HOTS random update
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carl took care of the regularly scheduled update this morning.
as usual we are stocking up what sleep we can before the runners start coming in to the finish.
once that starts we lose control over our schedule.
most sleep will come in 5 second snatches between when we fall asleep sitting up
and we are jarred awake hitting the ground.
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still, i am very excited by where the leaders are.
we have been waiting for this for 4 days now!
and everything has shaped up to make the remainder of the race everything we had hoped while setting up the course!
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you know that cant be good news for the runners,
because we love a good laugh!
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during the night the runners reached this unique feature in the cumberland plateau
called the sequatchie valley.
speculation on its formation is that there was a fault line in the bedrock of the plateau
which has eroded over millions of years into a
2 mile wide
60 mile long
2000 foot deep
trench.
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of course the hots runners understand
this feature was dug out by the finger of some malicious giant.
back during the dawn of time.
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our course dropped precipitously into the bottom
and then meandered down this gorgeous valley
with the walls of enclosing mountain visible to either side…
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the night time crossers wont see this,
but in the day they will.
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our trio now locked in a mortal struggle for the win
were greeted with this view when the sun came up
and they were halfway down the valley
(and trust me, they knew when they dropped into it, even in the dark!)
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at dunlap the whole thing turns ugly.
and at check in the leader (john) was just short of dunlap.
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dunlap,
where the hots route turns up the ugliest
nastiest
cruelest climb of the entire race!
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(cut to me and carl laughing riotously at the thought)
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hell,
it is the ugliest,
nastiest
cruelest climb of any hots
(even crossing kimsey mt highway was easier!)
and worse than anything in the vol state.
coming down this section during the course tour
one bus had to pull off the road to put out the burning brakes.
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and the leaders are going to hit this RACING up it for the win!
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and that is not even all.
after all the complaints about the hilliness of this year’s hots.
the last 60 miles is the worst!!!
there are 3 major climbs ahead,
all of them worse than anything the race has gone over so far.
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along with a screaming descent off of signal mountain
that may well drive their hips into their armpits.
it will definitely have their stomachs in their mouths.
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and those 3 poor bastards are going to have to race it!
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i am going to go buy some popcorn.
this is going to be quite a show over the next 24 hours!
Categories: HOTS