Sam "Flash" Thompson, an avid ultra marathoner and a Mississippi native, has been in the small town of Bay St. Louis, Mississippi since the day after Hurricane Katrina came ashore on August 29, 2005. Sam established what began as a small relief effort and has since blossomed into an operation now employing an average of more than 100 volunteers daily. This operation serves mainly the Bay St. Louis/Waveland area, and strives to aid those most in need, though the need is so great for all.
With the incredible protected natural beauty right outside our doors here in Washington state, ultrarunning adventurer and TNF athlete Sam Thompson (the first person ever to run 51 marathons in all 50 states plus D.C. in 50 days) and all around adventurer Brock Gavery
(one of Outside Magazine’s 2008 “Fittest Real Men in America”) have
teamed up once again to tackle some serious expedition adventure right
in their Pacific Northwest backyard playground. Army Ranger and
Mountaineer Gavin Woody will also now be joining the voyage, so we welcome our 3rd team member to make this a true Triple Threat.
With plans to tackle Mt.
Rainier like it’s never been seen before, the Rainier Triple Threat
seeks to inspire others to find as much adventure as they desire right
out their back door. Our journey begins with the team riding our
bicycles from our homes in Seattle to the base of Mt. Rainier at
Paradise. We’ll then gear up for a single push climb of the iconic Mt.
Rainier. Following our descent, we will embark on the third leg of the
Triple Threat- circling Rainier by running the awe-inspiring 93 mile
Wonderland Trail. In the spirit of the many adventurers who have gone
before us, we hope to inspire others to find their own personal
adventure and tackle their own goals, whatever those might be. Join us on Facebook and Twitter and join us in getting outside this weekend for some adventure... whatever that might be (take your kids for a walk, go hiking, running, biking, climbing, whatever!)!
Well, June 20 is my first official Father’s Day, and to be
quite honest it sounds a bit strange and hard to fathom.At the same time, I couldn’t be happier to be
a Dad, and we’ve already had so many fun adventures with our girls.For me, every day I get to spend with the
girls is another adventure that I just love, but I think a perfect Father’s Day
will definitely include some fun outside activities with the whole family.Maybe we’ll start with a run;
Then head down to the beach to listen to the waves crashing
in from the Puget Sound:
Then maybe to the zoo to see and learn about some fun
animals:
Then maybe we’ll finish up the day at the park playing in
the grass and throwing the frisbee:
Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there- I hope you’re
able to enjoy some precious moments outside with your family!
The legendary Comrades
Marathon is happening in just 3 days, and is the largest
ultra-marathon on the planet with over 16,000 entrants.
This race is just under 90k's of fun and hard charging through the
heartland of South Africa, and it's a race I've always dreamed of taking
part in. Comrades will be in the global spotlight this
year more than ever with the world's cameras already pointed on South
Africa as the world anxiously anticipates the start of the 2010 World Cup in just a few
weeks. Another
reason for the added excitement surrounding Comrades this year relates
to some incredibly fast American (and British!) runners who will be running in a race
traditionally dominated by the locals. I'm extremely excited about following the race live
online, and am confident that our contingent from The North Face will do amazingly well.
A group of my friends and teammates from The North Face
is traveling to South Africa (or already there at this point), and they will most assuredly be a force to be reckoned with! Kami
Semick, Lizzy
Hawker, Nikki
Kimball, and Michael Wardian
will all be toeing the line this Sunday, and I wish them all the very
best race possible. A few
weeks ago I had the privilege of hearing a brief presentation from my
friend Kami
Semick detailing not only the history and significance of the Comrades race, but also
explaining what is a far more important part of the team's trip to South
Africa. Kami and the team are on a mission to raise support and
awareness for the Starfish
Greathearts Foundation and their incredible work. While most people are painfully aware of the AIDS epidemic plaguing South
Africa, I (and I think most others) was not aware of the impact this has
had on orphaning millions of vulnerable children. There are more than 2
million children in SA alone orphaned by AIDS, with over 90% of these
children being NOT HIV positive. Starfish is a fantastic organization
that is focused solely on nurturing these orphaned children and working
to break this destructive cycle. With the world's attention focused on
South Africa in the coming weeks, I encourage you to spread the word
about this great organization, and hopefully this will be a platform for
increased awareness and an impetus for real change there. Please consider
supporting my friends' efforts and the work of Starfish by visiting
their page HERE.
Here is the story of Carol, who cares for
97 children herself, and is aided by Starfish;
Sure, it rains a good bit here in Seattle… I won’t deny the
stereotype.Prior to having twin girls,
I found I’d often time my run departure times based on whenever the next sun
break happened to appear.However, with
twin girls the schedule quickly becomes king, and if it’s the chunk of time for
running with the girls, we’re going- rain or shine.
The girls have come to absolutely love their daily run(s)
with Daddy, and I likewise.The outside
air calms them and all the lovely smells and sounds of the outdoors give them
great delight.Even the raindrops on
their stroller cover seem to put them right to sleep.When it’s time to go, I look out the window
and if it’s raining, I toss on a light rain jacket, slip the rain cover on the
stroller down and make sure the girls are cozy, and we’re off.(If it’s not raining, I’ll toss a light
jacket in the stroller pocket just in case… as they say in Seattle, “if it’s
not raining now, just wait.”)
Our girls are only about 4 months old at this point, but
it’s been a joy to see their love for the outdoors grow in just this short time
of life so far.I know there will be
many adventures to come in the near future (like this summer!), but for now our
main adventures consist of running time with dad.And if for some reason the girls are a little
fussy, then I’ll sing a little Old McDonald as we run, and then we’re always
good to go.
What's your favorite thing to do outdoors on a rainy day?
A visit to the brand new 50 mile course at Pine Mountain, Georgia; this is the latest addition to The North Face Endurance Challenge Series of races. The Southeastern regional will take place October 16-17, 2010. Start training, get registered, and see you out in Georgia soon.
Speaking of the Single-Track, here it is in action again through the course of a day last week! I love the sunshine as much as the next guy, but winter in Seattle's just not supposed to look like this. This video is my day in a nutshell, and it was a lot of fun, but with climate change in mind it was a bit alarming too.
It really doesn’t differ too terribly much at all actually. My basic dietary strategy is always eating a well balanced variety of natural whole foods, with plenty of fruits and vegetables. My overall daily calorie intake is probably slightly more during race season, but those calories come largely from energy bars, gels, and meal replacement drinks. My diet doesn’t really change throughout the year though because my training doesn’t really change all that much. - Sam Thompson
For the most part I do abstain from gluttony, and just indulge in everything in reasonable servings. But there are always a few things I tend to get a little gluttonous on, and I would say they’re most often of the dessert realm- yummy holiday fruit pies usually are my favorite. It doesn’t get much better than homemade apple pie and ice cream. - Sam Thompson
I don’t have specific races that I always do in the winter or anything, but I’ll definitely throw some in here and there to add a little variety to things. It seems like in December I usually just end up doing a handful of fun road marathons with friends. - Sam Thompson
I continue to train through December. I just can’t handle taking a break from running for more than a day or two. My body and mind just get totally out of whack, so I keep at it right on through the holidays. - Sam Thompson
Sam "Flash" Thompson, an avid ultra marathoner and a Mississippi native, has been in the small town of Bay St. Louis, Mississippi since the day after Hurricane Katrina came ashore on August 29, 2005. Sam established what began as a small relief effort and has since blossomed into an operation now employing an average of more than 100 volunteers daily. This operation serves mainly the Bay St. Louis/Waveland area, and strives to aid those most in need, though the need is so great for all.
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