at last count we had 25 down,
and 63 alive.
30 of 41 original 400 milers are still going
34 of the 48 who started the 350 have hung in there…
.
it can be emotionally challenging to do meat wagon duty,
because everyone you talk to is defeated,
and you start to think maybe the race is impossible.
.
but doing the sweeps of the course and talking to the live ones,
it seems like they are managing it well…
.
and then a couple of hours later someone who seemed hale and hearty in spite of the conditions
is calling for a ride.
.
this is a race on the razor’s edge.
there is no question that taking on the sort of conditions the hots runners are facing is dangerous.
out there alone the athlete has to manage their situation to avoid real trouble.
but, at the same time,
the biggest threat to completing the race is mental.
no one yet has been pulled for the cutoff
(or even close)
but the will to continue hangs by a slender thread in these conditions.
.
downtime in air conditioning would help revive them.
managing the stomach under this sort of conditions is a balancing act.
both the heat,
and the necessity of downing enormous quantities of fluid wreak havoc on the digestive system.
air conditioning alone can bring down the core temperature.
settling the stomach is a more delicate operation.
but it is the mind that is the hardest to fix.
when the mind gives up,
the race is done.
.
the one thing that really stands out:
georgia has done itself proud.
as always,
the “heart of the south” refers to the generosity and kindness of southerners.
and this year’s hots runners have seen that in spades….
.
without those random acts of kindness;
the unexpected bottle of cold water from a stranger
the yard chair in the shade in someone’s yard
even the words of encouragement and support;
we would have a lot more than 25 runners down!
.
who knew georgians would be so good?
.
.
on the competition side;
michael carson is leading the 400 with 174 miles in the bank.
but christine tokarz is looking really strong only 4 miles back.
addison hendricks is only 2 miles behind christine.
.
it is hardly time to get excited,
given that none of them have reached the halfway point yet.
but it is certainly going to be interesting to see how this shakes out as they get deeper.
.
in the 350 we have phillip perkins leading with 166 miles.
crystal wheatley is only 4 miles behind…
.
at the moment she is going thru a bumpy stretch….
.
but before this is over everyone is going to have to survive some difficult times.
.
every athlete’s most challenging opponent will be themselves.
.
back at the back we have the first runner close enough to hear the grim reaper’s footsteps.
joseph haist enters the third night with a scanty 4 mile cushion.
he had a 76 mile edge this morning.
.
we dont know how joseph spent the day.
we are hoping he lost those miles getting rested up through the heat of the day
and morning will find him back out to a “safe” lead…
.
of course nothing is ever “safe” at the hots.
the clock never stops running.
and the reaper never stops moving
Links to pics here: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BnkstuuzX/