june 22 day 44 30 miles total 1,154 started the day in another monsoon downpour. more of the endless chicago traffic and shoulderless roads. let no one claim that i handled it with grace and dignity…. by the time we reached the mosquito haven affectionately referred to as a bike trail i had nearly exhausted my vast storehouse of swear words. one of mike dobies’ famous blue cheese and sausage omelets brightened my outlook. add Read more…
Runners, Walkers, Crawlers, Vol Staters! (this note has been sent directly to those who are IN, but is added here so anyone on the wait list can see it) We are under 3 weeks to go until most of you will step off the Ferry and find yourself in a different world. A new and exciting world for some, an old faithful friend for others….but a different world than our normal existence for all. I hope your Read more…
june 21 day 43 24 miles total 1124 i lost a half hour to a little stomach disturbance another 15 minutes to beginning a rescue mission for my faithful companions walking stick and straw hat. then we walked right into the chicago monsoon. roads were flooded some closed sidewalks were rivers and my faithful rain gear finally failed. thanks to faithful crew and companions yesterday’s aimless meanders were not repeated. i should leave chicago behind Read more…
june 20 day 42 27 miles total 1,100 how do i describe this day? words are inadequate. gary indiana was yet another post-apocalyptic landscape of collapsing buildings and vacant lots. huge industrial buildings sat empty. if you took away the traffic you could make end of the world movies there… but everyone we saw was friendly. there were still a lot of beautiful buildings and the steelyard baseball field was as pretty as you will Read more…
But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. -Isaiah 40:31
june 19 day 41 29 miles total 1073 this was a great traffic day. much of the morning was spent strolling down our own private half of a 4- lane that had been barreled off for road construction. the truck drivers delivering materials had been seeing the troupe for two days and one asked what was up. word passed thru the construction zone faster than we did and we marched through like conquering heroes… but Read more…
Road Warriors of VolState Sweat, pain, pit bulls, and shotguns—welcome to Gary Cantrell’s old-school ultra. by Susan Reynolds Heavy clouds hung low in the sky over Hickman, Kentucky. Seventeen runners gathering for the 2009 Last Annual VolState Road Race greeted one another in good humor, their nerves betrayed only by frequently witnessed fidgets: tugging at compression-shorts hemlines or unpacking and repacking small items in a waist pack. For most, the adventure began on Tuesday, July Read more…
june 18 day 40 21 miles total 1,044 i called it early today. 39 days of pushing around the clock was enough and it was time to take a breath. a second straight day of people telling me; “ the heat index is over 100!” made the decision even easier. i was in sort of a grey area. easily reducing my schedule deficit to less than a day. but no chance of making up the Read more…