Endurance Challenge Guest Blog by David Souza (Part 1 of 3)

David has been one of those members of the NP Boston tribe who has been around for a while… but when you begin counting up the winters, the years, the… wait a minute!!! David Souza has been training at NP since 2012!?!? A gentle father of two, this dedicated husband is also a scary good runner. He’s the kind of runner who shows up at the starting line in Paris, an annual BQ Boston racer, and races across the deserts around the world all in the same calendar year. As many of us take to social media to talk about our race, our training, and how it all went down, this humble soul simply learns from his races and moves onto the next adventure. I was proud to see David as we passed on the trail last Saturday at the Endurance Challenge in the new location in Massachusetts. He was wearing paint on his chest and a smile on his face, the way he has as long as I’ve known him. This community, ultra & NP, is lucky to have someone like you man. You lead by your actions, not by your words, and you make it all look easy. Ladies & gents, I give you ultra runner and NP Boston member David Souza…

The North Face Endurance Challenge MA was insanely fun. Ultrarunning is a passion of mine and what better people to share the experience with? From The North Face crew to author and famed ultraruner Dean Karnazes to the badass November Project humans, you couldn’t help but feel alive and part of something bigger than life.

With the 50-mile race starting at Wachusett Mountain at 5:00 a.m., I started eating breakfast and taping my toes around 3:00 a.m. As the sun started to rise, I headed into the race staging area. The first person I saw was a tribe member of November Project Boston. In the process of exchanging bear hugs, he literally squeezed the air out of my lungs. Before we began the grueling race, Dean Karnazes (yes, I’m a super fan, more to come) gave some words of encouragement. Thankfully he didn’t tell us how f’ing hard the course was!

I’ve raced many endurance events in the past, but this race was special for two reasons. First, The North Face organization embodies what it means to explore. Whenever I see the logo, thoughts of the outdoors and challenging myself come to mind. The slogan #neverstopexploring is how I will always live my life. This North Face Endurance Challenge series gave us all a chance to explore: we explored the land around Wachusett Mountain, our body’s ability to navigate the gnarly terrain, and our mental toughness. Thank you North Face!

November Project was obviously the other reason this event was so special. Where else will you find tribes of people coming together from across the globe with spray painted #grassrootsgear, singing and dancing and hugging it out? The attitude of these folks is contagious. November Project peeps cheering the runners on along the course and motivating us at aid stations was the best.

I finished the 50 miles smiling with a NP Boston tribe member who suffered with me for the last two hours. This was a huge win based on my fitness level at the time. I’m thankful for the November Project workouts at Harvard Stadium and Summit Ave., which built a climbing base to motor through the massive elevation change. My only regret was that the man, the myth, the legend, Dean Karnazes was not there for a finish line hug. After all, it was his 4Deserts Grand Slam back in 2008 that inspired me to do the same, and follow in his footsteps in 2016.

But, then again, in a way, it also made sense that Dean wasn’t there. After all, this was not the finish line, but rather another checkpoint in life. People like Dean, companies like North Face, and community like November Project provide a platform for us to explore our limits and the earth around us. I’m forever grateful to you all and look forward to more exploration.

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