From Team Type 1 SANOFI's Run Across America: Going to the Dogs
Going to the Dogs by Marcus Grimm
As Team Type 1 SANOFI said goodbye to New Mexico and hello to Oklahoma today, it's fair to say the runners are hoping for slightly different types of homeowners.
Matt Patrick said, "I hate to generalize, but it really seems as if a lot of people in New Mexico have dogs, and many of those dogs are of the loud, scary variety."
The threat of defensive canines was no more prevalent than at night. Said Kevin Powell, "It was so dark, you'd hear them before you saw them; just a frantic barking coming out of the night."
When the runners could spot the dogs in advance, they adapted a sneak tactic, having the vans pull up beside them and drive slow. When the canines caught on to them first and seemed intent on dining upon diabetic runners, the members of Team Type 1 SANOFI would be forced to dig deep for a fast twitch muscle response and dive into the van.
By the third night through New Mexico, however, the decision was made to purchase a spot light so that a non-running crew member could hopefully detect the dogs prior to the runner surprising them. The team hoped that would create enough of a buffer to protect them from a serious altercation.
"There's no question that the dogs are probably the scariest thing we've faced so far," said Casey Boren, "but they're just being protective of their property. They're simply doing their jobs."
The same could be said of the runners, just hours away from reaching the one week mark of their incredible journey.
As Team Type 1 SANOFI said goodbye to New Mexico and hello to Oklahoma today, it's fair to say the runners are hoping for slightly different types of homeowners.
Matt Patrick said, "I hate to generalize, but it really seems as if a lot of people in New Mexico have dogs, and many of those dogs are of the loud, scary variety."
The threat of defensive canines was no more prevalent than at night. Said Kevin Powell, "It was so dark, you'd hear them before you saw them; just a frantic barking coming out of the night."
When the runners could spot the dogs in advance, they adapted a sneak tactic, having the vans pull up beside them and drive slow. When the canines caught on to them first and seemed intent on dining upon diabetic runners, the members of Team Type 1 SANOFI would be forced to dig deep for a fast twitch muscle response and dive into the van.
By the third night through New Mexico, however, the decision was made to purchase a spot light so that a non-running crew member could hopefully detect the dogs prior to the runner surprising them. The team hoped that would create enough of a buffer to protect them from a serious altercation.
"There's no question that the dogs are probably the scariest thing we've faced so far," said Casey Boren, "but they're just being protective of their property. They're simply doing their jobs."
The same could be said of the runners, just hours away from reaching the one week mark of their incredible journey.
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