so how do i possibly capture the initial 12 hours of this insane event?
.
the first thing i have to say;
after 44 years the vol state is not a tradition.
it is an institution.
.
when we came off the ferry this morning there was a vehicle with blue lights at the end of the ferry road.
it picked up the leaders heading out the narrow highway to union city
and led them through the countryside.
this was not planned.
it just happened.
10 miles in, at woodland mills, there was a group of youngsters under a canopy tent handing out water to the runners.
equally spontaneous.
this is who we are.
people see a need,
and they fill it…
.
the relationship that has grown between the vol state runners
and the people who live along the course
is one of the most amazing phenomenons in the world of sports.
.
as we sat under the overpass taking 20 mile times
a highway patrolman stopped and came over to us…
.
had he come to challenge our right to be there?
not quite.
he wanted to know how to go about signing up to run next year.
having local aspirants in the field is nothing unusual anymore.
generations of kids have grown up along the course
with the vol state as much a part of summer as the 4th of july…
.
the 4th comes first
and a couple of weeks later the “walkers” come thru.
.
500 km in july?
it isnt craziness,
it is a rite of passage.
.
of course not everything is feel-good.
120 runners are having 120 different adventures…
.
a lot of adventure has nothing about it that feels good.
and with half the field dipping their toes into journey running for the first time
there are a lot of rude awakenings on this first morning.
.
already several of the stories have come to sad ends.
heartbreak is a necessary part of sports.
without it there can be no joy.
and to provide the level of joy that is to be found at the rock
there is a lot more heartbreak yet to come.
.
36 runners have taken refuge in motels in martin…
.
this is a mile short of the first day cutoff.
sunburnt,
blistered,
sore footed,
and tired,
many of them are thinking;
“can i do this again tomorrow?”
“is it even possible to do this 9 more days in a row?”
.
for most of the field there are new battle lines being drawn.
thoughts of time or place have been abandoned.
the vol state has become a battle to simply survive.
.
survive to the finish?
they are just hoping to survive tomorrow.
the finish is now beyond the reach of their imagination.
too far away to even think about.
.
meanwhile, up front a race is going on.
as with any first day there has been a lot of shuffling.
by mid-day chris varnadoe, paul (festus) hagan, and addison hendricks had moved to the front.
matthew bird was not far behind,
along with michelle leduc and shawna wendtlandt leading the women.
.
thru the heat of the afternoon varnadoe opened up a lead…
.
to the low country south carolinian this moderate heat day
(“only” in the low 90’s under a blazing sun)
felt almost cool.
hagan’s michigan background was not as ideal a preparation for the heat and miss’ippi river bottom humidity,
and he was about 10 miles back.
bird (cramps) and hendricks (stomach) had fallen well off the pace.
leduc and wendtlandt had both moved up and were running strong races as the day began to fade.
will briggs and robert potter were emerging from a tightly packed men’s field to also challenge the leaders….
.
the thing is,
this is the vol state.
and we are just entering the first night.
already we have seen how quickly contenders can fall out of contention.
how quickly new challengers can move up to replace them…
.
and we are only now reaching the time in the race where sleep patterns effect the standings.
.
the only certainty about tomorrow morning’s check in?
there are going to be big changes.
.
the only certainty about tomorrow?
it will be hotter than it was today…
.
and whether the runner is fighting for the win
or simply fighting to survive;
it will be harder than it was today.
.
the opening salvos have been fired
but the real battle has only just begun.
Categories: Vols2024