November 2007 NEWSLETTER

"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 – 

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.

 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!