veronica johnson is out.
we dont know why….
.
she was at mile 216.
she needed 2 miles in 12 hours to stay ahead of the cutoff.
probably 8 or 9 to reach a place to hole up.
.
but everyone out there is stretched to the limit.
physically exhausted, sleep deprived,
hungry, thirsty…
.
hurt
.
and still so far away from the rock.
sometimes the voices in your head
(which have been trying to convince you to quit for a week)
drown out the call of the rock.
.
veronica had less than 100 miles to go….
.
veronica still had 98 miles to go.
and 98 miles is still a LONG way.
it may not sound like much,
but 98 miles is far on foot.
.
all it takes is a moment of weakness.
get in a vehicle,
and your race is done.
.
there is one truth to fall back on in a moment like this:
if you continue you may regret it for the rest of the race.
if you quit you will regret it for the rest of your life.
.
so now there are a possible 97 finishers.
13 have reached the rock.
the glow of victory probably submerged under the blanket of peaceful slumber.
84 of them are out there in the dark.
hurt, damaged, and struggling
but every step taking them closer to the rock.
.
25 of them have to reach richmond road before morning to keep their race alive.
this is a difficult stretch.
there is nowhere to rest for a long distance before
and after
the cutoff.
.
as we near a full week on the road,
it is still day to day struggle to survive.
Categories: Vols2025