insane weather continues.
.
at least they are not too hot.
it did get warm instantly if the sun came out at all between rainstorms.
but most of the 4th day was spent watching the sky turn dark
and unleash torrential rains
before lightening up and dwindling to a mere sprinkle.
and then doing it again!
.
luck played a big part in how much and how often
but i dont believe it is possible anyone managed to duck every rainstorm today.
.
i actually went online to try and find out exactly what is causing this weather pattern
because i cant remember anything like it from the past.
i found a weatherman video purporting to explain it…
.
what he said was that the system was feeding off itself.
the atmosphere was so laden with heat, moisture, and energy
(the normal triggers for thunderstorms)
that they were creating “miniature cold fronts”
and those fronts were triggering new storms.
.
i dont know if i buy the explanation.
but whatever is causing this freak weather,
they have stopped predicting the rain will end in an hour.
now they are saying this will continue thru tuesday….
.
wednesday we are supposed to get to run in 100 degree heat again!
.
i am not sure what they are experiencing on the road.
i know that the usual fourth day decline in drops has not held true this year.
at least 6 more are out already in day 4,
with several more talking seriously about joining them.
i know they have stopped trying to take shelter during downpours,
watching them just continue running when even cars are inching along with flashers going.
the constant wet feet have to be playing hell with foot care,
and nothing is more important in a journey run
than taking care of your feet.
at least they are not cooking in the sun,
but most of the time they are not freezing either,
as temperatures have been fluctuating between the 70’s and 80’s.
.
addison has the race all but wrapped up….
.
ironically, as of last night,
he had apparently been one of the few to get little (if any) rain.
tonight he heads into the darkness with a 26 mile lead,
and only 50 miles to go.
we anticipate he will finish sometime tomorrow around mid day…
.
altho it could be anytime from mid-morning to late afternoon.
it isnt like 264 miles has left him unscathed…
.
and there is always a chance he makes an all out attempt to break 4 days!
.
the race for second is a lot more exciting.
just after checkin kyle and michelle were both at the bailey house.
and adam walker was only 6 miles behind.
.
everyone is in that window where the outcome could be decided on who takes the last or the shortest sleep break…
.
or bypasses taking one at all from here to the finish.
.
you can be sure they are all wondering what the others are planning.
i doubt very much anyone is sharing his/her intentions.
.
it will be very interesting to see where they check in tomorrow morning.
because it will be an all out race to the finish from there.
.
perhaps the most intriguing result at tonight’s checkin
is louise wallace.
she checked in at 121 miles,
meaning she would have logged the second longest day of anyone
(trailing only addison hendricks)
.
hard to believe from someone who started the day behind oprah.
but she had taken the previous 12 hours off with stomach problems.
so, since we have not actually seen where louise was since this morning,
the best hope is that her brush with the stiletto lady sent her racing forward in a panic;
not that she just had a faulty checkin!
.
and so they march on into the night…
.
the fourth night.
.
a long and ragged line of drowned rats.
.
for most of them the finish is too far away to imagine.
but when one of their number finally reaches the rock
it will seem a little more real for everyone.
from those only a day or two from finishing
all the way to the ones just barely far enough from oprah
that they do not hear that clickety clack of heels on pavement…
.
they might not hear her right now,
but they know she is there.
because she never goes away.
Categories: Vol State 2026