Well, laz finally hit his first wall of the race… He has slept nearly an hour past check-in time so I guess I’ll have to pick up the pieces and tell you all what happened last night…
At the front of the race there wasn’t any shuffling, they all had a good night with John, Henry and Brian maintaining their relative positions… They look likely as the podium, but in what order?! A lot can happen in the last 76 miles.
For the ladies, Kim Durst has passed Bev’s stake in the ground but Nicole is a bulldog hot on her heels… Some waffling from Kim last night and strong running from Nicole are shaping up for a battle royal over the last hundred miles on the women’s side.
Through the middle of the field there were lots of single digit mileage nights… A surprise to us since the temperatures were cool again. Perhaps a little too cool? Were the runners huddled for warmth in whatever enclosed space they could find? Maybe an abandoned storage shed in a side yard along the route?
Sometimes summer (well, summer doesn’t actually start until tomorrow but I don’t think you would need to convince the runners!) southern journey running means melting all day and then shivering in your own damp clothing and praying for the sun to come up to warm your bones.
In the back half of the field Mary Hosbrough and Michele weaver were the only ones to cover more than 20 mi last night… A solid showing to pass up through the ranks. They know they must take advantage of the cooler weather if they are to ease their suffering as soon as possible.
The caboose said uncle last night… Or to use the race terminology they called the meat wagon. For Pam Smith and Gina the writing had been on the wall for days, but they fought the reaper valiantly, and manage to get beyond the century mark before succumbing.
Today and tomorrow the high temperatures will climb, just as the runners face the Cumberland plateau. Absolutely nothing about the second half of this race is going to be given away, it will be earned, that is the only way at HOTS….
YOU DO IT ON YOUR OWN, EVERY STEP, OR IT JUST DOESN’T GET DONE.
Categories: HOTS