This week we share with you how a spontaneous hike in the Pine Barrens blossomed the idea to have a long distance race of the 53-mile Batona Trail ... in costume!
Follow along this July as we share our staff's top trail picks.
Our faculty instructor, Megan Kietzman-Nicklin, recounts the experience as "never having wanted to run a marathon but somehow ended up there." Megan is no stranger at encouraging folks to push through their boundaries, and during this race she found herself relying on the same encouragement that she regularly provides to her students. Megan along with twenty other friends and coworkers ran the length of the Batona Trail. This mad dash of costumed outdoor enthusiast was supported by friends and family along the way, providing emotional support as well as food and water.
The name "Batona" stemming from the words BAck To NAture. Many rare species of plants and animals, some specific to the Pinelands, can be found along the trail.
(Species pictured below are not native)
While running the PB53 (Pine Barrens 53 miles) Megan realized that "... deciding something was unachievable was the only thing keeping me from pursuing it." At Outward Bound, we design challenges that push our students outside of their comfort zone. We believe that through challenge you discover what you are truly capable of. Consider, what you believe your limits to be. Are they limits you're willing to challenge?
