vol state 24 hour update quiet desperation you can’t quite say the sun has risen on the most crucial day of the vol state. there is light, but a layer of fog envelops a world where dew point and ambient temperature have switched their normal places. the runners’ world seems to be wrapped in a hot wool blanket. 90 degrees at 0700 is a hell of a start to a day that promises hell. . Read more…
vol state 12-hour update . digging holes . the fascinating thing about a race like the vol state is that no two years are the same. one of the defining features of 2023 may turn out to be the 81 virgins who have been thrown into battle. green troops need to be seasoned with veterans. . passing unnoticed were the bullets dodged today. the fierce thunderstorm that was supposed to hit us on the ferry Read more…
it is the night before the night before and i do not know who is better off. virgins or veterans the virgins stand at the mouth of the beast. they peer into that yawning chasm and do not know what awaits them there. it has become suddenly so imminent. many of their comrades in innocence have blinked. their nerve has broken and they are now at home wondering how their adventure ended so prematurely. but Read more…
i know i am the mean guy; but we want to discourage advertising where the angel stops are… . they are supposed to be a surprise! . i know the old timers know where the longstanding ones are, and some have become a part of the fabric of the race. but it is still better if they are a thrill when the newbies first see them! . do not worry, the vol staters are like Read more…
HOTS update…… 228 hours . character and integrity . there are a lot of things that make an athlete great. everyone knows that talent is important. the willingness to do the preparation intelligence physical toughness mental toughness all of these are necessary to achieve success but none of these things mean anything all the success in the world means nothing without a couple of other attributes…. . character and integrity. . the reason i say Read more…
Hots Update…. 216 hours . it’s not always rainbows and unicorns . the good news is the rain has stopped and the sun is out. the bad news is the rain has stopped and the sun is out. . this is the time of year the sun is closest to the rock. and right now it feels as if it is closer then the fig tunnel. there is a video put out this morning by Read more…
HOTS update… hour 204 . ordinary is as ordinary does really late update it has been a busy day! the rain finally stopped, and the sand that is so treacherous when waterlogged drains quite well. it is (in relative terms) reasonable to drive in and out. . we now have 38 runners in with 17 having dropped. 55 of the 82 are safely home and 28 are still somewhere out there on the road. . Read more…