vole stare toad race 84 hour update:
.
we are entering a new phase of the race.
the first thing you notice is that you do not instantly know how many days 86 hours represents
(only 3 and a half)
the second is that they have adapted to the climate.
less was said about the heat today,
when almost everyone experienced temperatures over 100 degrees
(not heat index, raw temperature)
than was said on day one when it was in the low 90s.
.
the third is,’entering their 4th night on the road
time has become a continuum,
the sun rises and sets
but things like day of the week no longer have meaning.
the race has become one long day
without a beginning or an end.
.
if you ask them how long ago they got on that ferry
they would stop and stare
trying to calculate how long ago that must have been.
it was a lifetime ago.
it was a different life.
already the road has changed them.
they are harder than when they stepped off the ferry.
out here you get hard
or you go home.
.
it was a late update today.
at the 12 hour mark we were at the rock.
hearing the stories of chris, the varnadoe.
(rhymes with tornado)
he blew away the field.
.
once the pressure from addison eased
and the record slipped away
chris was free to bring it home at what passes for a “comfortable” pace.
3 days, 11 and a half hours after he climbed aboard the ferry,
chris varnadoe reached the rock.
.
now we are waiting on the call from addison.
even tho he crossed one of the most exposed sections of the course
during the hottest part of the hottest day
he has his heart set on breaking 4 days.
we are expecting him to call and tell us he has started the final push sometime in the wee hours.
.
and that is the new phase of the race for us.
making plans to retrieve broken runners is almost done.
the ones who are left have been hardened in the crucible.
now our focus will be shifting to how we survive being at the rock to greet each finisher.
these first few are widely dispersed.
back up the road there is a continuous stream of vol staters heading our way….
.
and i dont think they are going to quit before they get here.
Categories: Vols2024