"One Stripe at
a Time"
by
Chad Hymas
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I think I’ll go for a little
ride to Las Vegas – only 513 miles from my
hometown of Salt Lake City – And I’ll do it
in a wheelchair. I’ll set a distance world
record! I will train for 18 months and then
push off from Temple Square SLC. I will
train to hit 52 miles a day and set the
record in 11 days.
Day 1 – July 10, 2003. I push off from
Temple Square at 4 AM in a manually driven
custom wheel chair. In 6 hours, I complete
my 53 mile goal. I feel great.
Day 2 – Headwind – 28
mph. I have to push even downhill.
My arms are weary, my neck and back
ache.
Day 3 – I’m in trouble. Mechanical
failures - two flat tires - broken
drive chain on the modified chair.
My back hurts. My hands hurt.
Blisters developing. This is not
fun.
Day 4 – Beaver mountain –
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I’ve been
dreading this climb, 2900 feet in just 4
miles. I am slower than a turtle – The
reality of actually accomplishing this task
seems to set it. Not so sure we’re going to
make it.
Day 5 - Still on the climb. “I can’t do
this. I thought I could, but I can’t.” From
the beginning my family and friends have
asked me to count the mile markers just one
at a time. Now the mile markers are not
coming fast enough! We even have someone to
stand behind me at all times while going up
this canyon so that I don’t lose progress
once I push an inch or two. It’s just so
slooooooooooow!
Day 6 – I finally hit the other side of the
mountain! Downhill! Gravity takes me from 0
to 39 mph. That’s not fast – unless you are
4” off of the pavement – then death is an
option! We made up a lot of time and covered
a lot of ground. Maybe this will work. The
mile markers are coming a little faster!
I’ll do it one day at a time.
Day 7 - We begin our trek across the
Southern Utah desert. Now “one day at a
time” is not going to work. Asphalt
Temperatures hover at 122 degrees during the
day. When I decided to train for this world
record, I didn’t realize how hot I was gonna
get! I may be numb from my neck down but the
sound of the black asphalt (and my feet)
sizzling is unnerving. “One day at a time”
becomes “One night at a time”.
Even from Mesquite, 87 miles away, the
lights of Las Vegas brighten the night sky
like the Aurora Borealis. I push two hours –
then everything stops working. My body gives
up and no motivational mantra of, “One day –
or night – at a time,” is going to get me
there. I am vomiting, aching and feeling
weak. I tell my wife to take me home.
Reality hits. We’re not going to make it.
“Honey, how about trying just one hour
tomorrow?” Shondell says, “Then if you can’t
make it, we can go home.”
Now it’s “one hour at a time”? Whatever.
Just get me to bed.
Day 8 - She gets me up just before midnight
to try again. I push one hour – then
collapse. Instead of counting hours, I am
now counting mile markers. I have gone two
lousy mile markers. No way can I go 70 more.
I am too tired to weep. After 441 miles, a
measly 70 plus miles is going to stop me?
Dad steps in, “Son, instead of mile markers,
count the yellow stripes in the middle of
the road, they come a little faster. See if
that helps.” I am too numb to protest.
Day 9 - 12:30 in the morning. I count 728
stripes. Counting the stripes seems to work
a little better. As I feel more and more
like giving up, I reduce my goal to smaller
and smaller steps – one day at a time, one
hour at a time, one mile at a time – and
finally one yellow stripe at a time.
I sleep the sleep of the Pharaohs for 14
hours; Then, one last try.
Day 10 - 1 AM. I am pushing a course of many
ups and downs. If I just count the stripes,
maybe, maybe, maybe… 2758 – 2759 – 760 – 761
– 762 –It’s amazing how fast the stripes
come when you’re given a little downhill.
Sometimes it’s enough to get you over the
ups! Then I see the mile marker number pass
(number 52 for those that know the area).
They call it Apex Junction. 17 miles to
Vegas. You cannot imagine my fatigue, my
despair. I have nothing left – nothing. I am
beyond done. No motivational mantra will
move me one more mile.
Then, as I push
painfully pass stripe #2763, my
chair starts rolling on its own!
Wait! Stop it! No one can push. I
look behind me numbly, wondering who
was pushing No one. I have crested
the hill and it is all downhill from
here – all 17 remaining miles!
After going literally as far as I
could go, dividing and sub-diving my
goal into smaller and smaller steps
until there is nothing left – in me,
Providence steps in. Aching
shoulders, blistered and bandaged
hands, don’t matter – Providence is
pushing me to my goal! I will coast
into Las Vegas on a wheel and a
prayer.
Day 11- 9 AM. They shut down all
stop
lights on the strip. I coast all the
way to the Mirage Hotel. |
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A cheer goes up from
thousands of people I have never met. I grin
and weep as I realize the lesson just handed
me – not about support – which I had in
abundance; not about preparation and
planning, which is important; but something
else.
When you decide what you are going to do,
and give all you got, you may get a push
from Providence and you’ll get all you
desire to get. You may even achieve places
you only dreamed of. (For full articles
click here and here).
Until next month, believe you can fly!
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