Martin Parnell Finish the Race Attitude

Next Events:

Kilimanjaro Quest 95.2 (Quest #7)

• Sunday March 3rd to March 6th 2013

• Run the marathon then 3 days later climb the mountain in 24 hours.

• Location: Kilimanjaro, Tanzania

At 5.30am on Saturday February 2^nd I got ready to head out to the Dragons Den audition. I loaded up my car with the key essentials: large poster of MARATON QUEST, my three Guinness World Record certificates and a copy of the book. Sue had listened to a news item the night before about the auditions. The speaker had said that they get hundreds of people coming out and they start lining up at midnight. There was no way I was going to camp over night but I thought I might beat the rush. Arriving at 6.15am the parking lot of Mount Royal University looked pretty deserted. The auditions were taking place at the Bissett School of Business. I loaded up my gear and head over to the building. No campers, no people, just three white rabbits. This certainly was an Alice in Wonderland moment. I went back to the car and warmed up.

At 7.00am I did the same thing. This time even the rabbits had disappeared. Back to the car. 7.30am produced results. The building was open and I found room EB 1120. It was a large open area and in the middle were two tables and three people. Dragons Den Producers?  Executives? No. These were the first three contestants who had arrived a few minutes earlier than me. The auditions were schedule to start at 10am and over the next two and a half hours the place started to fill up.

We all signed up and filled out a waiver. The paragraph that caught my eye stated "I understand that my appearance, depiction and /or portrayal in the Program may be disparaging, defamatory, embarrassing or of an otherwise unfavourable nature may expose me to public ridicule, humiliation or condemnation". Excellent!

As I waited for my turn I met some great people. Erin had a product called MOZI-Q. It is a safe, all-natural insect repellent you eat. Her slogan is "Eat or be eaten". She was kind enough to give me a couple of boxes for my trip to Kilimanjaro. Chris is in the Canadian Military and served in Afghanistan. He had suffered from Post Traumatic stress and has written a book about his experiences. He is currently looking for a publisher. Greg and his daughter Emma had brought in several large reptile cages to show the Dragons. Emma was holding a "Snake in a bag". She then showed me another pet she had brought along. A Bearded Dragon Lizard called Kevin. Very appropriate.

At 10.20am my name was called and I waited outside the audition room. Two hopefuls went ahead of me, and then it was my turn. Story Producer Katie and Associate Producer Matt were waiting. I set up my wares and made my pitch. They asked several questions and said that if I was successful I would hear in 6 weeks. Total pitch time: 8 minutes. Erin was next in line and I wished her luck. As I walked out of the building the place was packed. Best of luck to everyone who turned up. All you can do is "Give it a go".

Quote of the Day

"Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you're probably right"

Henry Ford

Erin with her MOZI-Q insect repellent tablets and Emma with her Dragon lizard called Kevin

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Next Events:

Kilimanjaro Quest 95.2 (Quest #7)

• Sunday March 3rd to March 6th 2013

• Run the marathon then 3 days later climb the mountain in 24 hours.

• Location: Kilimanjaro, Tanzania

In  less than two weeks I leave for Tanzania and Kilimanjaro. I've been doing my research on the mountain and decided to go to the source: Wikipedia. Here are my findings.

"Kilimanjaro, with its three volcanic cones, Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira, is a dormant volcanic mountain in Kilimanjaro National Park, Tanzania. It is the highest mountain in Tanzania, the highest mountain in Africa, and the highest free-standing mountain in the world at 5,895 metres or 19,341 feet above sea-level, (Uhuru Peak/Kibo Peak). Kilimanjaro is composed of three distinct volcanic cones: Kibo 5,895 m (19,341 ft); Mawenzi 5,149 m (16,893 ft); and Shira 3,962 m (13,000 ft). Uhuru Peak is the highest summit on Kibo's crater rim.

Kilimanjaro is a large stratovolcano. Two of its three peaks, Mawenzi and Shira, are extinct while Kibo (the highest peak) is dormant and could erupt again. The last major eruption has been dated to between 150,000 and 200,000 years ago. Although it is dormant, Kibo has fumaroles that emit gas in the crater. Several collapses and landslides have occurred on Kibo in the past, one creating the area known as the Western Breach.

The origin of the name "Kilimanjaro" is not precisely known, but a number of theories exist. European explorers had adopted the name by 1860 and reported that "Kilimanjaro" was the mountain's "Kiswahili" name. But according to the 1907 edition of The Nuttall Encyclopædia, the name of the mountain was "Kilima-Njaro".

A German geology professor, Hans Mayer made two attempts (1887and 1888) to climb the mountain and in 1889 he returned with the celebrated Austrian mountaineer Ludwig Purtscheeler for a third attempt. Their climbing team included two local headmen, nine porters, a cook, and a guide. The success of this attempt, which started on foot from Mombasa, was based on the establishment of many campsites with food supplies so that multiple attempts at the top could be made without having to descend too far. After Meyer and Purtscheller pushed to near the crater rim on October 3, exhausted from hacking footsteps in the icy slope, they reached the highest summit on the southern rim of the crater on Purtscheller's 40th birthday, October 6, 1889.

There are six official trekking routes by which to climb Mt Kilimanjaro, namely: Marangu, Rongai, Lemosho, Shira, Umbwe and Machame. Of all the routes, Machame is by far the most scenic albeit steeper route up the mountain, which can be done in six or seven days. The Rongai is the easiest and least scenic of all camping routes with the most difficult summit night and the Marangu is also relatively easy, but accommodation is in shared huts with all other climbers. As a result, this route tends to be very busy, and ascent and descent routes are the same.

People who wish to trek to the summit of Kilimanjaro are advised to undertake appropriate research and ensure that they are both properly equipped and physically capable. Though the climb is technically not as challenging as when climbing the high peaks of the Himalayas or Andes, the high elevation, low temperature, and occasional high winds make this a difficult and dangerous trek. Acclimatisation is essential, and even the most experienced trekkers suffer some degree of altitude sickness. Kilimanjaro summit is well above the altitude at which high altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE), or high altitude cerebral edema (HACE) can occur. All trekkers will suffer considerable discomfort, typically shortage of breath, hypothermia and headaches."

So there you have it. Climbers beware!

Quote of the Day

"What would you do if you weren't afraid?"

Spencer Johnson

The mighty Kilimanjaro, 19,341 feet.

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Next Events:

Kilimanjaro Quest 95.2 (Quest #7)

• Sunday March 3rd to March 6th 2013

• Run the marathon then 3 days later climb the mountain in 24 hours.

• Location: Kilimanjaro, Tanzania

In five days, Sue and I are heading over to Tanzania. As I packed, I thought about how this trip came about. In late August 2012, Sue and I went on a road trip to Edmonton, to visit our friends Leesha and Lau Mafuru and their baby Oasis. I had met Leesha and Lau the previous year at a Rotary club meeting in Cochrane. Leesha's mum Donna is a member and they were her guests. I sat next to Lau and we hit it off right away. He is from Tanzania and has his own Trekking Company, Boma Africa. Over the next few months we played Scrabble together and Lau took part in Netball Quest 61.

Baby Oasis came along at the end of October 2011 and Sue and I came to know her well. We were thrilled when Leesha  and Lau asked us if we would be her godparents. Our Swahili our names are Baba Mlezi amd Mama Mlezi. They then asked the big question: would we come to Tanzania in early 2013 for Oasis's naming ceremony? We of course said yes.

During that Edmonton trip, Lau and I went for a run along the North Saskatchewan   River and I was trying to get an idea for Quest #7. During that one hour jog, Kilimanjaro Quest 95.2 was born. Lau and I hope to complete the Kilimanjaro marathon on March 3^rd and, three days later, climb the mountain. The twist being that, instead of taking the usual 5 days, we will attempt to do it in 24 hours.

Preparing for this Quest has been tough. I've put the treadmill on a steep incline and run up and down Horse Creek road a number of times. Kilimanjaro is at 19,341 feet while my house in Cochrane is at 3,891 feet. Last Thursday I went for a hike with my friends Andrew and Mike. The plan was to attempt to summit Moose Mountain. This peak stands at 7,995 feet and, after hiking for five hours, we reached the saddle below the summit. We hit 7,562 feet but time was running out and we had to turn back. A tough pill to swallow.

So, with just under two weeks to the marathon and two and a half weeks to the climb I've completed my training. Kilimanjaro Quest 95.2 is my 7^th Quest and I'm hoping to raise $25,000 for Right To Play. This will go towards my BIG goal of raising $1M in 5 years. Right To Play partners will match every $1 raised with $3 more. If you want to follow my progress I will be blogging each day on www.marathonquest250.com and if you want to support my efforts for the kids you can donate at http://righttoplay.akaraisin.com/kilimanjaroquest . Fingers crossed!

Quote of the Day

"May your reach always exceed your grasp"

Unknown

Baba Mlezi with baby Oasis

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