Velomobile sponsorship

Our Mango velomobile will soon have a sponsor (details to follow), and we're hoping to keep it sponsored indefinitely by pitching it to other advertisers in the future. It's really a no-brainer, when you consider that it sits parked it downtown Toronto all day and attracts 100 times more attention than a traditional billboard. I like to watch people react to it as they walk by. A lot of people will even pose next to it for a picture. It also has more surface area for advertising than those new Eco Cabs that are being pedalled around Yonge and Dundas.

Last weekend, I did my final interview with the documentary film crew that has been following me for two years, and they even got some footage of me and kids in the Mango. The movie, Breaking and Entering, is slated for release sometime in 2009. They assure me that they've assembled some of the best joggling footage in history.

Stride, my new favourite joggling gum

Due to my ridiculously long-lasting joggling, gum-chewing marathon feats, Stride, "the ridiculously long-lasting gum," has supplied me with a bunch of free samples.

I've tested Stride's Forever Fruit flavour on a few joggles and concluded that it's the perfect joggling gum. The flavour is not super-strong, as claimed, it lasts a long time, and most importantly, the chewability factor is very high - that is, it keeps a nice, chewy consistency for many kilometres of joggling.

So far, my unofficial role as Stride's joggling ambassador is really paying off. It's a new brand in Canada, and I've been converting many gum-chewers, who tell me two things about it: good gum, funny TV spots.

Hopefully, they'll launch Sweet Berry and Always Mandarin in Canada soon - flavours just launched in the U.S. I think I know what kind of gum I'll be chewing for my first 5-ball joggling marathon.

Ultra DNF

I suffered my first-ever DNF today at the Toronto Ultra 100K. My Achilles tendon was bothering me a few weeks before the race, but I thought it had healed fully. I was wrong. After a strong 30K in 2:08, my heel began to bother me, and by 40K I was limping. If I could make itto 50K, it would be the longest race distance I had ever covered in one day, so I drank some root beer and water, ate some mini potatoes, Sun Chips and candies (gotta love those ultra aid stations) and set off for another 10K.

For some reason, both my feet felt like they'd been put through a blender, plus my Achilles got worse. So after I crossed the timing mat at 50K in 3:57, I decided to pack it in. Too bad I didn't listen to my mom and enter the 50K instead the 100K, because I would have won it. It's also a shame I couldn't finish the 100K because I was having so much fun. The race was well-organized, the 10K out-and-back course was scenic, and those crazy ultra runners were ultra-friendly. It was a surprisingly satisfying DNF, but I hope this isn't the start of a trend.