the lives of the race staff and the vol staters have converged.
everything is noticeably compressing every 12 hours.
the tail end of the pack
moved to shelbyville last night…
.
this morning found hal fuqua struggling back at wheel.
and the meat wagon is searching for him to execute an extraction.
the morning sun struck the remaining walkers
like so many strips of bacon on a frying pan.
.
familiarity does not make it any less unpleasant.
another day of sweltering heat for most of them.
the herald of one final push for the lucky few who have reached the homestretch.
.
up on the rock
we managed to squeeze in a luxurious 4 hours of sleep this morning
between salt shack’s finish
and the blast furnace alarm clock of the rising sun.
after getting 2 one hour naps in 3 days it felt incredible.
but it was not enough to eliminate the deficit.
.
i am looking at the books now;
less than 69 hours to go.
76 runners still on the course.
more than one an hour…
.
we can do this (weakly)
we have to have a gap long enough to sleep some tonight
or we are in trouble.
.
if we get rain,
the remainder of the race will be pretty miserable.
.
everybody, racer and staff alike,
is marshaling their last resources
in an effort to reach the finish line.
.
i dont really think we have ever seen a year like this.
so many still hanging on at the back.
oprah has been having a party for a week.
but the oprah partygoers have been tough to break this year…
.
the thing is,
the hardest part of the journey is saved for last.
that excruciating passage from hillsboro to pelham.
the long climb up monteagle mountain.
the shattering descent to jasper.
the sizzling heat of the sequatchie valley
the temptation of a bed and air conditioning at the clarion.
long island
hog jaw ridge
the vertical cheese grater
the baffling 5 corners section
(where so many have gone off course)…
.
and of course the endless last mile
the cornfields and the woods.
.
the oprah team is walking on a razor thin margin.
after giving everything they have for nearly 8 days
they have to find more…
.
or it will all be for nothing.
.
but they dont have to worry about the closing for now.
for today they only have to fight for their lives
keep those clicking heels in earshot
or tomorrow will never come.
.
instead it will be the meat wagon coming for them.
Categories: Vols2025