Guess what? We made it! Over 4,444 miles in just under 5 ½ months, totaling almost 180 marathon days between us and our amazing couldn’t-have-done-it-without-you crew and home team, we are currently on the North Island Ferry once again on our way to St. John, NB. We’ve only got 2½ days more running until we enter America. Today though, we said a fond farewell to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia and 2 days worth of meeting more incredible people and having experiences, which will last a lifetime.
Let’s back up for a second and capture our arrival on Monday from 4 days of running from Halifax into Yarmouth, the Greenest Community in Canada, so we’re told.
Enter “Local Hero” and Yarmouth Naturals owner, Gary Arnett, who took it upon him to plan and support an event with us, organize 3 schools to present at, as well as, making sure our stay in Yarmouth was taken care of at every turn. He also enabled Steph, Vanessa, Simon and I to partake in “A Real Acadian Thanksgiving Dinner” at his friend Rene’s house out in the country! More about this “awesome when it finally happened” dinner in a later blog (well worth the reading )
Thanksgiving Monday we were met at 2:30pm by an eager and “intimate” group from the Runners Attic who all put their turkey dinners on hold until they had officially ran us the final 5 km’s into town. From there we arrived at “Harbors Edge”, a stunning 18th century house owned by Esther and Gil. With a Herculean effort and hundreds of hours of sweat equity and $$, they brought this amazing mansion back to her former glory (as the demolition hammer was about to fall) and turned her into an amazing B ’n B experience right on the edge of Yarmouth Bay, complete with sunsets and resident painters capturing the views. Talk about sleeping in old-fashioned comfort!
Tuesday, we had such a great time meeting and speaking with kids at 3 schools, Yarmouth Consolidated High, Meadow Fields Elementary and Yarmouth Junior School, had the most down home, friendly welcome at Frost Park by Yarmouth Mayor Charles Crosby, Esther, who is also a city counselor, Rene (Acadian Thanksgiving) and Co., and many others who helped shared in our afternoon of celebration for making it across Canada!
Then it was over to Gary’s place of all things natural in Yarmouth, for another celebration and support and the chance to spend some time with Gary and his crew at Yarmouth Naturals by the sea! The world needs more people like Gary Arnett. We feel blessed to have spent time with him, his lovely wife, Elena. And as we were about to say a hard see you later, Gary played Santa just like it was Christmas Day and informed us he had one more gift for the Run for One Planet gang of four, a front row table at Rudders Restaurant complete with local meals fit for Royalty. Once again, complete with amazing Yarmouth Bay sunset.
Thanks Canada, for being our training grounds. You made us feel supported beyond belief with the room we needed to grow and learn from 5 ½ months worth of running and road experiences, in order to make us, and our tour better.