just a quick note from the rock.

just a quick note from the rock. . melissa gave up the struggle last night. there are now 29 among the lost. tony, on the other hand, has rocketed up in the field and out of danger from the reaper. . there are 4 just behind the reaper now; diana and odie, jamie and josh. . they continue to live their lives in 12 hour increments. survive one and you get to do another…. . Read more

monsters are very real.

for 6 and a half days the hots runners have lived beside the road they have climbed mountains and crossed rivers they have gone without food and water for many long and difficult miles they have been through ferocious thunderstorms blazing heat and freezing cold. they have endured unbearable pain and utter exhaustion. their feet are bags of misery their legs bundles of aching muscles and swollen tendons. but on they go. . on and Read more

god help them.

sorry for the no 0800 report. the lay of the land (and the distribution of runners)  determines my schedule. . and what we had after kimberly durst’s finish last night was about a 30 mile gap to the next runner with the surviving field strung out in close order behind. . this could have been the last opportunity to sleep until sunday. i thought it would be a good idea to use it! . the Read more

well, here it is pretty late

well, here it is pretty late. not really sure what time it is (my phone is not sure either) since we keep bouncing back and forth between eastern and central time. . i know it wont be long before kim wakes us back up to go see her finish. we spent a long day at the rock as some of todays finishers were reduced to less than a mile an hour except curtis whose final Read more

watching anxiously for the updates.

watching anxiously for the updates to start coming in. the entire course was hammered with heavy rains last night, but the rain is passing over the last runners at the back as the 6th day begins. jim must have stopped in trenton because he only started up sand mountain a little over an hour ago. curtis barton is now showing in second only 5 miles behind. . that would have meant a 46 mile night Read more

the sun is setting on the 5th day

the sun is setting on the 5th day and jim fleming is all alone at the front. 32 miles (and a climb up sand mountain) stand between him and the title “queen of the south”) it doesnt sound like much, just a sub 12 hour 50k (and change) but he is unaided. as he has been unaided for the last 4-1/2 days there are flash flood warnings for his home stretch… . and there are Read more

52 runners fight on…

4 days are in the bank. 52 runners fight on… . not 53 any more. pam smith’s valiant struggle on the brink came to a tragic end. after so many hours of pushing as hard as she could go she had reached the line that had to be crossed before morning and took a nap. awaking with a brain clouded with pain, fatigue, and sleep she ran 6 miles back the way she had come. Read more

the 4th night on the road begins

the 4th night on the road begins. only 15 runners have passed halfway… . by tomorrow morning check-in the runners are supposed to be at mile 133. past long creek. really, they need to be past the georgia state line. across the chatooga river. preferably well past, because the chatooga is where the serious mountains begin. . 8 runners are in trouble. they dont just need a good night. they must have a good night. Read more