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I forgot to mention in my last post that I had
previously tried to find fellow endurance enthusiasts in the Lodi, CA area
(which seem to be almost none) and found one by using the endurance.net rider
listing who does R&T's by the name of Liz Carey. I had a nice talk with her
before we left on Thursday before the ride. She told me about this great
"youthful retired couple" as she called them, named Abe and Sharon Kirkpatrick
and how much she admired them, and they lived right around the corner from me.
Sharon had broken a couple of ribs in a nasty fall in February and despite that,
completed the Tevis this year in 42nd place. Thursday I tried to look up their
phone number and couldn't find it. Friday I drove all the way to Santa Cruz for
the Fireworks ride and who should pull up and camp next to us but the
Kirkpatricks. Always amazes me what a small world it can be. They heard us
talking about Lodi and came over and started to introduce themselves. Before
Sharon could get her name out I said "You must be Sharon Kirkpatrick! 2002 Tevis
... 42nd place!" Took her kind of by surprise but she got over it LOL! We had a
great weekend with these wonderful people and they very graciously loaned me a
rump rug since it was cold and rainy and I was unprepared. Sharon is on the
Coast to Crest Trail committee and quickly roped me into helping to try to get
the trails completed in our area. Sharon and Abe finished 10 and 11th place in
the 50 and we stayed long enough to watch them get their completion awards
before we drove home. Genuinely nice people and we are so glad to have met them
and now have someone to ride with in our area.
I also wanted to say that the report that "90%
of the endurance people you'll meet will be some of the nicest people you'll
find" is absolutely true. Everyone was very helpful and seemed very eager to
talk to a newbie and offer advice. I don't know their last names but I rode for
quite awhile on the first stretch of the ride with Megan and Gail and they were
very kind to wait for me when my horse was struggling up a hill and theirs were
just powering up it and Megan worked with me with my heart rate monitor and I
learned a tremendous amount.
Can't wait for the next ride!
:) Jackie
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