Jim, Jon Blickinstaff, and Terry in Jims van, and Dale, Larry, and John in Larrys car. As we went through Williamsburg, we stopped for a last cup of coffee and Dale discovered that he had left his watch at Delza’s. So we turned around and were half way back to their house when Dale located his watch in his bag. Having just turned 50 this year it is a shame to see Dale fall prey to short term memory loss so soon, but with good directions he seems to still be able to find his way along the road. Like yesterday Jim’s van went first and was committed to 25 miles today (Jim – 5, Jon – 10, and Terry – 10). Since we didn’t know the exact mileage, we were committed to how ever many it took to get to Serpent Mound (we estimated around 15 or so). Driving the 25 miles up to where Dale would start, we saw a beautiful doe deer attired in her summer reddish brown coat, a good sign of Earth Mother and healing for the day! 
We arrived at the 25 mile mark and dropped Dale off for his section then we drove up 10 miles and John started his section. I pulled the car back to my mark to start my 5 mile section, and looked up to see big Dale loping down the hill behind me. He ended his run with a long downhill section, and you could see by the grin on his face and the joy in his eyes that he was feeling really good. This was the first time that he had gone fast enough to get to the car before I could start my section, big Dale had blitzed his section of 5 miles! I was on my way at 9:40am headed east on Hwy 32. I started in a gorgeous valley that looked more like Kentucky than typical flat Ohio, and I wondered if there was such a thing as a buckeye hillbilly. In the center of the valley I crossed a sparkling stream, but there was no sign so I didn’t even know the name of it , at least until I got to the other side of the bridge, where a side road sign said Brush Creek cabins for rent. John had told me that Brush creek ran around Serpent Mound so I knew we couldn’t be to far away. Blessed with the beauty of this valley, I was somewhat daunted by the up hill section in front of me that was the price of admission for the blessing. When you face a long, steep uphill section on the road about all you can do is put your head down and keep on pushing, taking an occasional glance up to see where you are. If you can just keep on putting one foot in front of the other, even though your legs feel like jello, eventually you reach the top. It took me awhile to get some of the bounce back in my step after that hill, but this is what the road is all about. The last part of my miles took me through Pebbles, Ohio, and I have to admit I was somewhat glad to see Dale and my car waiting for me just on the other side of this picturesque little town.
Up the road we went to find John Toren, and he was almost at the 5 mile mark with 1 mile to go to the entrance to Serpent Mound. We parked at the 5 mile mark, and when he approached he showed the heart of an old road warrior by declining a drink of water and saying “I didn’t say I was going to stop at 5 miles” as he walked right on by us. On up to Serpent Mound we drove and found that we were the first to arrive, except for John’s daughter Kathy, her 2 daughters and 2 of her friends. I had met her at John’s house on fathers day so I introduced Dale to her group and told her where her father was and about when he would arrive. Their plan was for Kathy and her children to meet grandpa at the entrance and walk the last ¼ mile into the parking lot with him. This would constitute 3 generations of the Toren clan participating in a Run for Freedom event, quite an accomplishment. While they were getting ready to go meet Jon, Dale and I went to the small museum building on the grounds to pay our entry fee, and check out the displays. When we came out of the building Jim’s group had arrived, and Jim went to pay his fee, while Dale, Jon, and I went to take the walk around the mound. 
The mound itself is an undulating snake with a coiled tail and striking mouth, and runs ¼ mile from end to end. It is the longest such mound in North America, and was built around 800ad. As I walked around the superbly engineered and built giant sculpture I had to wonder at the vision and charisma of the leader that convinced his people to commit to what must have been a decades long project. The question still remains and will so forever – why? What purpose did this monument serve? No record of these things remains, only the beautiful, enigmatic mega – sculpture. It was a fitting destination for an event that probes the depths of the human spirit, for they both pose the question of what can be accomplished when you apply the human spirit with an indomitable will and creativity.
The final circle contained 2 run/walkers that, although veterans of numerous events, had been absent from recent runs to take care of personal business, and their presence added a palpable dimension to our efforts. The return of Terry and John to the core group gives us 10 to 20 extra miles worth of footprayers and we look forward to seeing them down the road again in the future. Not only the return of Terry and John, but the participation of Jim and John’s family and friends also gives us a worthy boost. The growth of the core group (those that attend most of the events) gives us the capability to plan longer and more comprehensive events in the future. Dale remarked that he was inspired by every ones efforts to try to do more to support the running events and keep the tradition that some of us have been doing for many years, alive and growing into the future. All in all it was an encouraging conclusion to the 12th consecutive Run for Freedom and with the help of you out there that read this and feel inspired to come and join us we expect to see much bigger groups on into the 13th, and 14th , and 15th years, and on into the future, so let your footprayers ring out over the Mother Earth where ever you are, whenever you can, and we’ll see you down the road.Til the AM.
After the final circle we all meandered over to the parking lot, a little reluctant to end the comradely atmosphere. As we were reloading the vehicles the conversation turned to the scheduled event for July 17th and 18th and then the 6 day event to Oakridge Tenn. starting the 31st of July. Jim said it would be to much to do both events and he would rather concentrate on the Oakridge run, and perhaps we could do a 1 day event at that time. Since the driving distance was to great for Dale and Fran, John suggested we all go to Owensboro for a run on those dates that Fran and Dale would co-ordinate, and it was decided that when Dale and I got back to Lexington to meet Fran we would discuss this arrangement and let the Amelia group know what could be done. Having come to these decisions, and after more hugs and goodbyes, we all headed out for our respective homes until the next run. Dale and I enjoyed a leisurely drive down the 2 lanes through Maysville, and Paris and soon we were pulling into the drive way of the Hermitage at Jacks Creek. Fran arrived shortly thereafter and we conducted a spirited discussion of the possible scenarios for a run in or around Owensboro, Ky. It was decided that Mantle Rock was the preferred destination, but had the disadvantage of perhaps being to far to go for a 2 day event, and Fran was going to look at some alternatives in that area. As of yet the Owensboro event is still unconfirmed, but we have high hopes that a run will take place on those dates. As John Toren has said many times we have to become consistent with our events, do them year after year, and do them when we say we will do them. |
Participants "Big" Dale Van Fleet Fran Hardaway Jim Toren John Toren Jon Blickenstaff Jon Burkindine Larry Crane Terry Stagman Day 1 Top Home |