At 5:30 a.m. our dark, cozy room
exploded with the sound of alarms. Riders and support team alike
peeled ourselves off our floor mats and began fumbling around in the
dark for clothes and toothbrushes... once ready, we stumbled
exhausted out into the misty morning.
The air in these mountains was thick
with moisture. There was no visible sunrise...only gradually, a
brighter grayness. In such mystic surroundings we gathered to
worship the Lord, chanting Psalm 146, meditating on the goodness of
the Lord whose grace has brought us all safe thus far.
After a breakfast of granola and milk, the riders departed in four waves instead of the previous three, so that each team could keep its own pace: team 1, led by Matt Suhaki, team 2, led by John Michael, director of Oak Tree Ministry, team 3, led by Pastor Peter Palma of Word of Life church, and team 4, led by John Choi. The blogging support car was able to catch up with Team #3 - most of whom attend Word of Life church in Songdo - at the top of the first large hill for an action photo op.
Early in the morning, there was a small delay in Team #3. One of the riders suffered from heat stroke and was taken to the hospital. The doctors prescribed 2 days of rest, and so she joined our support crew for a day of checkpoint hopping and cheering as each team hit the subsequent checkpoints.
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