73 of the 88 who got off the bus
are still on the road.
today was a bloodbath.
even tho the highest heat index i saw was only 109.
.
recency bias is surely evident,
and maybe timing bias is just as significant.
last night the runners hitting the 4 lane after sylvania thought it was the best thing since sliced bread.
wide shoulder and low traffic: “woo hoo!”
those who hit it today thought it was a slice of hell.
no shade, no services: “boo hoo!”
.
we still dont have anyone in cutoff danger.
the last place runner is now 6 miles ahead of pace.
but this is going to be harder and harder to maintain.
the physical beating is cumulative.
the sleep deprivation only serves to magnify it.
.
covering the required distance only gets more difficult every day.
.
here at race central it was a complicated day
figuring out how to make pickups as we traversed the course back and forth with only two vehicles.
all too often we would pass by a runner,
only to have them call for a ride a few minutes later.
.
then there is the obligatory effort to get them to reconsider.
a few hours of air conditioned sleep frequently is all that is needed.
and too many athletes spend the long ride to their car on the rock
regretting a decision made under the influence of exhaustion and pain.
.
the early evening was spent plotting the musical chairs of consolidating the runners
who have been stashed in various motels
for tomorrow’s bus load to the rock.
.
we have only 14 seats in the big van,
and need both of the other vehicles here
for the possible retrieval of more tomorrow.
the field is already strung out over more than 100 miles of road.
.
generally we can expect the drops to become less frequent by tomorrow morning.
the survivors are more acclimated.
they have endured so much.
no one in this deep wants to give away all they have gone thru.
at least not easily.
.
we still might have a few more drop tonight.
the day ended with the majority of the field getting pummeled by fierce thunderstorms…
.
the atmosphere can only contain so much heat and humidity
before it explodes in torrential rain, high winds, and electrical discharges.
soaking wet runners after days of sweltering heat can get hypothermic at 80 degrees f (27 c).
.
if they dont get too chilled tonight,
tomorrow morning they will get to enjoy having all that water steaming back over them when the sun gets cooking,
the cycle begins all over
with the solar radiation returning the moisture to the sky
so it can begin building up to the next round of storms.
.
.
we still have a day or two before we start witnessing the desperate struggles of the runners at the back trying to hold off the grim reaper.
.
but it has reached a point that the races for the wins are starting to take shape.
.
among the 350 mile field
phillip perkins leads with 114 miles
crystal wheatley is 10 miles back with 104
and john clarke is in third with 91.
.
the 400 milers are led by michael carson at mile 74….
given that the 400 milers started with a 46 mile deficit, he has actually run 120 miles.
addison hendricks, jim wynne, and christine tokarz
(in no particular order)
are 10 miles back at 64 (110 miles)
.
but all these contests are still just snapshots at this point.
the necessary cycles of resting and running will crystalize over the next day or two.
relative positions this early in the race do not mean much by themselves.
we have to figure out how they fit into the entirety of each athlete’s overall race strategy.
.
just like last night,
tonight will bring the race into a lot better focus.
but no one is really racing yet.
they are positioning themselves for the race to come….
.
dont you wish it was you?
Categories: HOTS 2026