there is a special relationship that has developed over the years
between the vol state runners
and the people who live along the course.
.
what began with spontaneous gifts;
things like a bottle of water
or a cold peach,
offered when people saw a vol stater traipsing down the road
cooking in the hot sun,
changed when the people who live along the course found out what was happening.
when they discovered the reason
for the annual migration of the homeless.
.
one year there were a couple of coolers in the back of a pickup truck
with a sign that said:
“vol state runners”
.
those coolers of drinks on ice coming in the long, hot stretch between fat man’s and linden were like an oasis in the sahara!
.
cut forward a couple of decades
and there are canopy tents with cots and chairs
coolers of drinks
bins of food…
.
and road angels who look forward to the run as much as the athletes do.
.
friendships have formed between the unlikely pairings of vol staters and road angels,
that extend far beyond these 10 days in july.
.
the vol state of today is part family reunion,
where new members of the family are welcomed like old friends.
.
it doesnt make the miles any easier.
but it makes them more special..
.
.
the rain that overstayed its schedule last night
hung around this morning like an unwelcome guest at the party.
but the vol staters kept on plugging,
heads down,
faces grim,
ponchos flapping in the wind.
.
when the rain finally stopped a little before noon
there was finally a bright side…
.
cooler temperatures!
.
the sun did its best,
but it was too late to really crank up the heat.
it barely reached the 90’s.
those who had persevered through the first day and a half were finally rewarded with conditions conducive to getting in miles.
.
most of them made pretty good use of the afternoon.
3 of them did not make good enough use of the day to end up ahead of oprah.
this does not bode well,
unless they make hay over the next 4 hours…
.
because there are a couple more rounds of thunderstorms forecast for the wee hours tonight,
and then tomorrow the heat index is predicted to reach 107.
.
123 runners entered the darkness tonight.
how many will see sunrise tomorrow?
Categories: Vol State 2026