Run It Fast®

Day 4: The Vol State 500K Live Blog/Standings (2015): Carnage Road

72 Hour Vol State 500K Standings 7:30am Sunday, July 12th (68 Runners, 12 DNFs)

1. Greg Armstrong – 244 miles 
2. Johan Steene – 234 miles
3. John Fegyveresi – 204 miles
4. Jeremy Ebel – 188 miles
5. Steven Smith – 188 miles
6. Lisa Van Wolde – 185 miles (F)
7. Marylou Corino – 185 miles (F)
8. Michael Callans – 179 miles
9. Jay Dobrowalski – 178 miles
10. Francesca Muccini – 175 miles (F)
11. James Adams – 169 miles
12. Timothy Daily – 157 miles
13. Andrea Stewart – 156 miles
14. Jeff McGonnell – 156 miles
15. Bo Millwood 147 miles
16. Karen Jackson – 147 miles
17. Ben Herron – 146 miles
18. Thomas Skinner – 145 miles
19. Jeffrey Stephens – 145 miles
20. Tim Purol – 145 miles
21. Sherry Meador  – 145 miles
22. Nathan Dewall – 145 miles
23. Sal Coll – 144 miles
24. Richard Westbrook – 144 miles
25. Edward Masuoka – 144 miles
26. Scott Krouse – 144 miles
27. Shane Tucker – 143 miles
28. David Lettieri – 143 miles
29. Allen Wrinkle – 141 miles
30. Gina Chupka – 141 miles
31. John Sharp – 141 miles
32. Thomas Alm – 141 miles
33. Caleb Nolen – 140 miles
34. Lisa Hazlett – 138 miles
35. Rick Gray – 138 miles
36. Joshua Swink – 138 miles
37. Christopher Knight – 136 miles
38. Tom Dekornfield – 136 miles
39. Gregg Ellis – 136 miles
40. Fred Davis III – 130 miles
41. Mike Delang – 129 miles
42. Sangy Geisel – 129 miles
43. Joseph Kowalski – 129 miles
44. Bill Haecker – 128 miles
45. Johnny Adams – 125 miles
46. Richard McKnight – 125 miles
47. Ally Gregory – 124 miles
48. Shelly Mack – 123 miles
49. Christian McMahon – 122 miles
50. Curt Chambers – 122 miles
51. Gilbert Gray – 121 miles
52. Remy Brandefalk – 121 miles
53. Dale Rucker – 121 miles
54. Tim Loudermilk – 120 miles
55. Lynda Webber – 118 miles
56. Sergio Bianchini – 118 miles
57. Dallas Smith – 117 miles
58. Don Winkley – 116 miles
59. Jameelah Abdul-Rahim – 115 miles
60. John Price – 111 miles
61. Jay Hamilton – 108 miles
62. Paul Heckert – 107 miles
63. Garry Price – 106 miles
64. Troy Johnson – 105 miles
65. Cathie Johnson – 105 miles
66. Ben Pennington – 102 miles
67. Diane Taylor – 98 miles
68. Terrie Wurzbacher – 98 miles

DID NOT FINISH (12): Joe Ninke 145 miles, Marcia Rasmussen mile 125, Ronald Trignano 109 miles, Sue Scholl mile 107, John Rasmussen mile 92, Ann Kerkman 83 miles, Troy Varney 83 miles, Brian Pickett mile 78, Betty Holder 56 miles, Michael Melton mile 54, Amanda McMahon mile 45, Larry Phillips mile 39

Run It Fast members Sal Coll and Shane Tucker taking names around mile 146.

Laz’s 72 Hour Pep Talk

the long thin line grows thinner:

the 4th morning is here.
once again the sun beats down
the chirring july flies sing…

Steven Smith hits mile 200 of The Vol State. Only 114 miles to go.

The Canadian women of Marylou Corino and Lisa Van Wolde are at mile 200 in Lewisburg.

Greg Armstrong is strong once again and banging out 10-11 minute miles as he starts to feel the pull of The Rock a bit as he moves towards Monteagle Mountain.

Shane Tucker is to mile 152 where he is now going down for sleep and will get back at it once the sun is down.

Race leader Greg Armstrong has turned the volume up to sub 10 min miles and is now at mile 265 with less than 50 miles to go. He is 10 miles away from the base of Monteagle mtn.

“Thanks for all the encouragement and positive energy! This race has been brutal. Three straight days of a heat index at 100 degrees. Never have I been so humbled.  Am at the base of Mounteagle about to make the ascent! Less than 50 to go. The Rock is near!” – Greg Armstrong

Ben Herron is all thumb on his trek towards Columbia, TN.

“Having a blast! (really lol) the camaderie is admirable. We all are in pain, we see it in each other’s eyes. Yes it hurts, it’s extremely hard, this course is unforgiving and relentless. Goals and plans have changed too many times to count but the goal of reaching the Rock hasn’t. I’ve ran out of food n supplies in between just about every town, I’ve begged strangers for water, I’ve been dehydrated, gotten cramps, hobbled thru 144 miles but I’m still marching toward the Rock. This course will make the most fluid runners hobble. It will turn 10 min miles into 30 min miles. If it was easy then everyone would do it. The Vol Staters we don’t want easy, we want to earn our seat in the camp chair “throne” on the Rock. We just want to finish this beast and prove to ourselves that we have what it takes inside. It is about survival now. ‪#‎GetToTheRock‬” – Gregg Ellis

“Yikes, I just took a look at Mike’s (Delang) feet. No wonder his painful grimaces and slow pace, the skin has completely come off 3 toes. Let’s see how well I can treat and tape them with what tools I have and if it will help him move forward. We are desperately trying to avoid a call to the ‘meat wagon’ that would end our race. Our goal is to walk the 9 miles to the next town and see how he does.” – Sandy Geisel

84 Hour Update Shortly. Runners are still reporting their positions….several more DNF’s. Armstrong is at 281. Steene 273.

84 Hour Vol State 500K Standings 7:30am Sunday, July 12th (63 Runners, 17 DNFs)

1. Greg Armstrong – 281 miles 
2. Johan Steene – 273 miles
3. John Fegyveresi – 234 miles
4. Steven Smith – 224 miles
5. Lisa Van Wolde – 211 miles (F)
6. Marylou Corino – 211 miles (F)
7. Jay Dobrowalski – 202 miles
8. Jeremy Ebel – 202 miles
9. Michael Callans – 200 miles
10. Andrea Stewart – 179 miles
11. James Adams – 178 miles
12. Thomas Alm – 176 miles
13. Lisa Hazlett – 174 miles
14. Rick Gray – 174 miles
15. Bo Millwood 173 miles
16. Karen Jackson – 173 miles
17. David Lettieri – 172 miles
18. Sal Coll – 171 miles
19. Edward Masuoka – 170 miles
20. Richard Westbrook – 170 miles
21. Jeffrey Stephens – 169 miles
22. Tim Purol – 169 miles
23. Scott Krouse – 165 miles
24. Sherry Meador – 165 miles
25. Caleb Nolen – 164 miles
26. Ben Herron – 163 miles
27. Joshua Swink – 163 miles
28. Timothy Daily – 163 miles
29. Thomas Skinner – 162 miles
30. Shane Tucker – 152 miles
31. Shelly Mack – 150 miles
32. Bill Haecker – 147 miles
33. Allen Wrinkle – 146 miles
34. Gina Chupka – 146 miles
35. John Sharp – 146 miles
36. Christopher Knight – 145 miles
37. Dallas Smith – 145 miles
38. Fred Davis III – 145 miles
39. Gregg Ellis – 145 miles
40. Lynda Webber – 145 miles
41. Sergio Bianchini – 145 miles
42. Tom Dekornfield – 145 miles
43. Joseph Kowalski – 145 miles
44. Gilbert Gray – 142 miles
45. Jameelah Abul-Rahim – 142 miles
46. Remy Brandefalk – 142 miles
47. Don Winkley – 140 miles
48. Johnny Adams – 139 miles
49. Richard McKnight 139 miles
50. Ally Gregory – 137 miles
51. Sandy Geisel – 136 miles
52. Tim Loudermilk – 135 miles
53. John Price – 131 miles
54. Christian McMahon – 131 miles
55. Curt Chambers – 131 miles
56. Cathie Johnson – 125 miles
57. Troy Johnson – 125 miles
58. Jay Hamilton – 125 miles
59. Garry Price – 114 miles
60. Paul Heckert – 113 miles
61. Ben Pennington – 111 miles
62. Diane Taylor – 108 miles
63. Terrie Wurzbacher – 108 miles

DID NOT FINISH (17): Francesca Muccini 188 miles, Jeff McGonnell 165 miles, Joe Ninke 145 miles, Mike Delang mile 135, Dale Rucker mile 125, Marcia Rasmussen mile 125, Ronald Trignano 109 miles, Sue Scholl mile 107, John Rasmussen mile 92, Ann Kerkman 83 miles, Troy Varney 83 miles, Brian Pickett mile 78, Betty Holder 56 miles, Michael Melton mile 54, Amanda McMahon mile 45, Larry Phillips mile 39

After the updated standings were posted, Francesca Muccini who was the third female, dropped from the race per her Facebook update. Congrats to RIF’s Francesca who had an amazing run. Great job, Francesca!

The eloquent Dallas Smith checks in with these words:

Day 4, Sunday, Hohenwald, MM 145

The Vol State 500k has added a new term to the running lexicon, “2 mph.” A speed ordinary runners don’t consider, but every Vol Stater knows. When you have no play left except an enfeebled walk then you make that play.

You can endure even that and emerge running the next day. I did. The fever on my quads broke during a deep sleep untroubled by dreams or trips to the bathroom. This morning, I hit US 412 at 4:14 in Parsons. I stopped at 6:30 pm at Hohenwald.

The moon is a stingy mistress withholding her light, hanging in the eastern morning sky, offering only a thin smile and each day falling a little closer to the rising sun.

When I left Parsons a whip-o-will was calling, second consecutive morning to hear that sound. A chorus of frogs, several kinds, were making their calls, including one that sounded like barking. And a bullfrog was grunting. These hopeful sounds launched me into another burning day.

I have a hip hop vibe going, running with my shorts pulled down low, so they can rub a new spot and let the old spot rest. May improve my style category, trotting down the road with drooping britches.

I remember a guy two years ago had same problem, but different body part. He wrapped his scrotum with duct tape. Which seemed an imperfect solution. That’s the fate of the uncrewed runner – making do with what he has or he can find.

Rich McKnight’s shadow gives the Vol State course a subtle message!

Gregg Ellis just hit the half way point (m157). Congrats Gregg! Only 157mi to go!

Steven Smith is back on the road after a short rest. He has just 89 miles to go and is currently in 4th place.

Couple great photos above from Shane Tucker while cruising through the Natchez Trace Parkway.

“We got up at midnight and started our journey at 0030. We wanted to get a lot of miles in before the heat. Yesterday we went 39 miles,today we went 34 miles, and stopped in Linden,TN. It was very hot today! We have knocked out 125 miles.” – Troy Johnson

Armstrong has got to be getting close to The Rock!

“Halfway at 1:58 AM on day 4. Unofficial Vol State clock time of 3 days, 17 hours and 58 minutes.” – Shane Tucker

Laz’s Nightly News Report from the Road

blood on the highway

one word keeps surfacing at the vol state…

 

 

brutal.

 

today was a truly brutal day.

another escalation in the heat index

battered the weary footwarriors,

 

and more than a few were pushed beyond their capacity to endure.

 

one by one they capitulated.

all day long.

65 of the original 80 remain,

and many of them are hanging by a thread….

 

tomorrow promises to be the hottest day yet.

 

and we knew it would happen.

the relentless oprah has overtaken a runner.

sentimental favorites terrie wurzbacher and diane taylor

find their backs to the wall tonight.

 

they must run down oprah in the darkness

to keep their dreams of reaching the rock alive.

 

of course they are only trying to buy a day.

oprah never lets up.

 

at the front,

greg armstrong has begun his push to the finish

and is running very strong.

johan steene still refuses to go away

having, unbelievably, cut the lead to 8 miles

over a 30 mile stretch of road almost devoid of aid possibilities.

I cannot find the words to describe the improbability of this feat.

 

fegy is now totally alone in third.

 

and steven smith has returned from the void to grab a solid hold on 4th.

 

the canadiennes are smiling and dancing along in 5th/6th.

 

Jeremy ebel and jay dobrawalski have taken very different routes

to fall out of contention.

 

Jeremy ran 10 miles off course

(meaning a 20 mile error by the time he gets back)

jay has simply crashed and burned…

 

his corpse stumbles on,

refusing to quit.

 

the first half of day 4 has been a nightmare.

now we will see what the night itself will bring.

 

laz

_____________

Day-by-Day Vol State 5ooK Recaps

• Day 8: The Vol State 500K Live Blog/Standings (2015)
• King of the Road, Greg Armstrong’s Vol State 500K Race Report (2015)
• Day 7: The Vol State 500K Live Blog/Standings (2015)
• Day 6: The Vol State 500K Live Blog/Standings (2015)
• Greg Armstrong Repeats as 2015 Vol State 500K King of the Road
• Day 5: The Vol State 500K Live Blog/Standings (2015)
• Day 4: The Vol State 500K Live Blog/Standings (2015)
• Day 3: The Vol State 500K Live Blog/Standings (2015)
• Day 2: The Vol State 500K Live Blog/Standings (2015)
• Day 1: The Vol State 500K Live Blog/Standings (2015)

Vintage Vol State 500K Race Reports

• One Mutant’s Last Annual Vol State 500K Race Report (2012)
• Charlie Taylor’s Vol State 500K Race Report (2012)
• Naresh Kumar’s Last Annual Vol State 500K Race Report (2011)
• Joshua Holmes Vol State 500K Photo Journal + Race Report (2011)
• ‘King of the Road’ Don Winkley’s Winning Vol State 500K Race Report (2011)

Historical Vol State 500K Results

• 2014 Last Annual Vol State 500K Results
• 2013 Last Annual Vol State 500K Results
• 2012 Last Annual Vol State 500K Results
• 2011 Last Annual Vol State 5o0K Results

– Run It Fast®

Day 3: The Vol State 500K Live Blog/Standings (2015)

The heat is starting to knock out or severely effect everyone as King Greg Armstrong slowed considerably during the night along with the rest of his pack leading court. Armstrong had 179 miles after the first 48 hours as Day 3 started. Johan Steene had closed the gap to 5 miles back with 174 and John Fegyveresi had moved up to third with 146 miles. Jeremy Ebel is close behind Fegy with 143 miles.

The top women remained Lisa Van Wolde and Marylou Corino with 139 miles. Marcia Rasmussen had an amazing night as she moved up to third woman with 125 miles.  Francesca Muccini is a bit back at 118 miles.

48 Hour Vol State 500K Standings 7:30am Saturday, July 11th (74 Runners, 6 DNFs)

1. Greg Armstrong – 179 miles (17 miles behind of course record pace)
2. Johan Steene – 174 miles
3. John Fegyveresi – 146 miles
4. Jeremy Ebel – 143 miles
5. Lisa Van Wolde – 139 miles (F)
6. Marylou Corino – 139 miles (F)
7. Jay Dobrowalski – 138 miles
8. Marcia Rasmussen – 125 miles (F)
9. Michael Callans – 123 miles
10. Francesca Muccini – 118 miles (F)
11. James Adams – 116 miles
12. Steven Smith – 114 miles
13. Andrea Stewart – 112 miles
14. Jeff McGonnell – 112 miles
15. Bo Millwood – 111 miles
16. Karen Jackson – 111 miles
17. Jeffrey Stephens – 110 miles
18. Tim Purol – 110 miles
19. David Lettieri – 110 miles
20. Thomas Alm – 110 miles
21. Nathan Dewall- 108 miles
22. Sherry Meador – 106 miles
23. Sal Coll – 106 miles
24. Edward Masuoka – 106 miles
25. Scott Krouse – 106 miles
26. Caleb Nolen – 105 miles
27. Timothy Dailey – 105 miles
28. Lisa Hazlett – 104 miles
29. Rick Gray – 104 miles
30. Allen Wrinkle – 102 miles
31. Thomas Skinner – 102 miles
32. Gina Chupka – 102 miles
33. John Sharp – 102 miles
34. Shane Tucker – 101 miles
35. Sandy Geisel – 100 miles
36. Mike Delang – 100 miles
37. Christopher Knight – 98 miles
38. Gregg Ellis – 98 miles
39. Fred Davis III – 95 miles
40. Richard Westbrook – 94 miles
41. Joshua Swink – 93 miles
42. Tom Dekornfield – 93 miles
43. Joe Ninke – 92 miles
44. Christian McMahon – 92 miles
45. Ben Herron – 92 miles
46. Bill Haecker – 92 miles
47. Curt Chambers – 92 miles
48. Dale Rucker – 92 miles
49. Ronald Trignano – 91 miles
50. Jseph Kowalski – 91 miles
51. Johnny Adams – 91 miles
52. Shelly Mack – 90 miles
53. Lynda Webber – 89 miles
54. Sergio Bianchini – 89 miles
55. Don Winkley – 89 miles
56. Ally Gregory – 88 miles
57. John Price – 84 miles
58. Gilbert Gray – 83 miles
59. Remy Brandefalk – 83 miles
60. Jameelah Abdul-Rahim – 82 miles
61. Dallas Smith – 82 miles
62. John Rasmussen – 82 miles
63. Richard McKnight – 82 miles
64. Paul Heckert – 82 miles
65. Troy Johnson – 81 miles
66. Cathie Johnson – 81 miles
67. Jay Hamilton – 77 miles
68. Tim Loudermilk – 75 miles
69. Tony Varney – 71 miles
70. Ann Kerkman – 71 miles
71. Garry Price – 70 miles
72. Diane Taylor – 69 miles
73. Terrie Wurzbacher – 69 miles
74. Ben Pennington – 68 miles

DID NOT FINISH (6): Sue Scholl mile 107, Brian Pickett mile 78, Betty Holder 56 miles, Michael Melton mile 54, Amanda McMahon mile 45, Larry Phillips mile 39

Shane Tucker hits mile 100 of The Vol State 500K.

The fuel of uncrewed runner Gregg Ellis getting back on the road.

“These words don’t even come close to describing what lies ahead… We took a left at despair yesterday and are headed straight into purgatory!” – Shelley Armstrong (Greg’s wife)

2013 finisher Diane Bolton caught up with Steven Smith (who looks barely awake/alive) and his crewman Bill Baker.

Gregg Ellis hits mile 100 of the Vol State 500K. 214 more miles to go!

The locals in Lexington, TN welcome Troy and Cathie Johnson to town!

Race leader Greg Armstrong, sporting the Run It Fast colors, during a very hot and exposed part of the Vol State 500K as he approaches Lewisburg, TN.

Laz’s Day 3 Mid-Day Report:

nothing is decided, yet

so greg did not have the night he had hoped for,

neither did johan.

but, the gap between them closed by half.

5 miles apart,

they fight on into the heat of day 3.

fegys took the lead in the chasing pack.

but ebel, corino, van wolde, and dobrawalski are all within 8 miles.

nothing has been decided amongst them.

 

day 3 stretches out in front of us.

undefined, as yet.

a story as yet unwritten.

laz

_____________

Day-by-Day Vol State 5ooK Recaps

• Day 8: The Vol State 500K Live Blog/Standings (2015)
• King of the Road, Greg Armstrong’s Vol State 500K Race Report (2015)
• Day 7: The Vol State 500K Live Blog/Standings (2015)
• Day 6: The Vol State 500K Live Blog/Standings (2015)
• Greg Armstrong Repeats as 2015 Vol State 500K King of the Road
• Day 5: The Vol State 500K Live Blog/Standings (2015)
• Day 4: The Vol State 500K Live Blog/Standings (2015)
• Day 3: The Vol State 500K Live Blog/Standings (2015)
• Day 2: The Vol State 500K Live Blog/Standings (2015)
• Day 1: The Vol State 500K Live Blog/Standings (2015)

Vintage Vol State 500K Race Reports

• One Mutant’s Last Annual Vol State 500K Race Report (2012)
• Charlie Taylor’s Vol State 500K Race Report (2012)
• Naresh Kumar’s Last Annual Vol State 500K Race Report (2011)
• Joshua Holmes Vol State 500K Photo Journal + Race Report (2011)
• ‘King of the Road’ Don Winkley’s Winning Vol State 500K Race Report (2011)

Historical Vol State 500K Results

• 2014 Last Annual Vol State 500K Results
• 2013 Last Annual Vol State 500K Results
• 2012 Last Annual Vol State 500K Results
• 2011 Last Annual Vol State 5o0K Results

– Run It Fast®

 

The Day 2 Vol State 500K coverage starts with a look at the 24 hour standings as everyone checked in at 7:30am this morning.

Defending King Greg Armstrong tacked on 52 miles during the second 12 hour stretch for a total of 120 miles after 24 hours. Brian Pickett’s ‘Charge’ died as he DNF’d at mile 78. Sweden Johan Steene took over second place with 107 miles. Third place is now led by first female Sue Scholl with 96.5 miles.

Fourth place is Colorado native Jeremy Ebel with 90 miles, fifth, John Fegyveresi with 84 miles and California native Jay ‘Lewisburg’ Dobrowalski has 83 miles.

Top 3 women after 23 hours: 1. Scholl, 2. Marylou Corino 76 miles, 3. Lisa Van Wolde 76 miles

On down the field runners are starting to clump together into pelotons with a big group in the 66 mile range and another around 56 miles.

Laz’s 24 Hour Commentary

Day 2 temps combined with the wear and tear from the high mileage of day 1 will make it tough for all of the runners as their bodies will want to quit and the remaining distance will haze and taunt them.

24 Hour Vol State 500K Standings (79 runners, 1 DNF)

1. Greg Armstrong – 120 miles
2. Johan Steene – 107 miles
3. Sue Scholl – 96.5 miles (F)
4. Jeremy Ebel – 90 miles
5. John Fegyveresi – 84 miles
6. Jay Dobrowalski – 83 miles
7. Steven Smith – 82 miles
8. Brian Pickett – DNF 78 miles DNF
9. Marylou Corino – 76 miles (F)
10. Lisa Van Wolde – 76 miles (F)
11. Michael Callans – 73 miles
12. Lisa Hazlett – 70 miles
13. Gilbert Gray – 70 miles
14. Thomas Skinner – 67 miles
15. Nathan Dewall – 66.7 miles
16. Andrea Stewart – 66 miles
17. Marcia Rasmussen – 66 miles
18. Francesca Muccini – 66 miles
19. Jeff Mcgonnell – 66 miles
20. James Adams – 66 miles
21. Karen Jackson – 66 miles
22. Bo Millwood – 66 miles
23. Jeffrey Stephens – 65 miles
24. Tim Purol – 65 miles
25. Ben Herron – 65 miles
26. Sandy Geisel – 65 miles
27. Mike Delang – 65 miles
28. Richard Westbrook – 64 miles
29. Caleb Nolen – 64 miles
30. Sherry Meador – 62 miles
31. Joe Ninke – 61 miles
32. Edward Masuoka – 59 miles
33. Gregg Ellis – 58 miles
34. Shane Tucker – 57 miles
35. Fred Douglas III – 57 miles
36. Allen Wrinkle – 56 miles
37. Ronald Trignano – 56 miles
38. Scott Krouse – 56 miles
39. Bill Haeckner – 56 miles
40. Tom Dekornfield – 56 miles
41. Sal Coll – 56 miles
42. Gina Chupka – 56 miles
43. Remy Brandefalk – 56 miles
44. Sergio Bianchini – 56 miles
45. John Sharp – 56 miles
46. Rick Gray – 56 miles
47. Joshua Swink – 55 miles
48. Ally Gregory – 54 miles
49. Timothy Daily – 54 miles
50. Johnny Adams – 54 miles
51. Tim Loudermilk – 53 miles
52. Joseph Kowalkski – 53 miles
53. Dale Rucker – 53 miles
54. Christian Mcmahon – 52 miles
55. Richard McKnight – 52 miles
56. Curt Chambers – 52 miles
57. Shelly Mack – 50 miles
58. Paul Heckert – 50 miles
59. Don Winkley – 50 miles
60. Jameelah Abdul-Rahim Mujaaahid – 49 miles
61. Michael Melton – 49 miles
62. David Lettieri – 49 miles
63. Christopher Knight – 49 miles
64. John Rasmussen – 48 miles
65. John Price – 48 miles
66. Lynda Webber – 46 miles
67. Betty Holder – 46 miles
68. Dallas Smith – 45 miles
69. Amanda McMahon – 45 miles
70. Thomas Alm – 45 miles
71. Troy Johnson – 43 miles
72. Cathie Johnson – 43 miles
73. Jay Hamilton – 41 miles
74. Diane Taylor – 40 miles
75. Garry Price – 40 miles
76. Ben Pennington – 40 miles
77. Terrie Wurzbacher – 40 miles
78. Tony Varney – 38 miles
79. Ann Kerkman – 38 miles
80. Larry Phillips – 30 miles

DNF’s Brian Pickett
Run It Fast Members in bold

Map of where runners were at last check in. View HERE

Next standings update after 7:30pm CT, photos and other updates throughout the day (refresh)

Vol State road warriors at it early this morning.

Current 2nd and 3rd place women Marylou Corino and Lisa Van Wolde.

Rumors floating that female course record holder Sue Scholl who was 3rd overall this morning has dropped due to blister issues. #Confirmed

Florida native Michael Melton has dropped from the race as well at mile 54. He simply melted!

Gregg Ellis thinks the road above seems very long….well it is!

Rookie Francesca Muccini is on the heels of Lisa Van Wolde and Marylou Corino.

Bums!!!! ^

Scott Krouse on Facebook: Ugh…every time I stop I’m cramping, particularly in my feet. I’m used to cramps there, but not this extreme. Killer when you’re trying to sleep.

Any suggestions? (Besides he obvious…stop/don’t stop?). I’m slightly dehydrated, but trying to keep up…not TOO bad on salt, I think…

Hot, hot day for Day #2 of The Vol State!

RIF’s Dallas Smith with Sergio!

36 hour updates are starting to roll in with most of the middle of the field holed up in Lexington. This post will be updated within the next 90 minutes with complete 36 hour standings.

DNFS: Pickett, Scholl, Melton, Phillips

36 Hour Race Recap

The carnage mounted on Day 2 as 5 runners became road kill. Run It Fast’s Greg Armstrong remains in first with 154 miles at 36 hour check in. Johan Steene is not far behind in 143 miles. Jeremy Ebel and John Fegyveresi were strong throughout the day and now fill the third and fourth spots.

After Sue Scholl bowed out, Lisa Van Wolde and Marylou Corino (running together so far) became the top females with 108 miles. Francesca Muccini is third female with 103 miles. All three women are Run It Fast members.

36 Hour Updated Standings – Day 2 – 7:30pm CT – 5 DNF

1. Greg Armstrong – 154 miles (16 miles ahead of course record pace)
2. Johan Steene – 143 miles
3. Jeremy Ebel – 118 miles
4. John Fegyveresi – 114 miles
5. Lisa Van Wolde – 108 miles (F)
6. Marylou Corino – 108 miles (F)
7. Sue Scholl – DNF 107 miles DNF
8. Steven Smith – 106 miles
9. Jay Dobrowalski – 104 miles
10. Michael Callans – 104 miles
11. Nathan Dewall – 104 miles
12. Francesca Muccini – 103 miles
13. Andrea Stewart – 92 miles
14. James Adams – 92 miles
15. Jeff McGonnell – 92 miles
16. Lisa Hazlett – 92 miles
17. Marica Rasmussen – 92 miles
18. Rick Gray – 92 miles
19. Jeffrey Stephens – 88 miles
20. Don Winkley – 83 miles
21. Gregg Ellis – 83 miles
22. Allen Wrinkle – 82 miles
23. Ben Herron – 82 miles
24. Bo Millwood – 82 miles
25. Caleb Nolen – 82 miles
26. David Lettieri – 82 miles
27. Gina Chupka – 82 miles
28. Joe Ninke – 82 miles
29. John Sharp – 82 miles
30. Joshua Swink – 82 miles
31. Karen Jackson – 82 miles
32. Sal Coll – 82 miles
33. Sherry Meador – 82 miles
34. Tim Purol – 82 miles
35. Scott Krouse – 82 miles
36. Edward Masuoka – 81 miles
37. Richard Westbrook – 81 miles
38. Shane Tucker – 81 miles
39. Thomas Skinner – 81 miles
40. Shelly Mack – 80 miles
41. Brian Pickett – DNF 78 miles DNF
42. Johnny Adams – 77 miles
43. Ronald Trignano – 77 miles
44. Joseph Kowalski – 76 miles
45. Mike Delang – 76 miles
46. Sandy Geisel – 76 miles
47. Bill Haecker – 75 miles
48. Fred Davis III – 75 miles
49. Tom Dekornfield – 73 miles
50. Timothy Dailey – 70 miles
51. Jameelah Abdul-Rahim – 69 miles
52. Lynda Webber – 69 miles
53. Richard McKnight – 69 miles
54. Sergio Bianchini – 69 miles
55. Christopher Knight – 68 miles
56. Dale Rucker – 68 miles
57. Dallas Smith – 68 miles
58. John Price – 68 miles
59. Tim Loudermilk – 68 miles
60. Ally Gregory – 67 miles
61. Cathie Johnson – 67 miles
62. Troy Johnson – 67 miles
63. Jay Hamilton – 67 miles
64. Ben Pennington – 63 miles
65. Paul Heckert – 63 miles
66. Christopher McMahon – 62 miles
67. Curt Chambers – 62 miles
68. John Rasmussen – 58 miles
69. Ann Kerkman – 56 miles
70. Betty Holder – 56 miles
71. Diane Taylor – 56 miles
72. Garry Price – 56 miles
73. Terrie Wurzbacher – 56 miles
74. Tony Varney – 56 miles
75. Remy Brandefalk – 56 miles
76. Michael Melton DNF 54 miles DNF
77. Amanda McMahon DNF 45 miles DNF
78. Thomas Alm – 45 miles
79. Larry Phillips DNF 39 miles DNF

Race leader Greg Armstrong is now at the halfway point mile 157 at 8:40pm local time. Some 37 hours 10 minutes into the race. Well ahead of course record. Johan remains close on his tail ahead of the uncrewed record.

“This race will strip you to the core. It ain’t no joke. My one and only mission is to get to the Rock, I don’t care how long. My silly lil time goals are no longer a part of my thinking. There is no way a first timer can estimate it anyway. U can throw all of that business out the window. This thing is a beast. You must respect it and be smart or you won’t finish. It’s going to take every ounce of mental n physical strength I can muster up. I’m well over the cut-off times so that’s good. My feet are great, legs pretty good too. My main problem has been dehydration and heat exhaustion. But I’m getting smarter w that.” – Gregg Ellis

“Humbled. That is all I can say. Vol State 500k is no joke. The Race Director Laz makes every step as difficult as possible. Yesterday went ok but the evening was a disaster. Slept on the sidewalk from midnight to 5:30am. Only managed around 10 miles this afternoon. If you make one mistake the course will make you pay 10 fold. Pushing through the night to make up time and miles lost.” – Rich McKnight

“Vol State Day #2. 40 miles completed. 81 total and in the room 4 hours early. Very difficult day with lots of heat. For me, it is a necessity to get up as early as possible and get gone. Getting up at 2:30 got me in the room before 4 today. I am going to try the same plan tomorrow.” – Shane Tucker

“I believe I’ve solved the cramp problem. Cramps were not a factor today. Lots of water – say, a bottle each hour. That means 12-14 bottles each day. Filled some of those bottles with sports drinks. Yesterday, after I finally found water, over the next two hours I drank so much my fingers got fat.” – Dallas Smith

Laz’s 36 Hour Hot Take Recap

road gets real

July 10, 2015. 10:00pm EDT

the second day is when it gets real.especially this second day.newbie vol-staters,

who thought yesterday was hot,

got a dose of reality today.

there were a lot of people just trying to reach any motel,

and escape the heat for a while.

 

the long line did not thin too badly,

as only 3 more had abandoned their quest by dark.

76 brave souls soldiered on.

 

Armstrong continued his assault on the magical 3-day barrier,

coming up a mere 2 miles short of halfway in 36 hours.

joe fejes’  race record is certainly in danger,

as greg was 16 miles ahead of joe’s 36 hour mark.

 

johan steene, the amazing swede, was keeping the pressure on,

trailing by only 11 miles,

despite being unscrewed thru the sweltering day.

 

both are out there in the darkness right now,

in the desolate hills

between Hohenwald and Hampshire.

 

the next 9 runners are only strung out over 15 miles,

so this should be a very interesting night.

as the rest and run patterns are starting to emerge,

and keep the standings in upheaval.

the race is only beginning.

 

backroads Tennessee continued its love affair with the race

and its runners.

 

parsons set up a “welcome center” as did linden.

and the internet is lit up with inquiries;

“when will the runners be here?”

“I love this race”

 

those waiting further along the course can relax.

once they start coming,

the runners will be passing thru for days.

 

and the runners love Tennessee in return.

 

laz

_____________

Day-by-Day Vol State 5ooK Recaps

• Day 8: The Vol State 500K Live Blog/Standings (2015)
• King of the Road, Greg Armstrong’s Vol State 500K Race Report (2015)
• Day 7: The Vol State 500K Live Blog/Standings (2015)
• Day 6: The Vol State 500K Live Blog/Standings (2015)
• Greg Armstrong Repeats as 2015 Vol State 500K King of the Road
• Day 5: The Vol State 500K Live Blog/Standings (2015)
• Day 4: The Vol State 500K Live Blog/Standings (2015)
• Day 3: The Vol State 500K Live Blog/Standings (2015)
• Day 2: The Vol State 500K Live Blog/Standings (2015)
• Day 1: The Vol State 500K Live Blog/Standings (2015)

Vintage Vol State 500K Race Reports

• One Mutant’s Last Annual Vol State 500K Race Report (2012)
• Charlie Taylor’s Vol State 500K Race Report (2012)
• Naresh Kumar’s Last Annual Vol State 500K Race Report (2011)
• Joshua Holmes Vol State 500K Photo Journal + Race Report (2011)
• ‘King of the Road’ Don Winkley’s Winning Vol State 500K Race Report (2011)

Historical Vol State 500K Results

• 2014 Last Annual Vol State 500K Results
• 2013 Last Annual Vol State 500K Results
• 2012 Last Annual Vol State 500K Results
• 2011 Last Annual Vol State 5o0K Results

– Run It Fast®

The 2015 Last Annual Vol State 500K kicked off earlier this morning in Hickman, Kentucky. The Mississippi River was too high from all the heavy rains the area has taken on lately so the ferry was not running across the river.

So instead of starting on the banks of Missouri and running onto the ferry, runners instead started in Hickman, Kentucky next to the ferry after simulating the time the ferry ride would have taken. The race started at 7:30am CT.

Run It Fast had 13 runners sign up for this year’s LAVS and 12 that started. Here is a photo of them on the simulated ferry as they waited for the time to click off:

Last year’s ‘King of the Road’ Greg Armstrong (RIF #373) started strong and took off with the lead. Here is a photo that RIF’s Bill Baker took of Greg 7 miles into the race:

RIF’s Josh Tyner caught RIF members Marylou Corino and Lisa Van Wolde making the turn at mile 18 in Union City this morning.

Shane Tucker taking a quick break in Martin, TN:

After 12 hours, last year’s King Greg Armstrong has a 2 mile lead over Brian Pickett’s ‘Charge!’ Armstrong is 8 miles ahead of course record pace after the first 12 hours. Sweden’s Johan Steene is at 63 miles with 4th overall, first female being Sue Scholl, who set the women’s course record last year. Second female after Sue is Lisa Hazlett with 51 miles and third is Marylou Corino and Lisa Van Wolde with 49 miles.

12 Hour Standings as of 7:30pm on Day 1 – 80 runners:

1. Greg Armstrong – 68 miles
2. Brian Pickett – 66 miles
3. Johan Steene – 63 miles
4. Sue Scholl – 53 miles (F)
5. Lisa Hazlett – 51 miles (F)
6. Rick Gray – 51 miles
7. Steven Smith – 50 miles
8. Nathan Dewall – 50 miles
9. Marylou Corino – 49 miles (F)
10. Lisa Van Wolde – 49 miles (F)
11. Francesca Muccini – 49 miles (F)
12. Jeremy Ebel – 48 miles
13. John Fegyveresi – 48 miles
14. Jay Dobrowalski – 48 miles
15. Michael Callans – 47 miles
16. Marcia Rasmussen – 46 miles
17. James Adams – 45 miles
18. Thomas Alm – 45 miles
19. Tom Dekornfield – 43 miles
20. Don Winkley – 43 miles
21. Ronald Trignano – 42 miles
22. Ally Gregory – 42 miles
23. Shane Tucker – 41 miles
24. Sal Coll – 40 miles
25. Johnny Adams – 40 miles
26. Gregg Ellis – 40 miles
27. Richard McKnight – 40 miles
28. Jeff Mcgonnell – 40 miles
29. Joe Ninke – 40 miles
30. Shelly Mack – 40 miles
31. Gina Chupka – 40 miles
32. Jay Hamilton – 40 miles
33. Andrea Stewart – 40 miles
34. John Sharp – 40 miles
35. Allen Wrinkle – 40 miles
36. David Lettieri – 40 miles
37. Scott Krouse – 40 miles
38. Ben Herron – 39 miles
39. Mike Delang – 39 miles
40. Jeffrey Stephens – 39 miles
41. Bill Haecker – 39 miles
42. Tim Purol – 39 miles
43. Sandy Geisel – 39 miles
44. Jameelah Abdul-Rahim Mujaahid – 38 miles
45. Caleb Nolen – 38 miles
46. Karen Jackson – 38 miles
47. Bo Millwood – 38 miles
48. Edward Masuoka – 38 miles
49. Gilbert Gray – 37 miles
50. Thomas Skinner – 37 miles
51. Remy Brandefalk – 37 miles
52. Richard Westbrook – 36 miles
53. Joseph Kowalski – 35 miles
54. Dale Rucker – 34 miles
55. Tim Loudermilk – 33 miles
56. Sergio Bianchini – 32 miles
57. Lynda Webber – 32 miles
58. Joshua Swink – 32 miles
59. Betty Holder – 32 miles
60. Michael Melton – 31 miles
61. Fred Davis III – 31 miles
62. Sherry Meador – 30 miles
63. John Price – 30 miles
64. Garry Price – 30 miles
65. Dallas Smith – 30 miles
66. Tony Varney – 30 miles
67. Christian Mcmahan – 30 miles
68. Amanda Mcmahan – 30 miles
69. Christopher Knight – 30 miles
70. Ann Kerkman – 30 miles
71. Diane Taylor – 30 miles
72. Curt Chambers – 30 miles
73. Terrie Wurzbacher – 30 miles
74. Larry Phillips – 29 miles
75. John Rasmussen – 29 miles
76. Troy Johnson – 29 miles
77. Cathie Johnson – 29 miles
78. Paul Heckert – 28 miles
79. Ben Pennington – 28 miles
80. Timothy Daily – 21 miles

– Run It Fast®

80 runners is insane.

there are so many runners along the road,

it looks like a 10k is going on….

a really slow 10k.

day 1 was blessed with mild conditions.

the “heat index” was a paltry 97,

altho things promise to heat up tomorrow.

the runners took full advantage.

Armstrong logged a neat 68 in the first 12 hours,

but he had not buried the field.

brian pickett was well within striking distance,

and is probably the fastest pure runner in the field.

greg’s advantage in multiday experience will be tough to overcome

(over another 250 or so miles)

behind the leaders,

runners were lined up in close order.

day one is just a chance to get blooded a little bit.

things won’t start to get serious until tomorrow,

when much more typical temperatures are expected….

and greg seems pretty tight with the 110+ heat indexes.

the real story on day 1 is the response of rural Tennessee to the race.

road angels apparently were out in abundance,

offering up cold refreshment to the cooking runners.

the city of Dresden set up a “welcome center”

with cold drinks, watermelon, and various other treats.

gleason’s fire department

set up an aid station, which was just starting to get customers after 12 hours.

maybe the nicest touch so far

has been the hand lettered signs;

“Welcome Vol State Runners”

“All the way to the Rock”

“Every Step Counts”

the small towns along the way have embraced the vol state

and its runners.

this is going to be a very interesting week.

laz

_____________

Day-by-Day Vol State 5ooK Recaps

• Day 8: The Vol State 500K Live Blog/Standings (2015)
• King of the Road, Greg Armstrong’s Vol State 500K Race Report (2015)
• Day 7: The Vol State 500K Live Blog/Standings (2015)
• Day 6: The Vol State 500K Live Blog/Standings (2015)
• Greg Armstrong Repeats as 2015 Vol State 500K King of the Road
• Day 5: The Vol State 500K Live Blog/Standings (2015)
• Day 4: The Vol State 500K Live Blog/Standings (2015)
• Day 3: The Vol State 500K Live Blog/Standings (2015)
• Day 2: The Vol State 500K Live Blog/Standings (2015)
• Day 1: The Vol State 500K Live Blog/Standings (2015)

Vintage Vol State 500K Race Reports

• One Mutant’s Last Annual Vol State 500K Race Report (2012)
• Charlie Taylor’s Vol State 500K Race Report (2012)
• Naresh Kumar’s Last Annual Vol State 500K Race Report (2011)
• Joshua Holmes Vol State 500K Photo Journal + Race Report (2011)
• ‘King of the Road’ Don Winkley’s Winning Vol State 500K Race Report (2011)

Historical Vol State 500K Results

• 2014 Last Annual Vol State 500K Results
• 2013 Last Annual Vol State 500K Results
• 2012 Last Annual Vol State 500K Results
• 2011 Last Annual Vol State 5o0K Results

– Run It Fast®

Kevin Doyle just marched 645-miles, dressed up as a Star Wars Stormtrooper, from San Francisco to the Comic-Con Convention in San Diego. His reason for doing so will warm your heart and moisten your eyes.

Doyle, a 57-year-old illustrator and photographer from Minnesota, and his wife, Eileen, were huge Star Wars fans. The couple met through the 501st Legion, a Star Wars costume guild. Doyle proposed to her in 2009, dressed like Darth Vader. The couple married in 2010 and R2D2 was their ring bearer.

Unfortunately, their happiness was short-lived. Eileen died in November of 2012 from pancreatic cancer, and Doyle told The San Diego Union-Tribune that he’s struggled to cope with her death ever since. He quit his job, which caused him to lose his house.

So Doyle decided to do a 3-day walk in his Stromtrooper costume for a breast cancer non-profit in Minnesota. Afterwards, he came up with the idea to make the trek from San Fran to San Diego for the Comic Con which was 501 miles away. His route along the ocean turned into a beautiful 645 mile memorial journey by foot.

After he decided to travel to Petaluma, Calif. to check out a Star Wars museum, it occurred to him that he might also like to visit Comic-Con in San Diego. When Google Maps told him that San Francisco and San Diego were 501 miles apart—a callback to the 501st Legion—he decided it was fate. Doyle’s route along the coast, not along the highway, makes it 645 miles.

And in what sounds much like what happens to uncrewed runners during The Vol State 500K, strangers along the route were gratuitous and gifted Doyle with food, water, hugs, and encouragement. Doyle has been self-supported pushing a cart along his journey. He was even gifted with a hotel stay at the convention along with a 4-day Comic Con pass.

Doyle also was able to do a lot of good along his journey as he raised funds for a charity he started called Eileen’s Little Angels that provided kids going through chemo with coloring books, toys, and fun stuff (donate HERE).

You can also follow or read more about his epic journey from The Dark Side on his Twitter HERE.

Harriette Thompson is now the oldest woman to ever run at marathon after she completed the Rock ‘n’ Roll San Diego Marathon this morning at the age of 92-years old. She finished with a time of 7 hours 24 minutes.

Thompson has run the San Diego Marathon 16x and ran a 7:07 last year to set the record for 90 years and older. She started running marathons when she turned 76-years old.

According to ATHLinks Thompson ran a 44:26 5K two weeks prior. She ran a 6:27:03 at the 2009 San Diego Marathon

Congrats to Harriette in showing the world that anything is possible if we will just get out there and try it.

source/photo: Competitor

Born to Run is a mixture of races that take place in Los Olivos, California. The races were created and hosted by famed runner Luis Escobar.

Born to Run is a bit of a cult race with a hippie-like Woodstock meets Burning Man vibe to it with good music, large consumptions of alcohol, and other extracurricular activities, as well as a bit of running. This year’s event had distances of 200mi, 100mi, 60mi, 30mi, 10mi, and a 1mi beer run.

Run It Fast® member, and good friend, Jeff Liu had selected this race a few weeks prior to run as his 4th 100 miler. I wanted to be there to support him but was undecided on running it until three days before the race when I signed up. That’s enough time before a 100 to decide to run it, right?

Naturally, I was late leaving Los Angeles, traffic piled up, and I finally arrived at the BTR ranch about 10 minutes before the race was to commence. Since I had signed up at the last minute there was some confusion as to who had my race bib. I finally located it and rushed to get ready in my truck as Jeff waited shaking his head at my rushed entry onto the BTR scene. Jeff had been there for several hours, all set up, laid back in his Lazy Boy recliner soaking in the BTR vibes, scents, and mentally preparing to run 100 miles. I finally told Jeff to head on over to the starting line as I wrestled with some bags to find socks and Gu’s. Shortly after, I heard the final call to start the race and ran the 1/10th of a mile to the starting line.

Right before the gun went off, I was able to locate the other RIF members there including Christy Scott, Liu, Jeff Genova, Martine Sesma. I found everyone from RIF except Ed ‘the Jester’ Ettinghausen, and Ed is very hard to miss. Not being able to find Ed before a 100 he’s supposed to be at (which is about every one) is like not hearing a screaming kid at Chuck E Cheese at closing time.

Luis fired the shotgun and we started the Born to Run 100 mile race as the sun was starting to set on the ranch. I spent the first mile chatting with Christy and then with Andrew Snope, from Georgia, whom I met back in August at the Six Days in the Dome races in Alaska. I then caught Scott Newton, from Soul to Sole, and we ran the next mile or two together before he took off and left me as I helped a poor oak tree from the tough California drought with a solid 53-seconds of hydration. It was during those early miles that I realized all the things I had forgotten to do in my mad rush to make it to the starting line. The most glaring was that I forgot to put on my Zensah® calf compression sleeves. It was not a major deal though since the race would return by my truck at the 10-mile point.

The first 10 miles was on what was referred to as the ‘pink’ loop, pink ribbon…pink loop.  The pink loop winds all over before bringing runners back to race headquarters. Then we headed out on a 10 mile ‘yellow’ loop (yellow ribbon) that returned us to the same spot as well. You do each loop 5x to reach the 100 miles. I’ll give Liu a pass because he had never done the race before, but Liu, Newton, the Jester, and everyone I spoke to before the race talked about how BTR was a fast course with some easy rolling hills. Four miles into that first ‘pink’ loop and I thought this isn’t that rolling or that easy. As fate would play out the ‘pink’ loop was the easier loop of the two. SMH!

I finished the first pink loop in 1:29 which was pretty fast, too fast actually! I had run it thinking that the yellow loop would be as friendly or more friendly.  Upon getting back to my truck I killed several minutes, finding and putting on my Zensah’s, reloading my bottle, etc. I think I also grabbed my headlamp because the race had started at 6pm, and the sun would be down before I got back around. I headed out on the first ‘yellow’ loop and ran the first couple miles of it with Snope. He’s a super-fast young dude who is usually bare foot or in some Gandhi sandals. We talked a bit, co-mingled in the sunset, and I finally found some weeds to water so he’d get on his fast way. I was running too hard to keep up with his ‘easy’ pace.

That ‘yellow’ loop was no joke. Yellow is supposed to be the color of friendship I thought, but ‘yellow’ was not mellow and slapped me around a bit. I quickly realized that this course was going to be challenging and that I needed to figure out how and when to attack it. It’s one of the advantages of doing a looped course. You’ll be back on subsequent loops so know where you want to run, power hike, let gravity pull you (and where the aid stations are). I got back to home plate finishing my first ‘yellow’ loop in 2:04 for that 10mi and 3:33 for the first 20 miles.

Somewhere between 15-20 miles into BTR my right achilles felt fried and like it was on the verge of popping. My lower back decided to join in around the same time and give me a two piece harmony of pain that couldn’t help me to not think that the next track to be played would be ‘Symphony of Destruction.’ I immediately prepared myself that it might be near impossible to finish 85 more miles and I might ring up my first DNF…after 143 races. After all it’s only a matter of time…I started to prepare myself for all outcomes. When a DNF does finally happen, I’ll just start another streak and hope it’s just as long as the first. However, I knew as long as I could keep taking a step forward that I would continue.

The next ‘pink’ was slower but felt comfortable, followed by a slower ‘yellow’ as my run went deep into the night. My third time around was my slowest on each side, but I knew it was the last miles before the sun reappeared. My aggressive goal coming into the race was to hit 60 miles in the first 12 hours. I think in reality I hit about 57 miles in the first 12 hours. My achilles had slowed me a bit as had hunger and a bit of sleepiness throughout the night, but overall I was pleased with my movement over the first 60 miles that brought me back to BTR headquarters with the completion of three big loops (3 pink and 3 yellow). It took me 13hr 10min to do 60 miles. During that time I hit 50 miles in 10hr 27min.

With daylight anew, I felt confident with 60 miles completed. With the light it’s easier to feel more confident about your footing. It’s no myth that the sun brings energy with it as well. Also with the daylight there would be no more green eyes glowing back at me like they had throughout the night. The ranch had lots of cattle, deer, and other wildlife that kept you alert during the night. Like most trail ultras at night though, you are just going on blind faith and eventually get to the point where you don’t care what is out there…and even further to the point that it usually gets so bad during a 100 that you hope something will attack you and take you out of your misery, but even the wildest of wildlife has standards and will thumb it’s nose at you at that point.

On the fourth set of pink and yellow loops I was strong. I had my 2nd strongest pink loop on that fourth round and also my 2nd strongest yellow loop of the five total completed. I did the combined set of 20 miles from 60-80 in 4:33 (2:00/2:33). This left an ‘easy’ pink that would bring me back to BTR headquarters at 90 miles, leaving the tough yellow loop that I could simply mark off one mile at a time.

The last few times back to BTR HQ Tony Scott, Christy’s husband, who has helped me many times during the Strolling Jim 40 Miler in Tennessee, made sure I had was well fed and I had anything I could think of as he went above and beyond to help me have a good race. I’m very appreciative for Tony’s kindness and help during BTR & SJ40 two weeks before. His tent and food spread became my aid station. Tony had some great lil turkey sandwiches, with pepper jack, on Hawaiian bread that were amazing. I almost turned around once after heading out on a loop to get a few more.  And of course he had Southern favorites, Zebra Cakes and Oatmeal Pies.

During that last pink loop I finally found ‘The Jester.’ I had not seen him before or during the race so I assumed he was a no-show. When I lapped Ed he told me that he had been late to the start (sound familiar?) and had started 30 minutes late. It’s always good to see Ed. He was having a rough day but would go on to complete his 100th 100-miler. Yeah, that’s a pretty amazing number. The whole Jester outfit can really detract at times from what a great runner Ed is and has been for a long time.  He holds a 100 PR of like 14:50.

Around mile 80 I started hallucinating that I saw a hot air ballon with the same colors of my race bib.

Pink 80-90 went smoothly and I headed out quickly for my very last loop, my last yellow loop. I was ready to finish and for several hours I had kept my focus on the number 22:30 to keep me tuned in and keep me tight on the rail to try to finish this race without burning too much more time than necessary. It’s 100% that RIF attitude of maximizing potential and seeing what we are truly capable of doing. On that last yellow it had warmed up as it was now the hottest part of the day. I was pushing pretty hard to finish, and I started to get a bit light headed coming up one of the long climbs. I dialed it back a bit, slowed down on that last big climb, and waited to turn it back up when the next descent hit.

Around mile 96ish I went down that nasty triple-dip ridge descent for the last time. This left close to 3 miles to go and with that came a good feeling that my 30th 100-mile finish was in the bag. I enjoyed those last miles and kind of played the entire race throughout my head again as I also wondered how Christy, Jeff, and Ed were doing on the course. I had not seen Jeff in about 25 miles when we crossed at one point at an intersection. I kept hoping he had not DNF’d and succumbed to the vices of BTR HQ.

I then came down the last mile, through the BTR alley of cheering & debauchery, and crossed the finish line in 22:16:51. It was good enough for 5th overall. RIF’s Jeff Genova, the official race photographer, gave me my finisher’s amulet and buckle moments after crossing the finish.

I was pleased with my finish and my time. I had battled for many miles against my achilles, gutted it through certain sections, but had given it my all every step of the way. I could have saved more time by being more organized with my gear/food/etc at my truck where I burned more time than I should have, but that is the only thing I felt like I could have done better. My moving time was 20:27:53….so I could have done better and been more efficient at my truck when I stopped at it for sure. I felt like I minimized time at the actual aid stations.

Here is a look at some of my splits from the 2015 Born to Run 100:

Pink Loops: 1:29, 2:04, 2:17, 2:00, 2:09
Yellow Loops: 2:04, 2:33, 2:43, 2:33, 2:24
20 Mile Loops: 3:33, 4:37, 5:00, 4:33, 4:33
10-1:29, 20-3:33, 30-5:37, 40-8:10, 50-10:27, 60-13:10, 70-15:10, 80-17:43, 90-19:52, 100-22:16

View Born to Run 100 by Joshua Holmes on Strava
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Christy Scott finished sub 24 in 23:50:22 and was 1st female. Jeff Liu finished in 25:52:37. Ed ‘Jester’ Ettinghausen finished in 29:18:34 for his 100th 100-mile finish. Martine Sesma PR’d the 30-mile race in 6:00:14.

The great Oswaldo Lopez won the BTR 100mi in 17:10:07, Andrew Snope was 2nd in 17:45:22, and Ben Holmes was 3rd in 18:45:24.

Born to Run is laid back and fun for those there running one of the races, but is also a fun atmosphere for those not running as well with the live music, spirits, etc. The course is more challenging than advertised or friends remembered from prior years, but it’s a pretty course with great views and wildlife throughout.

I hope to be able to make it back next year!

– joshua holmes (RIF #1)
Run It Fast®

Asphalt in My Blood

i got hooked in 1970.
it wasn’t really a big deal,
i ran from tullahoma to estill springs and back.
it was only 16 miles, altho that was the furthest i had ever run.
the big thing was, i got asphalt in my blood.
from that day on,
i could not escape the call of the open road.
the map didn’t start until 1977.
i had used maps for quite a while to plan new places to run.
it was a miserable january,
and i had brightened it by getting a map of the city,
and using january to run every single road,
marking them off with a magic marker.
one night i got out my county maps
and shaded all my runs. all the places i had been.
then i cut out the maps and taped them together:
coffee, bedford, and franklin counties.
they looked dam impressive, so i hung it on the wall over the kitchen table.
the itch got worse,
and soon my map included lincoln, moore, and rutherford counties.
it was either 1979 or 1980 that tom osler changed my life.
i read some article, either by or about him, that introduced a concept so revolutionary
that it completely redefined my capabilities.
walking was not just what happened when you could run no further.
it was acceptable to walk on purpose.
and if you mixed in a little walking as you went,
your horizons expanded beyond the horizon.
suddenly i found that i was not limited to 30 or 35 miles in a run.
i could go on and on indefinitely.
in 1980 i took my first stab at running across tennessee
(north to south-125 miles seemed plenty ambitious at the time)
after making every mistake a noob can make,
i ended up aborting after 93 miles.
it was a failure that would give birth to the vol-state
(but that is another story, for another day)
as time went by, i added to my skill set and my tools.
they invented water bottles
and i got me a liquipak.
around 1983 i got a bodabelt 100-miler fanny pack.
i still use the liquipack and bodabelt 100-miler.
no better products have been produced.
growing my map became a passion.
i left on christmas eve and ran overnight to sandra’s dad’s house in dickson for christmas.
it was a hundred and some odd miles,
depending on which way you went.
i eventually went all of them,
and part of the holiday tradition became reports on where family members passed me on their way to the gatherings.
i took trips that went on for days, overnighting in cheap motels…
or cemeteries and church lawns.
my map grew and grew.
sandra took me to arkansas, and let me out.
a week later i showed up at home.
(she loves to tell people that no matter where she dumps me, i always find my way home)
somewhere along the way,
my goal became to add every county in the state to my map…
of course there are rules.
all the lines have to connect.
the map i have now is something to see.
it is 30 feet long, and 5 feet tall.
it is crisscrossed with lines;
it is not enough to do every county,
i have to do every route between every city.
the annexation of new counties eventually slowed.
(there are 95 counties in tennessee)
many of the counties are far away.
some lacked suitable roads for trekking.
and i spent a lot of happy days running new roads in counties already on the map.
but the map has never stopped growing.
i have never really had a plan.
there were so many counties, and so many runs to do.
i would just pick something new, plan it and do it.
i have seen some changes during the 43 years of this project.
the days of doing 30 miles at 8 minutes a mile,
and calling it “taking it easy” seem like a dream.
these days, as an old man with over 100k miles on the odometer, and a crippled leg,
20 minute miles feel like flying.
but i have never forgotten the ultimate goal.
altho i cannot go “fast” any more,
the horizon is still only limited by the time i have available.
last night it dawned on me that the end is drawing near.
it was finally time to sit down and take a count on what i have left.
what i came up with is 7 “runs” on my bucket list.
7 “runs” i have to do before i die.
if i could do any run i wanted.
these are the runs i would do:
bartlett to milan (haywood and crockett county)- 80 miles
brownsville bisects this one right in the middle.
convenient for making this a nice challenging 2-day run.
i ran the 1976 jackson marathon, which went into crockett, and does connect.
but that was pre-map, and apparently the actual course is lost to history.
it doesn’t count unless i can mark it in.
knoxville to tazewell (union county) -45 miles.
one good day.
mooresburg to sneedville to rogersville (hancock county)-50 miles
one long day.
i did a 60 mile run in hancock and hawkins county back around 1985, but it does not connect… yet
bristol to morristown (washington and greene counties)-83 miles
on us 11-e, i would love to do this as a continuous run of around 36 hours.
bristol to mountain city to elizabethton to bluff city (johnson and carter counties) 78 miles
up in the smoky mountains.
greenville to newport to sevierville to knoxville (cocke and sevier counties) 79 miles
i’d have done this a long time ago, except fot the smoky mt tourist traffic.
these roads used to be shoulderless, and i am not sure they are much better now.
timing will be important.
johnson city to erwin to the appalachian trail (unicoi county) 50 miles
this just seems like the run to complete my project with.
something about ending at the AT (home of so many other men’s dreams) just seems right.
there they are.
achievable.
despite my physical limitations, the real obstacle these days
is my financial limitations.
but i have made many good friends over the years,
and they have been wonderful in recent years,
accompanying me on the way,
providing good company
and making it possible for me to do these “runs.”
in my dream finish,
durb, and dirt, and others who have been a part of my lifetime project
are with me on that final 50 miler.
it is on a 4-lane road, with plenty of room for us all.
i think that would be the greatest run of my life.
at the same time as i was preparing this list,
my eye was caught by dozens of other roads as yet undone.
this list are the ones to complete the map.
there is more open road calling to me than i can complete in a lifetime.
and that is the way it should be.
living is not living,
without hearing the call of the open road.
laz

[originally posted by Lazarus Lake/Gary Cantrell to the Ultralist in 2013. Laz is the creator of the Barkley Marathons, Vol State 500K, Strolling Jim 40 Miler, A Race for the Ages, and Laz’s Backyard Ultra]

Ethiopia’s Lelisa Desisa easily won the 2015 Boston Marathon on Monday morning in Boston with a winning time of 2:09:17.

Second place went to Desisa’s fellow countryman Yemane Adhane Tsegay in 2:09:48, with third place going to Kenya’s Wilson Chebet in 2:10:22.

Desisa becomes a rare two-time winner of the prestigious race. He won the race back in 2013 when the Boston Marathon Bombings took place. After the race he gave his winning medal to the city of Boston.

Desisa’s two Boston Marathon wins are sandwiched around American Meb Keflezighi’s win last year in 2014. Meb finished in 8th place with a time of 2:12:42.

The highest finishing American this year was Dathan Ritzenhein in 2:11:20.

2015 Boston Marathon Top 10 Results (Male)

1. Lelisa Desisa (ETH) – 2:09:17
2. Yemane Adhane Tsegay (ETH) – 2:09:48
3. Wilson Chebet (KEN) – 2:10:22
4. Bernard Kipyego (KEN) – 2:10:47
5. Wesley Korir (KEN) – 2:10:49
6. Frankline Chepkwony (KEN) – 2:10:52
7. Dathan Ritzenhein (USA) – 2:11:20
8. Meb Keflezighi (USA) – 2:12:42
9. Tadese Tola (ETH) – 2:13:35
10. Vitaliy Shafar (UKR) – 2:13:52

Caroline Rotich was the female winner of the 2015 Boston Marathon

Congrats to all of the Boston Marathon finishers on Monday!

Kenya’s Caroline Rotich had an amazing finish, blasting past Mare Dibaba (ETH) in the last 200 yards in becoming the 2015 female winner of the Boston Marathon. Rotich’s winning time was 2:24:55 with Dibaba in 2:24:59.

Third place went to Ethiopia’s Buzunesh Deba in 2:25:09.  Fourth place went to American Desiree Linden in 2:25:39.

2015 Boston Marathon Top 10 Women

1. Caroline Rotich (KEN) – 2:24:55
2. Mare Dibaba (ETH) – 2:24:59
3. Buzunesh Deba (ETH) – 2:25:09
4. Desiree Linden (USA) – 2:25:39
5. Sharon Cherop (KEN) – 2:26:05
6. Caroline Kilel (KEN) – 2:26:40
7. Aberu Kebede (ETH) – 2:26:52
8. Shure Demise (ETH) – 2:27:14
9. Shalane Flanagan (USA) – 2:27:47
10. Joyce Chepkirui (KEN) – 2:29:07

Ethiopia’s Lelisa Desisa Wins the 2015 Boston Marathon (Results)

Congrats to all of the finishers of the Boston Marathon!