HOTS update 7 days 18 hours.
.
things are pretty quiet up here on the rock.
we havent had a finisher in 6 hours,
which gave me time to go down to the motel for a little bit
and get something to eat on the way back,
.
most everyone here is asleep
waiting on a group of 3 to finish the long climb up sand mountain
and make their way thru the woods to the rock.
my only company is the hooting of owls,
yipping and howling of coyotes
and the cracking and popping of a small fire.
in front of me the lights of the lower sequatchie valley reflect off the lake.
i have to think this is a pretty fine night.
.
somewhere out there 40 other runners are winding their way along the roads and trails
slowly closing the distance to the rock.
the have been out on the road for more than a week.
footsore, sunburnt, and sleep deprived
they continue the process…
.
left, right
left, right.
one stumbling step at a time.
.
they say the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
well, a journey of 326 miles requires taking about 700,000 more….
.
dont downplay just how hard that can be!
.
while everyone sleeps
a dwindling band of warriors are playing out the final acts in their long drama.
for many of them the battle is far from over.
after 8 days of pain
8 days of pressure.
the outcome remains in doubt.
by tomorrow morning the last runners have to be at dunlap,
starting the cruel climb up the mountain.
ahead of them,
the hardest 60 miles of the race…
.
can they dig down deep enough to find what it takes to finish?
when they have already gone beyond what humans should be asked to do?
or will todays sunrise reveal that they have fallen short?
todays, or tomorrows, or the days after that.
Categories: HOTS