You know it is the vol state when a runner calls with the race 99% complete, and wants to drop. seriously, if you made it to mile 311 it is better to do the last 3 miles than to drop (even tho it might not seem that way at the time)
up on the mountain again. waiting on jeffrey smith and steve landis. they are engaged in a slow motion race to the rock. . jeffrey is about 6 miles ahead and he has been increasing that lead. having broken into a dead sprint… . the last 5 miles took him only a little over two and a half hours. . steve is having navigation issues. alone in the dark, his brain fried from fatigue and Read more…
one of the greatest misconceptions about journey running. and covering these enormous distances, is that it cheapens the individual mile; “after running 300 miles, one mile must seem like nothing” . nothing could be further from the truth. after 300 miles the runner is painfully aware of every single mile. the entire concept of a mile is forever changed. . waiting at the rock for these battered survivors to come in the painful effort of Read more…
i cant believe we got to sleep last night. 0430 to 0730 what a blessing to get a normal night sleep at the normal time!!! . it was raining when i got up, but there is a bright sunny sky as the first runners are just now hitting the blue bridge. those are on the home stretch, so it wont matter. but, for the most of them this sunny sky could be a portent of Read more…
it seems to be coming up on 0200 and all is quiet up here on the rock. we have some finishers being toted down to the super 8 to wash their battered bodies and get some serious sleep (the first in nearly a week) . matt burke should be hitting castle rock road by now. with any luck he will be here in about an hour. . there was a 9 mile gap behind him Read more…
one of the things that makes the vol state special is the relationship that has developed over the years between the runners and the people who live along the course. . The course winds its way through the countryside passing thru numerous small towns along the way. all along the course there are people who set up angel stations: canopy tents in their yards with coolers of drinks and food chairs and cots one family Read more…
another day on the road. it was last thursday morning that 106 people came streaming off that ferry. laughing, joking, full of big dreams and grand plans. . 26 of them have seen their dreams come to an untimely end. and their plans fall in ruin. the mchenri became casualties number 25 and 26 this morning. . 4 of them have reached the rock. . 76 are strung out in a long ragged line, ranging Read more…
late update this morning. we were up at the rock at check-in time as the flori arrived just before the 4 day mark, and bev came in just after. . it was entertaining with bob also on hand for the finish the interaction of screwed and crewed runners and the contrasts between the experiences provided a lot of laughs. . one thing that is coming out from just the few debriefings so far is how Read more…