"It took me 15 years to be able to run again.”
Freedom Hunters is a U.S. Military outreach program that invites active-duty troops and combat veterans to participate in outdoor adventures. We caught up with two of them, Karen Kantor and Ben Kaufman, to find out how they were feeling after competing in the Ten Island Race for the first time. Though they didn’t reach the finish line, they gave it their all.
So Ben, how did it go for you?
Ben: I’m feeling very humbled right now. The race really tested me.
What did you find challenging about it?
Ben: Kayaking was tough. The terrain was too. But for me the toughest part was all the transitions you have to make – getting out of the kayak, for example, and then running to the highest point of an island, which was often higher than I expected. You lose a lot of time in the transition.
What about you, Karen? What was toughest?
Karen: Kayaking was tough. The terrain was too. But for me the toughest part was all the transitions you have to make – getting out of the kayak, for example, and then running to the highest point of an island, which was often higher than I expected. You lose a lot of time in the transition.
But you look happy anyway.
Ben: Yeah, I have a great partner. Very motivating, very inspiring. She’s the best person to be out here with – she pushed me.
A lot of the kayaks capsized. Did yours?
Karen: You have to learn to work in sync in the double kayak, so that was a challenge, but we made it through without capsizing. We did great! (She and Ben give each other a high five).
What did you think when you saw the black sky above you?
Ben: When I saw the rain coming, the first thing I thought was, “This won’t stop me. I’m already wet.” In the military we always say, “If it ain’t raining, we ain’t training.” So it didn’t bother me. I just wanted to keep moving forward.
Karen: It’s funny, we saw lightning on the horizon, and we both decided not to tell the other what we saw until much later when it started really raining. So we knew that our day was probably coming to an end at that point. I was a bit worried about how slippery the rocks were because it was much harder for me to stay on my feet. But yeah it was refreshing. It was a warm rain, which was surprising.
What was the best part?
Karen: Having Ben to help me through my challenges. There were a number of best parts though. The people were amazing and welcoming. They were so excited and encouraging, even though we were in last place. We were in the back of last place. (laughs) And there were those quiet times when we were out there and we had a chance to look around and really see the beauty of Sweden. We got to tour, by foot and by sea, 10 different islands today. It was amazing.
Ben:You know probably my favorite part was when you get to the tallest part of an island and you can see in all directions – the beauty of the landscape, the boats, and the people. We were looking down a lot, but just to be able to look up once in a while and realize we’re in Sweden. And we could be at work right now but instead we’re out here together and we’re experiencing things that nobody else gets to experience.
What are you taking with you from this?
Karen: I’m definitely going to change the way I train. There were a lot of things that I did not anticipate out here. My next big adventure is next month, so I hope I’ll take some of the skills that I’ve learned here, build on that, and just continue training and trying to improve myself for the next one. And then hopefully find this young lady to help me start working on some of my running so that I keep up with her on the ground.
So what’s next for you?
Ben: Having Ben to help me through my challenges. There were a number of best parts though. The people were amazing and welcoming. They were so excited and encouraging, even though we were in last place. We were in the back of last place. (laughs) And there were those quiet times when we were out there and we had a chance to look around and really see the beauty of Sweden. We got to tour, by foot and by sea, 10 different islands today. It was amazing.
Karen: Next I get to tell people about what we did here with Freedom Hunters, about the hotel, and the people. And from there I’m training for the Olympic trials. I went back to competing about 4 years ago and it’s going to hopefully culminate in me going to the trials. I have no delusions about making it into the Olympics but I think that this is going to help give me a little extra courage. I did something this weekend I never thought I’d be able to do, and now I can carry that with me. I have Ben to carry with me. I have Sweden to carry with me when I’m out on that next course. All of this will be in my heart.
