There are 107 paddlers entered in this year’s Catalina Classic Marathon Paddleboard Race, Sunday, August 30th.  That means that there are also 107 people that can’t do any of the following:

1. take out the trash (way too dangerous)
2. do dishes (“I might cut my finger”)
3. get in the sun (“I will have enough of it come Sunday”)
4. relax or sit still
5. workout (“I am a machine…let’s just get to this”)
6. not fixate on the weather (seriously, could it get any hotter in the week before the race?)
7. enjoy a meal or an adult beverage (oh, they can, but IF THEY DO…well, let’s just say they will consider the wisdom of their actions later…) 
8. not feel that they have made a huge mistake in their training regimen in the third week of December, 2014
9. call their buddies to make sure they are all feeling exactly the same thing
10. be a little bit emboldened in the knowledge that they are a very small, elite group of distance athletes, about to make history–no Timex clocks, no fancy gear, no cheering supporters along the way–solo, gutsy, committed

They are massively impressive.  They are prone paddleboarders of the highest order.  Respect.