HOTS UPDATE 48 HOURS every day is easier than the day before!
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the sun came up with james turner still holding a lead!
not only that,
he was at 131 miles
and fast approaching the state line between hopkinsville kentucky and clarksville tennessee!
it looks like a lead pipe cinch jim will be the first to enter tennessee!
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ken zemach had, indeed, cut another 8 miles off the lead,
and is now with crystal wheatley in hopkinsville
trailing turner by 11 miles.
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addison hendricks and kate sidoli both checked in from gracey, kentucky, another 12 miles back.
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but this is a good time to look past the speedsters battling for the lead,
and take a look at the real race taking place;
the race between a collection of ordinary, everyday people
and the limitations we put on ourselves.
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out of the original 109 people,
old and young,
men and women,
who climbed off the bus,
cinched up their packs
and headed off into the unknown;
98 are still going.
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131 miles behind jim turner,
shenoa creer is making her way down the road
desperately fighting against the cutoff
for the right to continue to struggle tomorrow.
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yesterday she made it by a mile
today she walks hand in hand with the grim reaper.
but she walks.
the game is not over yet.
the game is not over until she surrenders
or is beaten
and she is not going to surrender.
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not far in front of her are derek murphy and michael pichan.
they cannot see the grim reaper yet,
but they can hear him
they can smell him.
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everyone else is in good position to cross the ferry today.
those three are going to be hard pressed to make it.
when the last ferry runs at 2140 tonight,
if they are not on it,
they face a long night beside the river
and an even longer ride back to the rock.
carrying broken dreams with them.
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for those who make it across,
even those who have gotten over with days to spare
the fight is not over.
there are so many miles
so many challenges
still to come.
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not the least of which is the accumulated beating
of too many miles
and not enough rest.
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if they ever allow the entire race into their head at once
they are doomed.
it is too much to fathom
that you can hurt this much
and still run and walk hundreds of miles further
in the rain,
in the heat,
through everything mother nature can throw at you.
without enough to drink
or eat.
with blistered feet
and cramping muscles
chafed and sunburnt;
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they must always keep their mind fixed on achievable goals:
the next city
the next food and water
the next hour…
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the next telephone pole!
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why do they do it?
because this is what we are.
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for three million years our ancestors have had to fight for everything they had.
only a few generations ago our forebears covered distances like this
because they had to.
because that was the only way to realize their dreams.
sometimes the only way to survive.
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and something deep inside these crazy people
these “hotties” as i see people outside the fellowship of the road calling them
still is driven to answer that call.
the call to see if they have what it takes
to do the impossible.
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if you met them in real life
you would never guess.
ordinary people
just like you and me.
with the drive to accomplish the extraordinary.
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in the end only one of them will reach the rock first.
but every one who reaches the rock will have won a great victory.
a victory over their own self imposed limitations.
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why do they do it?.
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that one is easy:
to see if they can!
Categories: HOTS 2025