Escapees July-August 2023

compete in San Francisco’s famed Escape From Alcatraz Triathlon. Thirty marathons later, he still runs and cycles. Not even two knee replacements are stopping him. With permission from his doctor, Gary is more than halfway to meeting his goal of running a half marathon in all 50 states. He expects to meet that challenge in 2024 at the Honolulu Half and Full Marathon in Hawaii. The Blazing New Trails group is a natural expansion of the couple’s abilities to orches trate successful community-based fi tness activities. For 18 years while they were still in the workforce, Linda and Gary were race directors for two 5K/10K fun runs that raised $110,000 through their Race To Cure Lymphoma cancer charity. “It was humbling to give back to the running community, as well as the charities, since our oldest daughter, Sarah, was a Lymphoma survivor,” says Gary. Later when they retired and the couple began RVing, the Chathams decided to use their talents to fi ll a niche in the RV lifestyle community. “As we began to travel with our RV and became familiar with RV YouTubers, we also learned about an amazing community of meetup groups,” says Gary. “It soon became apparent that none of these meetups focused on physical fi tness. Since fi tness has long played a major role in our lives, we felt compelled to fi ll this void by introducing Blazing New Trails and using running and cycling events as the centerpiece for our meetups. We know through Race To Cure Lymphoma, it’s all about the experience and our primary goal is seeking epic desti nations that will build community and offer life-long memories.” Adding Fitness Into Your RV Lifestyle is Better with Friends If long days driving your RV leave you too exhausted to do anything but beer curls, you’re not alone. “Incorporating fi tness into RV travel can be dif fi cult and there’s no right answer,” says Linda. “It really becomes a challenge when a travel day or sightseeing event is involved.” The workaround, she explains, is to pre-plan your workout time so it doesn’t impact your plans or travel ing companion. Look for a break when

“If long days driving your RV leave you too exhausted to do anything but beer curls, you’re not alone.”

your workout won’t have a negative impact. “Early morning can be the best time frame for its limited impact on others. However, not everyone is a morning person, so they can either choose to become accustomed to this time frame or fi nd a different pocket of time.” Choose the activity that best fi ts into your day without throwing off your travel schedule or evening plans. Better yet, take a multi-tasking approach by getting your workout done with new friends from Blazing New Trails. Providing a Comfortable Environment The group is still new and membership is growing with RVers of all fi tness levels, scattered all around the country. The Chatham’s goal isn’t just to bring people together for events in epic locations, but to create a nurturing space to help more RVers incorporate fi tness into their overall life style. “If there are some who struggle with their routine or have fi tness questions, we want to provide an environment they’ll feel comfortable in asking and others comfort able in offering their opinion.” Gatherings in beautiful, RV-friendly destinations are on the books and more are being planned. From walkers to runners, cyclists to triathletes, everyone is welcome to join the Facebook group and attend group events that fi t into their travel schedule. “Building community and having fun can happen in many ways, but it’s a primary focus for Blazing New Trails, whether a camp fi re, potluck dinner, bike ride or shakeout run is involved,” says Gary. “Our meetups will be a special time where members can not only forge relationships but make memories.”

RENE AGREDANO AND JIM NELSON #103274 are enjoying their 16th year as full-time RVers and location-independent entrepreneurs. They enjoy sharing the life style with others at www.LiveWorkDream.com.

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July/August 2023 ESCAPEES Magazine