Online Donation Protocol

Don't forget about the online donation option. Simply go to:

http://donations.globalvolunteers.org

Then click on "select a fundraising page to view" and search for "Mike Torchia". My page should pop right up. 

 

A Much-Needed Update

I'll admit it- I've been doing a pitiful job of updating this blog. The past 2 weeks have been a whirlwind of activity and a rollercoaster of emotion. It started with a trip to the Collegiate Triathlon National Championships in Lubbock, Texas- 17 hours of driving there, one day of competition, and then 17 hours back. I was extremely pleased with my performance, but this was tempered by the news that one of my teammates had crashed on the bike portion and broke her collerbone. Upon arrival back in Minneapolis, I literally collapsed into an exhausted stupor, only to force myself up a few hours later for our campus Rhodes Scholarship interviews. I think the committee took pity on me from the dark circles under my eyes, because I learned later that day I had received the University's endorsement for the Rhodes Scholarship. With the prospect of 3 upcoming tests, a triathlon grant proposal deadline, and countless meetings, however, there wasn't much time to celebrate. So, my post today signifies that things have calmed down to a reasonable level. I hope to henceforth devote the majority of my time to the Transversal. 

My short-term goal this week is to finish sending the last of the donation letters and work out the last details of the route. This week also marks my official start to training again after a one week post-nationals break. The delay in the route details comes from figuring out which roads are suitable for rollerskiing from a safety perspective. In the longer term, I hope to begin talking to businesses and publicize the event in local publications.

Hope all is well as summer draws closer.

   

Route Details

Final route details are slowly crystallizing. I don't want to make any concrete, rigid plans with the route because so much of this adventure depends on flexibility. For example, weather might force me to make route changes for safety reasons. Or perhaps an injury that will not allow me to run will force some changes in the plan. Since I can't predict a lot of factors, I will simply approach the Great Transversal with an attitude of flexibility.

That said, however, the big picture will look something like this: 

Saturday, June 6th: Begin kayaking in Lake Superior. Kayak approximately 30 miles.

Sunday, June 7th: Second day of kayaking in Lake Superior. Another 30 miles that ends in Duluth, MN.

Monday, June 8th: First day of rollerskiing, covering approximately 50 miles.

Tuesday, June 9th: Second day of rollerskiing, covering another 50 miles. 

Wednesday, June 10th: Get on the bike for approximately 100 miles. 

Thursday, June 11th: Swim 1 mile across the St. Croix River, then bike approximately 100 miles.

Friday, June 12th: Run the final 20 miles into Rochester.

Soon I should be able to post a map of Minnesota that shows the specific route and mode of transportation for each segment. 

Online Fundraising Option

There is now the option to make donations online! Simply go to http://donations.globalvolunteers.com, click on "select a fundraising page to view" and then search for "Mike Torchia". Since Global Volunteers has 501(c) status, all donations are tax deductible. 

-Mike

The Inaugural Post

I'm 4 days from my 21st birthday, a college student, and a millenial. From this demographic information, one would naturally assume I'm fully comfortable with this blogging business. Wrong. I'm hopelessly slow at texting (and thus hopelessly out of the loop), haven't looked at my facebook page in days, and didn't know what "twittering" was until a few days ago. In short, this is all new to me, so be patient as I experiment. This will be my medium of choice to communicate with you, the donors to my adventure. It is your one-stop source for all updates on the Great Transversal of Minnesota. 

Speaking of this adventure- its probably one of the crazier ones I've cooked up. Actually, I don't deserve all the blame. My teammate and I were in the middle of a long run, and, after a lull in the conversation, began brainstorming some "sweet" things to do over the summer. The funny thing about long runs in 80 degree weather is that anything which sounds "sweet" after 90 minutes of running would appear absolutely insane to a person in normal circumstances. Thus, our idea of biking across the United States while surviving on roadkill was deemed a little too extreme in the days after it was conceived. One idea, however, was just crazy enough that it sounded somewhat legitimate when we weren't in the middle of a run. Essentially, we would kayak, bike, run, swim, and rollerski for 400 miles in a north to south direction down Minnesota. 

Being young, idealistic, and impressionable, I kept the idea in the back of my mind. Only months later, when I was brainstorming ways I could raise money for college scholarships for orphans in Lima, Peru, did the idea to use The Great Transversal occur to me. Suddenly everything made so much sense. This crazy little idea, conceived many months ago in the sweltering heat of the Minnesota summer, has finally come to fruition.

Hopefully this gives you a better idea of the context surrounding this trek. Check back soon for route details. 

Happy Trails,

-Mike