Texas Author Tells Students to Persevere Christine Warren, author of the 2011 book Paddlefish, told a group of students at Baylor University “You can keep pushing on, you will get there.” Warren’s speech focused on her experiences during the Texas Water Safari, a 260 mile paddle race. The author first decided to compete in the race after a book publisher recommended she participate in it and write about her experience. Warren agreed. She decided to dedicate her race to the International Rett Syndrome Foundation. Warren began training for the race 14 months in advance. She said many people helped mentor her through the process. Including Melissa Jory, an Olympic trainer from Colorado, and Banning Collins, her friend and a fishing guide. Just three days before the race was planned a flash flood ripped through the area. The race was postponed for a month. Banning Collins, her partner for the race, told Warren he could not do the race anymore. She was devastated, “I stayed in bed for 24 hours.” The author soon picked herself up. She put an ad on the Texas Water Safari discussion board and after a few days she found a new partner. Phil Meyer, an engineer who Warren said, had been kicked off his previous team due to personality issues. The two trained together until the day of the race. Warren and Meyer finished the race 39 out of 66 finishers. “I knew I was going to finish,” Warren told the students. She stated she didn’t know why but she always envisioned herself finishing the race. She said she never thought about quitting, she always knew she was going to finish. The author said she would love to do the race again but the time needed for training doesn’t fit her life right now. Today Warren is working on a new book which she said is “part memoir and part history.” Warren drove her story home by telling the students to persevere through everything. She said that everyone has obstacles in life but “you have to get over them.” He also said in regards to the chaos going on in this world that “life does go on.”