252+ hr update(it’s over) The Heart of the South. The runners have heart.The communities have heart.The event itself has heart. There really couldn’t be a better name for this run. We set up a course,it really could be anywhere.(and someday it will be!)Those with the courage and will to try,make the time to show up. They interact with the other runners,the environment,and the communities that they pass through. They dig deep within themselves.(it is hard, Read more…
240 hr update(1/2 day to go!) (The 226 hr update got lost in the shuffle) A day to get them started.3 days of full loads in the meat wagon.A day off while they pushed towards the rock.A day of big dogs.3 days of the grinders arriving… And here I sit.Alone at the Rock,With but 11 hours til this year’s HOTS is over. Last night 8 runners arrived mostly in pairs.Dipak and Meghan,Jerry,Joey and Kim,Darren,Scott and Read more…
216 hr update(1.5 days to go) Matt didn’t disappoint last night.He dragged his carcass the last marathon up Sand Mountain,barely able to keep his eyes open and feet on the white line…While the full moon rose up from behind Lookout Mountain. After he reached the bluff and emptied his vial of seawater(carried more than 380 miles!)he regaled us for more than an hourwith tales from the road,tales that he will never forget,because they were created Read more…
204 hr update(2 days to go) Core memories. Talk to a journey runner,ask them about their trek. You are guaranteed to see their face change…their body language become animated…their lips curl and their eyes brighten. There is a reason why such an arduous trip,with its requisite exhaustion,physical pain,and emotional sufferingcan still elicit such response from these people. It is because pushing ourselves beyond the reasonableputs us in a state where unique core memories are formed. Read more…
192 hr update(2.5 days to go) Summertime at HOTS Helmut trudged onto the Rock just before midnight last night,the first finisher in official summertime.If you try to argue with any of them that summer has only just arrived,they may make outrageous claims that it started more than a week ago.But that is just the sleep deprivation talking. Our German friend recounted for us all 5 of his interactions with law enforcement,a rite of passage for Read more…
180 hr update(3 days to go) We had to skip the 7 day update this morning,there is always some point during the raceswhen a perfect little storm comes upand derails the routine. Anyway, early this morning Matt Barkerclosed out his strong run, becoming the 4th(and final!)runner to finish in under a week. Those first four really did themselves a solid,finishing on the coolest day of the event,right before the heat has started to build back Read more…
156 hr update(4 days to go) More to do. We have a podium of finishers.Addison Hendricks fulfilled a dream today,many years in the making.It took a quality effort to overcome two previous Last Annual race champions.John Clarke and Jim Winn brought their experience and grit,and pushed the young buck to the brink. All three men seemed satisfied and pleased with their labors.There was no, “woulda, coulda, shoulda,” from these true competitors.The fulfillment that comes with Read more…
People across Alabama may have noticed something a bit out of the ordinary over the past week or so. Runners and walkers passing through towns that don’t frequently see pedestrians, especially in the beginning of the summer heat. The folks they’ve been seeing are participants in one of the more unique challenges in the sport of ultramarathon running. This year’s 54 participants in The Last Annual Heart of the South Road Race prepared for months Read more…