BROOKDALE - Brothers Doug and Carl McManaman have completed their 100-mile trek on snowshoes.
The final steps of their 250,000-step journey occurred at 11:20 a.m., Saturday, in a field where the Hastings Road meets Highway 204, near Cumberland North Academy.
"Each mile was two-and-a-half laps and was about 2,500 steps, so with 100 miles you're looking at about 250,000 steps all together," Doug, 65, said.
The brothers began their journey by walking around Dickey Park in Amherst, but finished at the Hastings Road field.
"I wore a walk counter to make sure a lap around each track was the same distance," Carl, 68, said.
Each track required two-and-a-half laps to make a mile.
"It took us 33 hours all together and most days we'd go three to six miles and the most we went was eight miles," Doug said.
"The first lap is the worst until your legs get used to it, then you feel better. This is my second 100 miles. I did it two years ago. Last year I never took a step on these (snowshoes) so I thought I'd do a 100 miles this year."
His brother is happy he went along for the ride.
"It got my blood pressure down," Carl said. "I had to go to the doctor last week for bloodwork and he put that tester on me for my blood pressure and he said it was perfect. I hadn't heard that for two or three years, they always said it's a little high."
Doug walks on wooden snowshoes, while Carl's are aluminum.
"A pair of these, which are good snowshoes, are about $160," Carl said. "That's all you have to buy, that and a bit of will power. I don't know how much that costs."
Will the brothers continue snowshoeing?
"Oh yeah, we're going out to the bird sanctuary next," Doug said. "There are some nice hills out there. It's more challenging."
dmathieson@amherstdaily.com
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