They Reached the Top

SEA ISLE CITY – “We did it!”
Those three words belie a journey that was one of the most mentally and physically challenging events for a young man and his girlfriend who completed not only a marathon but also climbed Africa’s highest peak to raise awareness and funds for educating street children in Uganda.
“It was epic,” Daniel “Dan” McCann said about the event which took place in Tanzania, calling it the equivalent of a Super Bowl in the U.S. “The journey far exceeded my expectations, and was much more difficult than I imagined.” 
McCann, his girlfriend Kate MacCready, of Meyersville, Pa., and nearly 500 other runners started Tanzania’s “premier athletic event of the year,” eventually climbing Africa’s highest peak, Mount Kilimanjaro, March 4.
They were among 400 who completed it, achieving their goals of running a marathon on each continent and leaving each country where it takes place “a little bit better.” This was the fourth continent where the couple has run marathons.
“The race atmosphere was electric,” McCann said. “We stood in the arena in pitch black darkness waiting for the first sign of light for the race to start (Tanzania is run mostly on fuel, not electricity.). The dry heat was intense, but the hills were the real story; at the 21-kilometer (13.04-mile) mark runners then hit a 10-kilometer (6.21-mile) stretch straight uphill. Many racers didn’t finish.
“A lasting impression for me was the village children,” the 31-year-old added. “They were so excited to see us and would run next to us for a few steps at a time. It was very uplifting and inspiring to see how little they had, but how happy they were.”
There were four hikers in McCann’s group: he and MacCready, plus an endurance athlete from Australia and a professional hiker from Maine.
Two guides were part of their support staff on the five-day ascent and day and a half descent.
The climb was an entirely different challenge for the runners, with the mountain standing at 19,341 feet, 232 miles south of the equator.
“Our guides kept repeating ‘pole, pole,’ meaning, ‘slow, slow’ in Swahili,” McCann said.
“The challenge is won or lost in the first two days. We had to change our competitive mentality from the marathon (just keep pushing) to ‘slow, slow’ in the hike. For only four hikers, a crew of 17 support staff helped us with setting up tents, cooking meals and transporting gear. They were remarkable,” he said.
It was during the five-day ascent that McCann and MacCready got to know their staff better, learning about their culture, dreams, and growing up in the African country.
“We ate very basic food of potatoes, rice, and chicken because we didn’t want anything spicey that could affect us at the high altitude,” McCann said.
“The young men who were part of our support staff wanted to know about America and our schooling system,” he added. “As an attorney, I was able to help give them information about financial aid and college. Kate and I also volunteered to help them with resumes.”
Summit day was one of the most physically and mentally challenging days of McCann’s life, he said.
“We met our guides at 10 p.m. and started our hike at 11 p.m. in the darkness. Just minutes into our hike it began to snow, and the strong winds made our visibility near blinding. Because we were the first team to start that day, our guides were literally blazing a path for those after us. This was taxing on our guides, and at times it seemed we were lost.
“So there I was, 5,000 meters (about 16,404 feet or just over three miles) above sea level, stuck in a snowstorm at midnight,” he said. “It would be hours before the sun would break and provide guidance. There was a brief moment wondering will we survive this?
“Fortunately, we kept pushing forward and focused on our breathing,” the runner said, noting oxygen tanks were there for emergency use only.
“I was at 65 percent oxygen intake at this point. Once sun broke it provided comfort, but also added a new challenge; there were no support lines, and we were all one misstep away from falling off the mountain. As the snow stopped and the sun began to melt what had fallen on the ground we had to be careful of slipping on slush and ice,” McCann added.
Because of the temperature extremes, McCann and MacCready wore multiple layers of clothing as they hiked the mountain. “We had waterproof hiking boots, three layers of pants, seven layers on top, two pairs of gloves, a wool hat, hand warmers, face mask, and hiking poles.”
Finally, after seven hours and 15 minutes from leaving the Kibo Base Camp, they reached the summit.
“The rush of emotions took over,” he said. “It was pure euphoria. Hugs, cheers, and pictures took over the scene. But because of the altitude and weather, we only had 15 minutes to take in what took months and years of preparation.
“At that point, I looked at Kate and said, ‘We did it, all three goals accomplished: Hit our fundraising goal, finished the marathon, and reached Uhuru Peak on Mt. Kilimanjaro. We embraced for a special moment; then we began our descent,” McCann said.
The couple raised $2,660 for the Child Restoration Outreach Support Organization (CROSO), a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization MacCready’s sister-in-law started after spending a college semester in Uganda.
Street children are provided with food, counseling, medical care, housing, and support to attend school. CROSO connects the resources and generosity of donors in the U.S. with the needs of secondary school graduates in Uganda.
“To us, the pain and sacrifice are worth making a child’s dream come true,” McCann said reflecting on the event preparation and experience. “At the end of the day, what we walked away with was priceless.”
What’s next for the couple who have run marathons in North America (the Ocean Drive Marathon, Cape May to Sea Isle City, was his first), Asia (on the Great Wall in China) and Europe (Ireland)?
“Part of our challenge is reflecting on what we just did and trying to determine what’s next,” McCann said. “We’ll sit down with the calendar and look at the timing of runs, but we’re probably hoping to get to South America in 2019.”
To contact Karen Knight, email kknight@cmcherald.com.