the longest day;
.
48 hours remain for the 37 surviving vol staters to reach the rock.
(less by the time this is posted)
8 are out on the longest 14 miles.
the last two are dancing with oprah back in manchester.
.
while their recorded times may differ on the results
all the vol staters finish in the same time actual time.
the vol state takes one long day.
.
from the time the runners step off the ferry
the race is running.
everything revolves around,
and is predicated by,
reaching the rock.
.
life is consumed by the 4-R’s:
running
repairing
refueling
resting.
.
the “daily schedule” does not exist
as everything is driven by where they are and what is available,
.
armed with only what they can carry
limited to the mobility of their feet,
they eat when there is food
and sleep where there is a place.
.
and every sleep ends with a start,
the urgency to move on.
things that used to be important,
“like what day is it?”
are meaningless.
there is only today, yesterday, and before.
.
distance replaces time as a unit of measure.
they cannot remember when things in the past happened
only where.
.
the end result is that the race is perceived as one long day.
the sun rises and sets many times.
and the world is either dark or light.
but the day begins with stepping on a ferry
and ends when you touch the rock.
Categories: Vols2024