Launch Day! St. John's Newfoundland - MAY 1st

Alarm clock ringing, we began our day at 6:30am. From the moment we woke up you could feel the excitement in the air. We dressed in the clothes we had set out the night prior. We had been staying with Dave and Tony, locals to Newfoundland and friends to Scott from the running community in Peterborough. They were generous enough to open their home to us and even let us use their shower.

Once dressed, Dave had made us a hearty breakfast of oatmeal. We all ate and finalized the details for the day. We wanted to be the first to arrive at the starting point so we were sure to leave the house early (7:50am).

The Run to Live began promptly at 9:00am in a part of St. John's called Quidi Vidi. The area was surrounded by mountains and had an inlet from the ocean.

While we waited, we had many supporters come out. Jon and Steven were the first to arrive. They have been with us since we first left Peterborough and wanted to follow us through Newfoundland.

Scott had his Uncle Ross, Aunt Cindy and Grandma Sheila fly out to show support and him off.

There were many other friends who came out to support Scott. Some were locals who we had just met, while others had made a special trip out to Newfoundland. It was truly amazing to see the support from everyone. Despite not all of our friends and family not being able to physically be with us, our cell phone was buzzing with people sending their well wishes and positive thoughts.

The Canadian Cancer Society was also there, represented by Al Pelley. He shared some inspiring words with Scott and made his support of the run known to anyone who asked.

Once everyone arrived and we had a quick photo op, Scott was climbing down an embankment towards the water. We all watched and cheered as he dipped his toe into the Atlantic and before we knew it we had hit the ground running. With the truck and trailer following, Scott ran the route we had perfected months ago and before we knew it we had reached the city limits of St. John's.

Scott ran beautifully and only encountered a little bit of ITB soreness from sitting down for the last four days of travel.

We did have our first meeting with Newfoundland's RCMP, and were stopped around 20km. The officer was mostly interested in giving us some safety tips for Scott and the vehicle. After learning about what Scott is doing and our cause she left and we continued.

Before we knew it we had reached Butter Pot Provincial Park, our stopping point for the day. We all ate dinner and were in bed by 9:30pm, after such an eventful day we all were exhausted, Myikka included.

TRTL Team

The crew and Al Pelley from St. John's Canadian Cancer Society before the kick off!

TRTL crew, friends and family at Quidi Vidi (pronounced "Kiddy-Viddy") Village, a small fishing district on the east side of St. John's, Newfoundland. Scott's jump off point.

The first step in the Atlantic Ocean...

...and the run begins.