Run It Fast®

Nebraska native Pete Kostelnick moments ago broke the record for the Fastest Trans-Con Run Across the United States of America. He finished the 3,100 mile journey in 42 days, 6 hours, 34 minutes.

His first words upon finishing, “I’m not running back!”

Pete broke Frank Giannino Jr’s record of 46 days 8 hr 36 min that Frank set 36 years ago almost to the day.

Dozens ran the last few miles with him to New  York City’s City Hall steps with his wife doing the steps to the top, arm in arm, with Pete.

He averaged about 73 miles per day during his journey.

Pete is the defending 2x Badwater 135 champion. He set the course record at Badwater back in July.

You can follow Pete on Twitter @PeteKostelnick.

Congrats, Pete.

Elite ultrarunner Karl Meltzer just broke the Appalachian Trail thru-hike speed record set last year by Scott Jurek!

Meltzer finished this tough trek of 2,190 miles in 45 days, 22 hours, 38 minutes!!! Jurek’s now ‘old’ record was 46 days, 8 hours, 7 minutes.

Congrats to Karl and his team on the new record.

[photo: Karl Meltzer FB

THE WORLD’S TOUGHEST FOOT RACE CELEBRATES 39th ANNIVERSARY OF ICONIC ROUTE FROM DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK TO MOUNT WHITNEY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Read this Online / Download the Race Magazine / Download the 5-page Press Kit)

Death Valley, CA:  On July 18-20, AdventureCORPS presents its legendary STYR Labs BADWATER® 135. Now in its 39th year, the world-renowned event pits up to 100 of the world’s toughest athletes against one another and the elements. In scorching temperatures and at altitudes as high as 8,300 feet, runners, triathletes, adventure racers, and mountaineers from 21 countries and 27 American states will face off in a grueling 135-mile non-stop run from Death Valley to Mt. Whitney, CA. Widely recognized as “the world’s toughest foot race, “ it is the most demanding and extreme running race on the planet.

The start line is at Badwater, Death Valley, which marks the lowest elevation in North America at 280’ (85m) below sea level. The race finishes at Whitney Portal at 8,300’ (2530m). The course covers three mountain ranges for a total of 14,600’ (4450m) of cumulative vertical ascent and 6,100’ (1859m) of cumulative descent. Whitney Portal is the trailhead to the Mt. Whitney summit, the highest point in the contiguous United States. Competitors travel through places with names like Mushroom Rock, Furnace Creek, Salt Creek, Devil’s Cornfield, Devil’s Golf Course, Stovepipe Wells, Panamint Springs, Keeler, Alabama Hills, and Lone Pine.

A true “challenge of the champions,” the 2016 STYR Labs Badwater 135 features 51 Badwater veterans and 46 rookies: die hard “ultra-runners” of every speed and ability, as well as athletes who have the necessary running credentials, but are primarily known for their exploits as adventure racers, mountaineers, triathletes, or in other extreme pursuits. With one of the most international fields in race history, the athletes represent twenty-one countries by citizenship or residence: Australia, Barbados, Brazil, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chile, Czech Republic, Denmark, Greece, Hungary, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Morocco, Philippines, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, and United States of America (with 27 different American states represented).

While runners began running the course in the 1970s, the race itself has been part of the fabric of life in Inyo County since 1987. A recent study indicated an annual economic impact of 1.2 million dollars, half of it spent in Death Valley National Park and surrounding gateway communities such as Lone Pine, CA. The race is supported by U.S. Congressman Col. Paul Cook (Ret.) of California’s 8th District, the Inyo County Board of Supervisors, the Lone Pine Chamber of Commerce, and a wide panorama of businesses and charities which are positively impacted.

There are 25 women and 72 men. The youngest male runner is 25 (rookie entrant Sam Weir of Australia) and the youngest female entrant is 29 (rookie entrant Kayla Delk of the USA). The oldest male is 69 (five-time finisher Mark K. Olson of California) and the oldest female is 60 (rookie entrant Pamela Chapman-Markle of Texas). The overall average age is 46. Full roster details are available here: http://dbase.adventurecorps.com/roster.php?bw_eid=78&bw=Go

The men’s course record is held by Valmir Nunez of Brazil with a time of 22:51:29 set in 2007, while the women’s course record of 26:16:12 was set in 2010 by Jamie Donaldson of Littleton, CO. It is expected that the winners of the 2016 STYR Labs Badwater 135 will finish in near record time for both men’s and women’s divisions. The average finishing time is approximately 40 hours, while the overall time limit is 48 hours. For those who finish in less than forty-eight hours, their reward is the coveted Badwater 135 belt buckle. There is no prize money.

The 2016 race field is particularly competitive. Veteran contenders include 2015 men’s champion Pete Kostelnick of Nebraska, 2014 champion Harvey Lewis of Ohio, 2013 men’s champion Carlos Sa of Portugal, 2011 men’s champion Oswaldo Lopez of Madera, CA (Mexico citizenship), two-time men’s runner-up Grant Maughan of Australia, and other notable contenders such as Marathon des Sables champion Mohamad Ahansal of Morocco, Grand Union Canal champion Dan Lawson of the UK, 2016 Badwater Cape Fear and 2016 Badwater Salton Sea champion Jared Fetterolf of Texas, among others. Also competing is Marshall Ulrich, 65, of Evergreen, CO, a twenty-time Badwater 135 finisher and four-time winner in 1991, 1992, 1993, and 1996, along with David Jones, 64, of Murfreesboro, TN, the 1997 Badwater 135 race champion, seven-time finisher, and 60+ age group record holder. For a  full preview of the top men’s field, click http://www.zwittyultra.com/remember-you-paid-to-be-in-this-race-daves-blog/2016-styr-labs-badwater-135-mens-preview

The women’s field, with 25 entrants, includes 12 rookies and 13 veterans. Notable contenders include the 2015 women’s champion, Nikki Wynd of Australia, 2014 women’s champion, Alyson Venti of Barbados, Badwater 135 veteran Brenda Guajardo who is a three-time winner of the Nove Colli ultramarathon in Italy, 2016 Brazil 135+ women’s champion Sada Crawford of Cayman Islands, and others. For a full preview of the top women’s field, click http://www.zwittyultra.com/remember-you-paid-to-be-in-this-race-daves-blog/2016-styr-labs-badwater-135-womens-race-preview

Every year is a new year at the Badwater 135, with rookies and “previously unknown” athletes surprising the contenders with top performances. New stars will shine as the race unfolds.

The STYR Labs Badwater 135 is the final event in the Badwater® Ultra Cup, a three-race series which began with the 51-mile Badwater® Cape Fear in March, continued with the 81-mile Badwater® Salton Sea in May, and now concludes with the STYR Labs Badwater 135 in July. Those runners who complete all three events in the same calendar year are featured on the Badwater.com website and their virtues are extolled throughout the Internet and in future editions of BADWATER Magazine. In 2014, seven remarkable athletes completed the entire Badwater Ultra Cup, nine completed the 2015 BadwaterUltra Cup, while seventeen racers completed the first two Badwater races this year and will toe the line at the third and final Badwater race on July 18.

Now in its seventeenth year producing this race, AdventureCORPS is pleased to welcome our title sponsor, STYR Labs – an innovative nutrition customization and tracking platform delivering cutting-edge supplements to connected athletes and health and fitness consumers worldwide. The advanced ecosystem includes an activity tracker, wireless scale, and free app that collects health and fitness data to create personalized multivitamins or protein blends specific to the user’s health and fitness goals and needs. Sergio Radovcic, founder of STYR Labs, is no stranger to this race with three consecutiveBadwater 135 finishes. More info at www.styr.com

AdventureCORPS  also greatly appreciates the support of Farm to Feet Socks, Fisher Space Pen, Caring House Project Foundation, ZZYXXZ, and ZombieRunner.com, plus the local support of Furnace Creek Ranch, Stovepipe Wells Resort, Panamint Springs Resort, Dow Villa, Pizza Factory, the community of Lone Pine, CA, the people of Inyo County, and other generous companies and individuals. More info: www.badwater.com/about-us/sponsors/

Official Charities of the Badwater 135 include the Challenged Athletes Foundation. As one of the very few charities that provides grants directly to athletes with a physical disability, the Challenged Athletes Foundation has raised over thirty million dollars and directly assisted thousands of challenged athletes world-wide. AdventureCORPS also supports the Bald Head Island Conservancy, Death Valley Natural History Association, Conservation Alliance, and One Percent For The Planet. One of the goals of the Badwater 135 is to raise funds for, and awareness of, these organizations. More info: www.badwater.com/about-us/charities/

This year, over 50 of the race entrants are competing on behalf of a charity of their choice. Some of those include 100 Mile Club, Break the Stigma Project, Caring House Project Foundation, Challenged Athletes Foundation, Death Valley Natural History Association, Homes for our Troops, Hope So Bright, The Herren Project, and others.

This year’s race celebrates the 39th anniversary of Al Arnold’s original trek from Badwater to Mt. Whitney in 1977. Arnold, an ultrarunning pioneer and human potential guru, competed in a solo effort: it was just Arnold and his support crew against the elements and the clock. The official head-to-head race began ten years after Arnold’s pioneer trek, in 1987, and has been held annually without serious incident, fatality, or any citations issued by any branch of law enforcement. For more info about Al Arnold and also the original race click these links:

1977 Al Arnold: http://www.badwater.com/blog/category/al-arnolds-insights/

1987 Race: http://www.badwater.com/blog/1987-the-year-badwater–became-a-race/

PRESS CREDENTIALS, IMAGE GALLERY, and PERMITS

Download the 5-Page Press Kit and Media Credential Application here:

http://www.badwater.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/2016presskit.pdf

A stock image gallery – for bona fide media use only – may be accessed at the following link, with Photographer Name / Badwater.com attribution required: www.flickr.com/photos/chriskostman/sets/72157654693333871

The Badwater 135 is held under permits from Death Valley National Park, California Department of Transportation, Inyo National Forest, and Inyo County. Media attending the event may be required to obtain permits from some of those same agencies.

FOLLOWING THE STYR LABS BADWATER 135 ONLINE

Follow the 2016 webcast at:

http://www.badwater.com/2016-styr-labs-badwater-135-webcast/

Follow the 2016 time splits and results at:

http://dbase.adventurecorps.com/results.php?bw_eid=78&bwr=Go

Follow the race on Twitter (Join the conversation by adding hashtag #Badwater135 to all your tweets about the race.):

http://twitter.com/badwater

Follow the race staff’s live photostream on Instagram (Contribute to the photostream by adding hashtag #Badwater135 to all your IG images about the race.):

http://instagram.com/badwaterHQ

Follow the race director’s live photostream on Instagram:

http://instagram.com/chriskostman

Follow the race staff’s photostream archive on Flickr:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/adventurecorps/

Follow the race director’s photostream archive on Flickr:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/chriskostman/

Join the Facebook conversation:

http://www.facebook.com/badwater135

Download the July 2016 issue of BADWATER Magazine:

http://www.adventurecorps.com/downloads/bw/2016July.pdf

ABOUT ADVENTURECORPS

Oak Park, CA-based AdventureCORPS®, Inc. is an athlete-run firm producing and promoting ultra-endurance sports events and the world’s toughest brand, BADWATER®. Adventure is our way of life. AdventureCORPS’ world-class events for athlete-adventurers include epic races such as the Badwater® 135, BADWATER® Salton Sea, BADWATER® Cape Fear, and Silver State 508™, and other events. Our products include the Badwater® line of apparel, skin care products, gear, and services. Founded in 1984 by Chris Kostman, this group effort is dedicated to exploring the inner and outer universes, seeking adventure, energy, and insight both in daily life and “out there.” More info: www.adventurecorps.com and www.badwater.com.

Badwater® is a federally registered trademark owned by AdventureCORPS, Inc.

The Rock

“We were born to blaze new trails and roads, partake in great adventures, take daring risks, be God strong and foolishly courageous. “Let faith not fear be your compass” and so began on Thursday July 9th, 2015 at 7:30am, a journey of a lifetime, a journey to the rock.

Just before the Last Supper, Greg Armstrong and his beautiful wife Shelley spent almost 2 hrs with Lisa Van Wolde and I, going over the route, showing us maps and providing us with amazing insights about the race. We greatly appreciated them graciously giving their time to help us, newbies to Volstate. People like them truly make our sport the best in the world. At the LAST SUPPER, we met Lazarus Lake (the Race Director), got our shirts and went over a few rules. Things were becoming real and nerves were beginning to form.

The next day, we were to meet at 7am at the Dorena-Hickman ferry. I, of course wanted to be there super early for fear of getting caught in morning rush hour traffic or lost. Lisa just shook her head at me. There is no traffic in Hickman Kentucky, none what so ever and getting lost was unlikely. Needless to say we were the first ones there. Due to high water levels, we had a 20 minute virtual ferry ride (which entailed standing for 20 minutes ) and then off we went.

We made it through Hickman Kentucky with relative ease and passed the Tennessee State Line. We would be in this wonderful “state on the sun” ( our new name for it ) for a good part of our journey.

We were quite charmed by the little towns we were passing and were greeted by a few Run It Fast® members. Thank you Josh and Jamie! It was great to see them out there! ( a special thank you to Jamie’s wife for allowing us into her work to cool off). It was on our way from Martin to Dresden where we caught our first glimpse of heat and humidity. It seemed like the state road was freshly paved and that steam was rising from the ground. It was also the middle of the afternoon which probably didn’t help matters. Our focus changed quickly however because it was here were we first experienced the warmth and kindness of the people of Tennessee. This was to continue through the duration of our journey. Many handed us popsicles, freezes, water, ice and although we had crew, these were still uplifting moments. We made sure to tell every person we met that there were runners doing this on their own and to please find as many of them as they could.

Our goal was to reach 9o miles (the town of Lexington) in the first day. That was our plan ( silly naïve Canadians- throw away the plan right Joshua Holmes? ) We didn’t quite make it there. Our total distance for day one was 76 miles. We knew after day one that our goals from then on would be the following a)not to plan b)survive the heat, c)keep moving forward, and d)listen to our bodies and enjoy this tremendous experience as it was already shaping out to be.

On day two, we made it to Lexington but not before passing some pretty towns, in particular Hungtindgon. In Lexington, we rewarded ourselves with sonic slushies and sweet tea. These two things were to be a staple for the remainder of this “ vacation on foot” as some people have called it. Once we turned left out of Lexington we knew we would be on the US 412 for roughly 95 miles until we hit Colombia. For a moment that seemed quite daunting but we knew it was the only way to get to the rock. We passed many towns on this long stretch of road including Parsons where we enjoyed a nice dinner listening to live music. We made the trek through the town of Linden at night and this seemed to be just one never ending climb with really no shoulder to run/walk on. We made it to the other end of town and took a much needed nap in the car. We ended day two with another 65 miles for a total of 141 miles.

It was much hotter on day three and day four and it was starting to show. These two days were our low mileage days but included some incredible moments. We reached the halfway point ( 157) where we enjoyed a beautiful waterfall.

We made a concentrated effort to look at the miles we covered and not the ones we still had yet to do. We hit the famous “Bench of Despair” which made us quite emotional. The store owners left a barrel of ice and water bottles and markers to sign our names and times on the bench which we gladly did.

The next 7-8 miles were quite beautiful and went by rather quickly. It was also on this road where a family left lawn chairs, an umbrella, food, shirts, salt pills and a number of different items for volstate runners. Again, one can’t help but get emotional at such a selfless act of kindness. We were going through a particularly hard, hot, humid, and hilly stretch into Lewisburg. We jokingly said that we could cross off running on the sun from our bucket list. We honestly felt like our skin was going to peel off. I remember making very small conversation with Lisa at which point she turned me and said “Mare I flatlined 3 hills ago” and that summarizes how we felt at times. Oddly enough, our skin didn’t peel off nor did we flatline. Day 3 and 4 saw us do 44 and 49 miles respectively for a total of 234 miles by the end of day 4.

The start of day 5 brought us to see our fourth sunrise. As the sun rose, so did we. It rejuvenated us. It was a new day, a new dawn. We had made it through yet another day in the Volstate. We also found this on the start of day 5 and were wondering if by using it we would get to the rock faster.

Running highs were amplified but so were the lows at Volstate. We embraced the highs, became humbled with the lows and moved one foot in front of the other. We thoroughly enjoyed running to the town of Wartrace and from there to the US41. It was early in the morning, quiet, scenic and peaceful, just us and the road. The miles flew by during this section and we both could say we were in a dream like running state. I had never felt that before. I made sure I was present for every step because I knew deep down, I was probably never going to feel that again. It was along US41 where Whitney, a runitfast member came to see us bringing with her strawberry popsicles and some much needed salt pills. Thank you! The end of Day 5 saw us climb 3 miles up Monteagle. We stopped at the top, lay on the floor and admired the sky full of stars trying to absorb this whole experience. We ended day 5 with 44 miles and a total of 278 miles. In the last five 5days, we spent approximately 2 hours out of the sun each day and rested on average between two to three hours at night. This strategy worked for us for every time we hit the road we felt re-energized and ready to move sometimes slow, sometimes slower but always forward.

We woke up on day 6 knowing that we were going to make it to the rock. We made it through Tracy City, Jasper and Kimball where we saw Lazarus, Steven ( who had finished Volstate the day before),
Bill ( who crewed Steven but always made sure we were okay when he saw us, Thank you Mr. Baker! ), John ( two time Volstate finisher- uncrewed) and Sue ( women’s record holder for Volstate!) Seeing them made us smile. We were near the 300 mile mark at this point.

We made it to the bottom of the Mountain, dug deep and began our 6 mile climb into Alabama through the cornfields to the rock.

We had done it. 5 days , 8 hours , 6 minutes and 52 seconds later, we had made it.

There are so many people that were instrumental in our success. A special thank you to both our husbands who entertained the thought of us participating in this race and for taking care of things back home while we were away. To our crew. Alissa, Nikki Laura Lee and Bill. Words cannot express the gratitude we feel towards you and all you did for us over the 5 days, stopping every 3 miles, cooling us down, getting us food, being patient while we tended to our feet and just being positive and encouraging. We will forever be appreciative. ( I think Bill was taking the picture!)

To all of you that came by to visit, to those at home cheering for us, and sending us positive vibes, Thank you! We used that to fuel us and keep going. A special mention to Joshua Holmes for believing that I could finish this race when I asked him about it back in December. Thank you. It was everything you said it would be and more. To God, who shined his light on us every day we were out there. Congratulations to all Volstate finishers this year and to those who didn’t finish, congratulations for having the courage to tow the start line. A special congratulations to my running partner and great friend Lisa who not only completed her first multiday but was “officially” the first female to touch the rock. I would not have had it any other way.

This race enters your blood and becomes part of who you are. It touches your core and captures your soul. One lives so much in those 314 miles that it undeniably leaves its mark on you permanently. We are definitely not the same people that started the race. It is an experience that develops your character but at the same time reveals it. It tested our limits and in the process, made us go beyond them. The journey inspired us, brought us to your knees and at times made us feel broken physically, mentally and spiritually BUT it didn’t defeat us. Somehow ,somewhere , someway along this journey we become MORE stubborn and relentless than the VOL STATE and step by step we overcame and made it to the rock.

– Marylou Corino (RIF #410)
July 9-15, 2015
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Vintage Vol State 500K Race Reports

• King of the Road, Greg Armstrong’s Vol State 500K Race Report (2015)
• 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)

Day-by-Day Vol State 500K Recaps

• Day 11: The Vol State 500K Live Blog/Standings (2015)
• Day 10: The Vol State 500K Live Blog/Standings (2015)
• Day 9: The Vol State 500K Live Blog/Standings (2015)
• 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)

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 final countdown is over as the 10 day, 240 hour clock has ticked out but not before all 5 remaining on the course finished 2015’s The Vol State 500K.

Congrats to Diane Taylor, Paul Heckert, Ben Pennington, Jay Hamilton, and Terrie Wurzbacher on their finishes. Terrie is the oldest female to every finish The Vol State 500K. Just an amazing feat for her and everyone.

Unofficial Final Standings below!

240 Hour Vol State 500K Standings 7:30am Sunday, July 19th (59 Finishers, 21 DNFs)

1. Greg Armstrong – 3 days 22 hours 5 minutes 23 seconds (King of the Road)
2. Johan Steene – 3 days 23 hours 15 minutes 52 seconds (uncrewed course record, 2nd overall)
3. John Fegyveresi – 4 days 19 hours 28 minutes 54 seconds (3rd overall, uncrewed)
4. Steven Smith – 4 days 20 hours 3 minutes 48 seconds
5. Lisa Van Wolde – 5 days 8 hours 6 minutes 47 seconds (1st Female)
6. Marylou Corino – 5 days 8 hours 6 minutes 52 seconds (T-1st/2nd Female)
7. Jeremy Ebel – 5 days 16 hours 42 minutes 30 seconds (uncrewed)
8. Andrea Stewart – 5 days 21 hours 33 minutes 59 seconds (3rd female, uncrewed)
9. Jay Dobrowalski – 5 days 23 hours 34 minutes 38 seconds (uncrewed)
10. James Adams – 6 days 5 hours 47 minutes 12 seconds (uncrewed)
11. Sal Coll – 6 days 8 hours 4 minutes 25 seconds (uncrewed, 4x finisher)
12. Bo Millwood – 6 days 10 hours 11 minutes 20 seconds (uncrewed)
13. Karen Jackson – 6 days 10 hours 11 minutes 40 seconds (uncrewed)
14. Rick Gray – 6 days 11 hours 10 minutes 8 seconds
15. Lisa Hazlett – 6 days 11 hours 22 minutes 27 seconds
16. David Lettieri – 6 days 15 hours 43 minutes 46 seconds (uncrewed)
17. Michael Callans – 6 days 17 hours 17 minutes 5 seconds (uncrewed)
18. Thomas Alm – 6 days 17 hours 29 minutes 9 seconds
19. Timothy Daily – 6 days 17 hours 29 minutes 39 seconds
20. Edward Masuoka – 6 days 20 hours 3 minutes 9 seconds (uncrewed)
21. Ben Herron – 6 days 21 hours 5 minutes 29 seconds (uncrewed)
22. Tim Purol – 6 days 21 hours 47 minutes 8 seconds (uncrewed)
23. Jeffrey Stephens – 6 days 22 hours 20 minutes 44 seconds (uncrewed)
24. Tom Dekornfield – 6 days 23 hours 4 minutes 42 seconds (uncrewed)
25. Scott Krouse – 7 days 3 hours 32 minutes 27 seconds (uncrewed)
26. Gina Fioroni – 7 days 7 hours 2 minutes 59 seconds (uncrewed)
27. Thomas Skinner – 7 days 8 hours 15 minutes 34 seconds (uncrewed)
28. Caleb Nolen – 7 days 9 hours 48 minutes 10 seconds (uncrewed)
29. Shelly Mack – 7 days 10 hours 32 minutes 13 seconds
30. Allen Wrinkle – 7 days 12 hours 0 minutes 2 seconds (uncrewed)
31. John Sharp – 7 days 12 hours 0 minutes 18 seconds (uncrewed)
32. Sherry Meador – 7 days 12 hours 58 minutes 18 seconds (uncrewed)
33. Ally Gregory – 7 days 14 hours 25 minutes 40 seconds
34. Christian McMahon – 7 days 16 hours 25 minutes 59 seconds
35. Sergio Bianchini – 7 days 16 hours 46 minutes 9 seconds (uncrewed)
36. Christopher Knight – 7 days 18 hours 8 minutes 52 seconds
37. Shane Tucker – 7 days 23 hours 11 minutes 44 seconds
38. Gregg Ellis – 8 days 1 hour 24 minutes 40 seconds
39. Joshua Swink – 8 days 4 hours 38 minutes 32 seconds
40. Johnny Adams – 8 days 5 days 22 minutes 28 seconds
41. Richard McKnight – 8 days 5 hours 8 minutes 20 seconds
42. John Price – 8 days 6 hours 13 minutes 1 second
43. Don Winkley – 8 days 7 hours 36 minutes 14 seconds
44. Dallas Smith – 8 days 10 hours 9 minutes 11 seconds
45. Jameelah Abdul-Rahim – 8 days 12 hours 13 minutes 34 seconds
46. Fred Davis III – 8 days 12 hours 47 minutes 38 seconds
47. Gilbert Gray – 8 days 12 hours 48 minutes 21 seconds
48. Troy Johnson – 8 days 22 hours 52 minutes 54 seconds
49. Cathie Johnson – 8 days 22 hours 52 minutes 59 seconds
50. Garry Price – 9 days 4 hours 40 minutes 23 seconds
51. Lynda Webber – 9 days 4 hours 58 minutes 39 seconds
52. Tim Loudermilk – 9 days  8 hours 8 minutes 10 seconds
53. Joseph Kowalski – 9 days 9 hours 17 minutes 50 seconds
54. Bill Haecker – 9 days 12 hours 42 minutes 8 seconds
55. Paul Heckert – 9 days 15 hours 46 minutes 37 seconds
56. Diane Taylor – 9 days 21 hours 29 minutes 8 seconds
57. Ben Pennington – 9 days 21 hours 29 minutes 47 seconds
58. Jay Hamilton – 9 days 21 hours 30 minutes 24 seconds
59. Terrie Wurzbacher – 9 days 21 hours 30 minutes 37 seconds

DID NOT FINISH (21): Richard Westbook 257 miles, Remy Brandefalk 249 miles, Sandy Geisel 189 miles, Francesca Muccini 188 miles, Jeff McGonnell 165 miles, Nathan Dewall 145 miles, Joe Ninke 145 miles, Mike Delang mile 135, Curt Chambers mile 130, 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

*bold = Run It Fast Club members

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Day-by-Day Vol State 5ooK Recaps

• Day 10: The Vol State 500K Live Blog/Standings (2015)
• Day 9: The Vol State 500K Live Blog/Standings (2015)
• 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®

Many more finishers hitting The Rock. Congrats on your Vol State 500K finish. An epic journey that will stay with you.

216 Hour Vol State 500K Standings 7:30am Saturday, July 18th (51 Finishers, 10 Running, 21 DNFs)

1. Greg Armstrong – 3 days 22 hours 5 minutes 23 seconds (King of the Road)
2. Johan Steene – 3 days 23 hours 15 minutes 52 seconds (uncrewed course record, 2nd overall)
3. John Fegyveresi – 4 days 19 hours 28 minutes 54 seconds (3rd overall, uncrewed)
4. Steven Smith – 4 days 20 hours 3 minutes 48 seconds
5. Lisa Van Wolde – 5 days 8 hours 6 minutes 47 seconds (1st Female)
6. Marylou Corino – 5 days 8 hours 6 minutes 52 seconds (T-1st/2nd Female)
7. Jeremy Ebel – 5 days 16 hours 42 minutes 30 seconds (uncrewed)
8. Andrea Stewart – 5 days 21 hours 33 minutes 59 seconds (3rd female, uncrewed)
9. Jay Dobrowalski – 5 days 23 hours 34 minutes 38 seconds (uncrewed)
10. James Adams – 6 days 5 hours 47 minutes 12 seconds (uncrewed)
11. Sal Coll – 6 days 8 hours 4 minutes 25 seconds (uncrewed, 4x finisher)
12. Bo Millwood – 6 days 10 hours 11 minutes 20 seconds (uncrewed)
13. Karen Jackson – 6 days 10 hours 11 minutes 40 seconds (uncrewed)
14. Rick Gray – 6 days 11 hours 10 minutes 8 seconds
15. Lisa Hazlett – 6 days 11 hours 22 minutes 27 seconds
16. David Lettieri – 6 days 15 hours 43 minutes 46 seconds (uncrewed)
17. Michael Callans – 6 days 17 hours 17 minutes 5 seconds (uncrewed)
18. Thomas Alm – 6 days 17 hours 29 minutes 9 seconds
19. Timothy Daily – 6 days 17 hours 29 minutes 39 seconds
20. Edward Masuoka – 6 days 20 hours 3 minutes 9 seconds (uncrewed)
21. Ben Herron – 6 days 21 hours 5 minutes 29 seconds (uncrewed)
22. Tim Purol – 6 days 21 hours 47 minutes 8 seconds (uncrewed)
23. Jeffrey Stephens – 6 days 22 hours 20 minutes 44 seconds (uncrewed)
24. Tom Dekornfield – 6 days 23 hours 4 minutes 42 seconds (uncrewed)
25. Scott Krouse – 7 days 3 hours 32 minutes 27 seconds (uncrewed)
26. Gina Fioroni – 7 days 7 hours 2 minutes 59 seconds (uncrewed)
27. Thomas Skinner – 7 days 8 hours 15 minutes 34 seconds (uncrewed)
28. Caleb Nolen – 7 days 9 hours 48 minutes 10 seconds (uncrewed)
29. Shelly Mack – 7 days 10 hours 32 minutes 13 seconds
30. Allen Wrinkle – 7 days 12 hours 0 minutes 2 seconds (uncrewed)
31. John Sharp – 7 days 12 hours 0 minutes 18 seconds (uncrewed)
32. Sherry Meador – 7 days 12 hours 58 minutes 18 seconds (uncrewed)
33. Ally Gregory – 7 days 14 hours 25 minutes 40 seconds
34. Christian McMahon – 7 days 16 hours 25 minutes 59 seconds
35. Sergio Bianchini – 7 days 16 hours 46 minutes 9 seconds (uncrewed)
36. Christopher Knight – 7 days 18 hours 8 minutes 52 seconds
37. Shane Tucker – 7 days 23 hours 11 minutes 44 seconds
38. Gregg Ellis – 8 days 1 hour 24 minutes 40 seconds
39. Joshua Swink – 8 days 4 hours 38 minutes 32 seconds
40. Johnny Adams – 8 days 5 days 22 minutes 28 seconds
41. Richard McKnight – 8 days 5 hours 8 minutes 20 seconds
42. John Price – 8 days 6 hours 13 minutes 1 second
43. Don Winkley – 8 days 7 hours 36 minutes 14 seconds
44. Dallas Smith – 8 days 10 hours 9 minutes 11 seconds
45. Jameelah Abdul-Rahim – 8 days 12 hours 13 minutes 34 seconds
46. Gilbert Gray – 8 days 12 hours 48 minutes 21 seconds
47. Troy Johnson – 8 days 22 hours 52 minutes 54 seconds
48. Cathie Johnson – 8 days 22 hours 52 minutes 59 seconds
49. Garry Price – 303 miles
50. Lynda Webber – 302 miles
51. Joseph Kowalski – 300 miles
52. Tim Loudermilk – 300 miles
53. Terrie Wurzbacher – 290 miles
54. Paul Heckert – 289 miles
55. Bill Haecker – 282 miles
56. Jay Hamilton – 280 miles
57. Diane Taylor – 280 miles
58. Ben Pennington – 280 miles

DID NOT FINISH (21): Richard Westbook 257 miles, Remy Brandefalk 249 miles, Sandy Geisel 189 miles, Francesca Muccini 188 miles, Jeff McGonnell 165 miles, Nathan Dewall 145 miles, Joe Ninke 145 miles, Mike Delang mile 135, Curt Chambers mile 130, 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

*bold = Run It Fast Club members

228 Hour Vol State 500K Standings 7:30pm Saturday, July 18th (56 Finishers, 5 Running, 21 DNFs)

1. Greg Armstrong – 3 days 22 hours 5 minutes 23 seconds (King of the Road)
2. Johan Steene – 3 days 23 hours 15 minutes 52 seconds (uncrewed course record, 2nd overall)
3. John Fegyveresi – 4 days 19 hours 28 minutes 54 seconds (3rd overall, uncrewed)
4. Steven Smith – 4 days 20 hours 3 minutes 48 seconds
5. Lisa Van Wolde – 5 days 8 hours 6 minutes 47 seconds (1st Female)
6. Marylou Corino – 5 days 8 hours 6 minutes 52 seconds (T-1st/2nd Female)
7. Jeremy Ebel – 5 days 16 hours 42 minutes 30 seconds (uncrewed)
8. Andrea Stewart – 5 days 21 hours 33 minutes 59 seconds (3rd female, uncrewed)
9. Jay Dobrowalski – 5 days 23 hours 34 minutes 38 seconds (uncrewed)
10. James Adams – 6 days 5 hours 47 minutes 12 seconds (uncrewed)
11. Sal Coll – 6 days 8 hours 4 minutes 25 seconds (uncrewed, 4x finisher)
12. Bo Millwood – 6 days 10 hours 11 minutes 20 seconds (uncrewed)
13. Karen Jackson – 6 days 10 hours 11 minutes 40 seconds (uncrewed)
14. Rick Gray – 6 days 11 hours 10 minutes 8 seconds
15. Lisa Hazlett – 6 days 11 hours 22 minutes 27 seconds
16. David Lettieri – 6 days 15 hours 43 minutes 46 seconds (uncrewed)
17. Michael Callans – 6 days 17 hours 17 minutes 5 seconds (uncrewed)
18. Thomas Alm – 6 days 17 hours 29 minutes 9 seconds
19. Timothy Daily – 6 days 17 hours 29 minutes 39 seconds
20. Edward Masuoka – 6 days 20 hours 3 minutes 9 seconds (uncrewed)
21. Ben Herron – 6 days 21 hours 5 minutes 29 seconds (uncrewed)
22. Tim Purol – 6 days 21 hours 47 minutes 8 seconds (uncrewed)
23. Jeffrey Stephens – 6 days 22 hours 20 minutes 44 seconds (uncrewed)
24. Tom Dekornfield – 6 days 23 hours 4 minutes 42 seconds (uncrewed)
25. Scott Krouse – 7 days 3 hours 32 minutes 27 seconds (uncrewed)
26. Gina Fioroni – 7 days 7 hours 2 minutes 59 seconds (uncrewed)
27. Thomas Skinner – 7 days 8 hours 15 minutes 34 seconds (uncrewed)
28. Caleb Nolen – 7 days 9 hours 48 minutes 10 seconds (uncrewed)
29. Shelly Mack – 7 days 10 hours 32 minutes 13 seconds
30. Allen Wrinkle – 7 days 12 hours 0 minutes 2 seconds (uncrewed)
31. John Sharp – 7 days 12 hours 0 minutes 18 seconds (uncrewed)
32. Sherry Meador – 7 days 12 hours 58 minutes 18 seconds (uncrewed)
33. Ally Gregory – 7 days 14 hours 25 minutes 40 seconds
34. Christian McMahon – 7 days 16 hours 25 minutes 59 seconds
35. Sergio Bianchini – 7 days 16 hours 46 minutes 9 seconds (uncrewed)
36. Christopher Knight – 7 days 18 hours 8 minutes 52 seconds
37. Shane Tucker – 7 days 23 hours 11 minutes 44 seconds
38. Gregg Ellis – 8 days 1 hour 24 minutes 40 seconds
39. Joshua Swink – 8 days 4 hours 38 minutes 32 seconds
40. Johnny Adams – 8 days 5 days 22 minutes 28 seconds
41. Richard McKnight – 8 days 5 hours 8 minutes 20 seconds
42. John Price – 8 days 6 hours 13 minutes 1 second
43. Don Winkley – 8 days 7 hours 36 minutes 14 seconds
44. Dallas Smith – 8 days 10 hours 9 minutes 11 seconds
45. Jameelah Abdul-Rahim – 8 days 12 hours 13 minutes 34 seconds
46. Gilbert Gray – 8 days 12 hours 48 minutes 21 seconds
47. Troy Johnson – 8 days 22 hours 52 minutes 54 seconds
48. Cathie Johnson – 8 days 22 hours 52 minutes 59 seconds
49. Garry Price – 9 days 4 hours 40 minutes 23 seconds
50. Lynda Webber – 9 days 4 hours 58 minutes 39 seconds
51. Tim Loudermilk – 9 days  8 hours 8 minutes 10 seconds
52. Joseph Kowalski – 9 days 9 hours 17 minutes 50 seconds
53. Bill Haecker – 9 days 12 hours 42 minutes 8 seconds
54. Paul Heckert – 305 miles
55. Terrie Wurzbacher – 300 miles
56. Jay Hamilton – 300 miles
57. Diane Taylor – 300 miles
58. Ben Pennington – 300 miles

DID NOT FINISH (21): Richard Westbook 257 miles, Remy Brandefalk 249 miles, Sandy Geisel 189 miles, Francesca Muccini 188 miles, Jeff McGonnell 165 miles, Nathan Dewall 145 miles, Joe Ninke 145 miles, Mike Delang mile 135, Curt Chambers mile 130, 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

*bold = Run It Fast Club members

_____________

_____________

Day-by-Day Vol State 5ooK Recaps

• Day 10: The Vol State 500K Live Blog/Standings (2015)
• Day 9: The Vol State 500K Live Blog/Standings (2015)
• 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®

7 more finishers before the turn over to 8 days on the clock. The long line to The Rock will continue today as several more are expected to finish. Congrats to all of these amazing finishers.

194 Hour Vol State 500K Standings 7:30am Friday, July 17th (38 Finishers, 21 Running, 21 DNFs)

1. Greg Armstrong – 3 days 22 hours 5 minutes 23 seconds (King of the Road)
2. Johan Steene – 3 days 23 hours 15 minutes 52 seconds (uncrewed course record, 2nd overall)
3. John Fegyveresi – 4 days 19 hours 28 minutes 54 seconds (3rd overall, uncrewed)
4. Steven Smith – 4 days 20 hours 3 minutes 48 seconds
5. Lisa Van Wolde – 5 days 8 hours 6 minutes 47 seconds (1st Female)
6. Marylou Corino – 5 days 8 hours 6 minutes 52 seconds (T-1st/2nd Female)
7. Jeremy Ebel – 5 days 16 hours 42 minutes 30 seconds (uncrewed)
8. Andrea Stewart – 5 days 21 hours 33 minutes 59 seconds (3rd female, uncrewed)
9. Jay Dobrowalski – 5 days 23 hours 34 minutes 38 seconds (uncrewed)
10. James Adams – 6 days 5 hours 47 minutes 12 seconds (uncrewed)
11. Sal Coll – 6 days 8 hours 4 minutes 25 seconds (uncrewed, 4x finisher)
12. Bo Millwood – 6 days 10 hours 11 minutes 20 seconds (uncrewed)
13. Karen Jackson – 6 days 10 hours 11 minutes 40 seconds (uncrewed)
14. Rick Gray – 6 days 11 hours 10 minutes 8 seconds
15. Lisa Hazlett – 6 days 11 hours 22 minutes 27 seconds
16. David Lettieri – 6 days 15 hours 43 minutes 46 seconds (uncrewed)
17. Michael Callans – 6 days 17 hours 17 minutes 5 seconds (uncrewed)
18. Thomas Alm – 6 days 17 hours 29 minutes 9 seconds
19. Timothy Daily – 6 days 17 hours 29 minutes 39 seconds
20. Edward Masuoka – 6 days 20 hours 3 minutes 9 seconds (uncrewed)
21. Ben Herron – 6 days 21 hours 5 minutes 29 seconds (uncrewed)
22. Tim Purol – 6 days 21 hours 47 minutes 8 seconds (uncrewed)
23. Jeffrey Stephens – 6 days 22 hours 20 minutes 44 seconds (uncrewed)
24. Tom Dekornfield – 6 days 23 hours 4 minutes 42 seconds (uncrewed)
25. Scott Krouse – 7 days 3 hours 32 minutes 27 seconds (uncrewed)
26. Gina Fioroni – 7 days 7 hours 2 minutes 59 seconds (uncrewed)
27. Thomas Skinner – 7 days 8 hours 15 minutes 34 seconds (uncrewed)
28. Caleb Nolen – 7 days 9 hours 48 minutes 10 seconds (uncrewed)
29. Shelly Mack – 7 days 10 hours 32 minutes 13 seconds
30. Allen Wrinkle – 7 days 12 hours 0 minutes 2 seconds (uncrewed)
31. John Sharp – 7 days 12 hours 0 minutes 18 seconds (uncrewed)
32. Sherry Meador – 7 days 12 hours 58 minutes 18 seconds (uncrewed)
33. Ally Gregory – 7 days 14 hours 25 minutes 40 seconds
34. Christian McMahon – 7 days 16 hours 25 minutes 59 seconds
35. Sergio Bianchini – 7 days 16 hours 46 minutes 9 seconds (uncrewed)
36. Christopher Knight – 7 days 18 hours 8 minutes 52 seconds
37. Shane Tucker – 7 days 23 hours 11 minutes 44 seconds
38. Gregg Ellis – 309 miles
39. Joshua Swink – 304 miles
40. Richard McKnight – 300 miles
41. Fred Davis III – 299 miles
42. John Price – 297 miles
43. Johnny Adams – 296 miles
44. Dallas Smith – 295 miles
45. Don Winkley – 293 miles
46. Jameelah Abdul-Rahim – 282 miles
47. Gilbert Gray – 282 miles
48. Troy Johnson – 272 miles
49. Cathie Johnson – 272 miles
50. Tim Loudermilk – 270 miles
51. Joseph Kowalski – 270 miles
52. Garry Price – 270 miles
53. Lynda Webber – 268 miles
54. Terrie Wurzbacher – 258 miles
55. Paul Heckert – 252 miles
56. Bill Haecker – 252 miles
57. Jay Hamilton – 250 miles
58. Diane Taylor – 250 miles
59. Ben Pennington – 250 miles

DID NOT FINISH (21): Richard Westbook 257 miles, Remy Brandefalk 249 miles, Sandy Geisel 189 miles, Francesca Muccini 188 miles, Jeff McGonnell 165 miles, Nathan Dewall 145 miles, Johnny Adams 145 miles, Joe Ninke 145 miles, Mike Delang mile 135, Curt Chambers mile 130, 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

*bold = Run It Fast Club members

Congrats to RIF member Shane Tucker finishing in less than 8 days.

RIF’s Gregg Ellis has now finished his epic battle against the Vol State with a time of 8 days 1 hour 24 minutes 40 seconds. Congrats, Gregg!

“I Lived A lot of Life in Those 314 Miles” – Gregg Ellis

RIF member Shane Tucker running to The Rock and on The Rock with his crew gf extraordinaire Julia Beavers.

Several more finishers throughout today reached The Rock. They include Joshua Swink, Richard McKnight, Johnny Adams, John Price, and Don Winkley.

Quote of the Race: “I’ve had a couple layers peeled back before, but I’ve never had MY onions put in the blender like that.” – Johnny Adams

204 Hour Vol State 500K Standings 7:30pm Friday, July 17th (43 Finishers, 16 Running, 21 DNFs)

1. Greg Armstrong – 3 days 22 hours 5 minutes 23 seconds (King of the Road)
2. Johan Steene – 3 days 23 hours 15 minutes 52 seconds (uncrewed course record, 2nd overall)
3. John Fegyveresi – 4 days 19 hours 28 minutes 54 seconds (3rd overall, uncrewed)
4. Steven Smith – 4 days 20 hours 3 minutes 48 seconds
5. Lisa Van Wolde – 5 days 8 hours 6 minutes 47 seconds (1st Female)
6. Marylou Corino – 5 days 8 hours 6 minutes 52 seconds (T-1st/2nd Female)
7. Jeremy Ebel – 5 days 16 hours 42 minutes 30 seconds (uncrewed)
8. Andrea Stewart – 5 days 21 hours 33 minutes 59 seconds (3rd female, uncrewed)
9. Jay Dobrowalski – 5 days 23 hours 34 minutes 38 seconds (uncrewed)
10. James Adams – 6 days 5 hours 47 minutes 12 seconds (uncrewed)
11. Sal Coll – 6 days 8 hours 4 minutes 25 seconds (uncrewed, 4x finisher)
12. Bo Millwood – 6 days 10 hours 11 minutes 20 seconds (uncrewed)
13. Karen Jackson – 6 days 10 hours 11 minutes 40 seconds (uncrewed)
14. Rick Gray – 6 days 11 hours 10 minutes 8 seconds
15. Lisa Hazlett – 6 days 11 hours 22 minutes 27 seconds
16. David Lettieri – 6 days 15 hours 43 minutes 46 seconds (uncrewed)
17. Michael Callans – 6 days 17 hours 17 minutes 5 seconds (uncrewed)
18. Thomas Alm – 6 days 17 hours 29 minutes 9 seconds
19. Timothy Daily – 6 days 17 hours 29 minutes 39 seconds
20. Edward Masuoka – 6 days 20 hours 3 minutes 9 seconds (uncrewed)
21. Ben Herron – 6 days 21 hours 5 minutes 29 seconds (uncrewed)
22. Tim Purol – 6 days 21 hours 47 minutes 8 seconds (uncrewed)
23. Jeffrey Stephens – 6 days 22 hours 20 minutes 44 seconds (uncrewed)
24. Tom Dekornfield – 6 days 23 hours 4 minutes 42 seconds (uncrewed)
25. Scott Krouse – 7 days 3 hours 32 minutes 27 seconds (uncrewed)
26. Gina Fioroni – 7 days 7 hours 2 minutes 59 seconds (uncrewed)
27. Thomas Skinner – 7 days 8 hours 15 minutes 34 seconds (uncrewed)
28. Caleb Nolen – 7 days 9 hours 48 minutes 10 seconds (uncrewed)
29. Shelly Mack – 7 days 10 hours 32 minutes 13 seconds
30. Allen Wrinkle – 7 days 12 hours 0 minutes 2 seconds (uncrewed)
31. John Sharp – 7 days 12 hours 0 minutes 18 seconds (uncrewed)
32. Sherry Meador – 7 days 12 hours 58 minutes 18 seconds (uncrewed)
33. Ally Gregory – 7 days 14 hours 25 minutes 40 seconds
34. Christian McMahon – 7 days 16 hours 25 minutes 59 seconds
35. Sergio Bianchini – 7 days 16 hours 46 minutes 9 seconds (uncrewed)
36. Christopher Knight – 7 days 18 hours 8 minutes 52 seconds
37. Shane Tucker – 7 days 23 hours 11 minutes 44 seconds
38. Gregg Ellis – 8 days 1 hour 24 minutes 40 seconds
39. Joshua Swink – 8 days 4 hours 38 minutes 32 seconds
40. Johnny Adams – 8 days 5 days 22 minutes 28 seconds
41. Richard McKnight – 8 days 5 hours 8 minutes 20 seconds
42. John Price – 8 days 6 hours 13 minutes 1 second
43. Don Winkley – 8 days 7 hours 36 minutes 14 seconds
44. Dallas Smith – 8 days 10 hours 9 minutes 11 seconds–not updated below Dallas
45. Jameelah Abdul-Rahim – 282 miles
46. Gilbert Gray – 282 miles
47. Troy Johnson – 272 miles
48. Cathie Johnson – 272 miles
49. Tim Loudermilk – 270 miles
50. Joseph Kowalski – 270 miles
51. Garry Price – 270 miles
52. Lynda Webber – 268 miles
53. Terrie Wurzbacher – 258 miles
54. Paul Heckert – 252 miles
55. Bill Haecker – 252 miles
56. Jay Hamilton – 250 miles
57. Diane Taylor – 250 miles
58. Ben Pennington – 250 miles

DID NOT FINISH (21): Richard Westbook 257 miles, Remy Brandefalk 249 miles, Sandy Geisel 189 miles, Francesca Muccini 188 miles, Jeff McGonnell 165 miles, Nathan Dewall 145 miles, Johnny Adams 145 miles, Joe Ninke 145 miles, Mike Delang mile 135, Curt Chambers mile 130, 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

*bold = Run It Fast Club members

Run It Fast’s oldest member Dallas Smith finishes the Vol State 500K for the second time, uncrewed, at age 75(ish) in 8 days 10 hours.

_____________

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®

Many more finishers made it to The Rock completing their Vol State 500K journey over the night and early morning. Congrats to David Lettieri, Michael Callans, Thomas Alm, Timothy Daily, Edward Masuoka, Ben Herron, Tim Purol, Jeffrey Stephens, Tom Dekornfield, Scott Krouse!

Lynda Webber is supposedly back from the dead but still at mile 235.

168 Hour Vol State 500K Standings 7:30am Thursday, July 16th (24 Finishers, 36 Running, 20 DNFs)

1. Greg Armstrong – 3 days 22 hours 5 minutes 23 seconds (King of the Road)
2. Johan Steene – 3 days 23 hours 15 minutes 52 seconds (uncrewed course record, 2nd overall)
3. John Fegyveresi – 4 days 19 hours 28 minutes 54 seconds (3rd overall, uncrewed)
4. Steven Smith – 4 days 20 hours 3 minutes 48 seconds
5. Lisa Van Wolde – 5 days 8 hours 6 minutes 47 seconds (1st Female)
6. Marylou Corino – 5 days 8 hours 6 minutes 52 seconds (T-1st/2nd Female)
7. Jeremy Ebel – 5 days 16 hours 42 minutes 30 seconds (uncrewed)
8. Andrea Stewart – 5 days 21 hours 33 minutes 59 seconds (3rd female, uncrewed)
9. Jay Dobrowalski – 5 days 23 hours 34 minutes 38 seconds (uncrewed)
10. James Adams – 6 days 5 hours 47 minutes 12 seconds (uncrewed)
11. Sal Coll – 6 days 8 hours 4 minutes 25 seconds (uncrewed, 4x finisher)
12. Bo Millwood – 6 days 10 hours 11 minutes 20 seconds (uncrewed)
13. Karen Jackson – 6 days 10 hours 11 minutes 40 seconds (uncrewed)
14. Rick Gray – 6 days 11 hours 10 minutes 8 seconds
15. Lisa Hazlett – 6 days 11 hours 22 minutes 27 seconds
16. David Lettieri – 6 days 15 hours 43 minutes 46 seconds (uncrewed)
17. Michael Callans – 6 days 17 hours 17 minutes 5 seconds (uncrewed)
18. Thomas Alm – 6 days 17 hours 29 minutes 9 seconds
19. Timothy Daily – 6 days 17 hours 29 minutes 39 seconds
20. Edward Masuoka – 6 days 20 hours 3 minutes 9 seconds (uncrewed)
21. Ben Herron – 6 days 21 hours 5 minutes 29 seconds (uncrewed)
22. Tim Purol – 6 days 21 hours 47 minutes 8 seconds (uncrewed)
23. Jeffrey Stephens – 6 days 22 hours 20 minutes 44 seconds (uncrewed)
24. Tom Dekornfield – 6 days 23 hours 4 minutes 42 seconds (uncrewed)
25. Scott Krouse – 303 miles
26. Thomas Skinner – 301 miles
27. Caleb Nolen – 293 miles
28. Gina Chupka – 288 miles
29. Sherry Meador – 282 miles
30. Allen Wrinkle – 280 miles
31. John Sharp – 280 miles
32. Shelly Mack – 280 miles
33. Christian McMahon – 280 miles
34. Ally Gregory – 278 miles
35. Shane Tucker – 278 miles
36. Joshua Swink – 277 miles
37. Christopher Knight – 272 miles
38. Fred Davis III – 271 miles
39. Dallas Smith – 264 miles
40. Sergio Bianchini – 257 miles
41. Rich McKnight – 254 miles
42. Gregg Ellis – 254 miles
43. Don Winkley – 253 miles
44. Johnny Adams – 252 miles
45. John Price – 248 miles
46. Tim Loudermilk – 240 miles
47. Joseph Kowalski – 238 miles
48. Jameelah Abdul-Rahim – 238 miles
49. Gilbert Gray – 238 miles
50. Remy Brandefalk – 238 miles
51. Lynda Webber – 235 miles
52. Troy Johnson – 235 miles
53. Cathie Johnson – 235 miles
54. Terrie Wurzbacher – 232 miles
55. Paul Heckert – 229 miles
56. Garry Price – 228 miles
57. Bill Haecker – 224 miles
58. Jay Hamilton – 222 miles
59. Diane Taylor – 222 miles
60. Ben Pennington – 222 miles

DID NOT FINISH (21): Richard Westbook 257 miles, Sandy Geisel 189 miles, Francesca Muccini 188 miles, Jeff McGonnell 165 miles, Nathan Dewall 145 miles, Johnny Adams 145 miles, Joe Ninke 145 miles, Mike Delang mile 135, Curt Chambers mile 130, 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

*bold = Run It Fast Club members

Scott Krouse finished shortly into the start of day with a time of 7 days 3 hours 32 minutes 27 seconds and told race officials, “I collapsed at the base of Jasper mountain, recovering, when I read laz’s update about that annihilating descent….I was like, ‘well that’s ironic.’ ” Congrats Scott on a strong race.

Run It Fast member Ben Herron finished early this morning with a sub 7-day finish of 6 days 21 hours 5 minutes 29 seconds. Ben also completed the Vol State 500K relay with the team Run It Fast, Ya’ll back in May. Herron along with Steven Smith completed both the solo and relay version of the 500K this year.

Gregg Ellis is now past Pelham and has started the ascent to the top of Monteagle mountain.

And now he’s to the top!

“Stopping in Jasper for the day at mile 294. Time for shower and some grub then a nap before bringing it home tomorrow early morning” – Shane Tucker

Dallas Smith said he got to enjoy another sunrise on the road this morning. And what a beautiful one it was judging by this photo he posted to Twitter. You can follow Dallas on Twitter @SmithBend

RIF member Whitney Franklin spotted Rich McKnight (above) up on Monteagle a few moments ago. Rich is less than 40 miles from the finish.

RIF spotter Whitney also just found Troy and Cathie Johnson crossing I-24 just past mile 250 in Manchester, TN. It looks like they are going to do it this year after a joint DNF last year. Amazing couple!

“Vol State Day 8. 37 miles. 294 miles total. 20 miles to finish. After some rest. I am hoping to get up around midnight and try to finish. All miles covered before 7:30 AM will count as part of the day 8 total. Hopefully, the finish time should be around 6 or 7 central time. I will enjoy my last 20 miles of this adventure…..” – Shane Tucker

“Today we ended up in Manchester,TN 250 miles in our journey. 64 miles to go!!! We celebrated a little, and we are heading to Monteagle abought 10 pm. Shin Splints bad, on right leg.” – Troy and Cathie Johnson

Congrats to the following two, Gina and Thomas, on reaching The Rock!!!!

26. Gina Fioroni ‘Chupka’ – 7:07:02:59 – “I woke up at 2:30 this morning, I have a flight to catch this evening!”
27. Thomas Skinner – 7:08:15:34 – I ran it a second time to see the difference between crewed and screwed.Running ……screwed …..is …..harder ……..than ………running ……..crewed.

Vol State vet John Price, who has the most finishes of all-time, is to the top of Monteagle.

“Day 8, Thursday, Tracy City, MM 281

I’m running on raw nubs. Last night I soaked them in peroxide mixed with water in a hotel wastebasket, as Don Winkley had advised. 77 now, he was King of the Road one year. I expect he’ll beat me this year. He’s supported. Someone like that speaks, you listen.

I’m sitting on a side deck of a church in Tracy City, were I’ve just dined on a Slim Jim. Having peanuts after this post. That’ll be supper. Also were I just slept for a hour. That’ll be my sleep. Nearest hotel is hours away.

Vol State 500K Splits

_____________

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

Before the clock struck 6 completed days three more Vol State 500K runners reached the rock. Congrats to Jeremy Ebel, who got lost at one point and added 20 miles to his race, Andrea Stewart, who is the 3rd woman to finish and 1st uncrewed woman to reach The Rock this year, and Jay Dobrowalski on his 2nd Vol State 500K finish.

Richard Westbook called it at mile 257 becoming the 20th DNF of the race.

144 Hour Vol State 500K Standings 7:30am Wednesday, July 15th (7 Finishers, 53 Running, 20 DNFs)

1. Greg Armstrong – 3 days 22 hours 5 minutes 23 seconds (King of the Road)
2. Johan Steene – 3 days 23 hours 15 minutes 52 seconds (uncrewed course record)
3. John Fegyveresi – 4 days 19 hours 28 minutes 54 seconds (uncrewed)
4. Steven Smith – 4 days 20 hours 3 minutes 48 seconds
5. Lisa Van Wolde – 5 days 8 hours 6 minutes 47 seconds (1st Female)
6. Marylou Corino – 5 days 8 hours 6 minutes 52 seconds (T-1st/2nd Female)
7. Jeremy Ebel – 5 days 16 hours 42 minutes 30 seconds (uncrewed)
8. Andrea Stewart – 5 days 21 hours 33 minutes 59 seconds (3rd female, uncrewed)
9. Jay Dobrowalski – 5 days 23 hours 34 minutes 38 seconds (uncrewed)
10. James Adams – 300 miles
11. Sal Coll – 297 miles
12. Bo Millwood – 289 miles
13. Karen Jackson – 289 miles
14. Michael Callans – 283 miles
15. Thomas Alm – 280 miles
16. Timothy Daily – 280 miles
17. David Lettieri – 274 miles
18. Lisa Hazlett – 273 miles
19. Rick Gray – 273 miles
20. Ben Herron – 262 miles
21. Thomas Skinner – 262 miles
22. Edward Masuoka – 260 miles
23. Jeffrey Stephens – 256 miles
24. Tim Purol – 256 miles
25. Joshua Swink – 253 miles
26. Tom Dekornfield – 252 miles
27. Scott Krouse – 251 miles
28. Caleb Nolen – 251 miles
29. Sherry Meador – 250 miles
30. Christian McMahon – 249 miles
31. Allen Wrinkle – 245 miles
32. Gina Chupka – 245 miles
33. John Sharp – 245 miles
34. Christopher Knight – 243 miles
35. Shane Tucker – 242 miles
36. Richard McKnight – 242 miles
37. Shelly Mack – 240 miles
38. Fred Davis III – 235 miles
39. Ally Gregory – 235 miles
40. Dallas Smith – 229 miles
41. Lynda Webber – 225 miles
42. Sergio Bianchini – 225 miles
43. Gregg Ellis – 224 miles
44. Don Winkley – 220 miles
45. Tim Loudermilk – 219 miles
46. Jameelah Abdul-Rahim – 218 miles
47. Gilbert Gray – 218 miles
48. Remy Brandefalk – 218 miles
49. Johnny Adams – 215 miles
50. John Price – 214 miles
51. Garry Price – 207 miles
52. Joseph Kowalski – 206 miles
53. Troy Johnson – 202 miles
54. Cathie Johnson – 202 miles
55. Terrie Wurzbacher – 195 miles
56. Paul Heckert – 194 miles
57. Bill Haecker – 193 miles
58. Jay Hamilton – 188 miles
59. Diane Taylor – 188 miles
60. Ben Pennington – 188 miles

DID NOT FINISH (20): Richard Westbook 257 miles, Sandy Geisel 189 miles, Francesca Muccini 188 miles, Jeff McGonnell 165 miles, Nathan Dewall 145 miles, Johnny Adams 145 miles, Joe Ninke 145 miles, Mike Delang mile 135, Curt Chambers mile 130, 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

*bold = Run It Fast Club members

Day 7 Vol State 500K News & Notes

Yesterday and last night were brutal, our roughest day yet. We got some good sleep this morning to try and let our bodies recover some. We were two pitiful souls coming into Shelbyville.
We are 90 miles from the Rock. Trying to get it together….somehow someway. Time to Soldier on

Jeremy Ebel’s Vol State 500k race report:
Hot
Long
Humid
Traffic
Dogs
Confederate flags
Lost
Hot

James Adams (above) has reached Kimball, TN and is a little over a half marathon from  The Rock.

Projected Finishers Today (before 7:30am Thur): James Adams, Coll, Millwood, Jackson, Callans, Alm, Daily, Lettieri, Hazlett, Gray

“Another vol state in the books. Much more difficult this year. Partly due to lower fitness, but mostly due to 95+ degree temps everyday. Have some incredible stories from this year…many quite bizarre. Even had my first real vol state dog attack. (Trekking poles worked great for this btw). It will take a few days and a 10 hour drive back from tn to really process the experience. Thanks to all the kind strangers that offered me water and to all this with whom I ran. Jeremy, the beer in parsons was killer.” – John Fegyveresi (3rd place finisher)

Lax’s Morning Update

stories

the stories that everyone will hear

have mostly been written.

the winners have won,

and the world class runners have gone home…

but the worthy tales have not all been spun.

the most dramatic dramas have not yet played out.

while the fleet of foot have returned to the “real” world,

the majority of the vol staters

still occupy that other real world.

the world where all that matters is food and drink.

where sleeping indoors is the height of luxury.

a world where the barest of essential possessions

have been parsed over,

and most of the trappings of modern day life

have been deemed extraneous.

every runner still on the road has a story.

and every story is worthy of telling.

some of the stories I know,

most, I do not,

and many I will never know.

no one came here from a vacuum.

they did not spontaneously generate on the ferry.

these are real people

with real lives;

regular, ordinary people

the sort we see around us every day.

but something inside them

drove them to move out of the comfort zone;

to try things that no one would think reasonable,

or even possible.

those who could be broken are gone,

and those who remain are the select.

they have paid a price in pain and fatigue.

they have watched the residue of civilized life

wash away,

leaving only the most basic essentials of existence…

and a quest.

the arduous journey to the rock.

without any of the things we think are essential to modern life,

they have lived more life in the past 6 days,

than many will live in a lifetime.

they have seen despair

and hopelessness

and have heard the clarion call of surrender…

but they have persevered.

those few,

those hardy few who remain,

can only be stopped now by injury.

they will not give up.

the ones with surrender in their hearts are gone.

and oh, the stories they have to tell.

the stories of life on the open road.

with oprah at their heels

and the rock beyond the reach of their imagination.

there are stories of drama,

of challenges,

of the surprises that wait around every bend.

stories of the kindness of strangers

and the impersonal cruelty of the beating sun.

the beauty is,

as each one reaches the rock,

their faces alight with joy,

we unworthy followers get to share in the passion.

and, as each finisher arrives,

they get their moment on the throne.

when their stories are the center of attention.

when we all are waiting,

to hear the stories only they can tell.

each of us, who have been there,

share the knowledge of the truths we have learned

on the unforgiving road.

but the individual stories can only be told by those who have lived them….

I need to take a quick shower.

james adams is approaching sand mountain…

he has stories to tell,

and I want to be there to hear them.

laz

Shane Tucker reached the Whispering Oak Campground earlier this morning. He is well past it now.

Shane Tucker’s crewmate Julia Beavers caught the above VS500K runner catching sleep in the most strange of places.

Karen Jackson and Bo Millwood have crossed the bridge in South Pittsburgh and have less than a half marathon to go to the finish.

James Adams has finished in 6 days 5 hours 47 minutes 12 seconds and upon reaching the Rock said, “I wasn’t expecting it to be that difficult.” Congrats to James who is from the United Kingdom.

Shane Tucker has hit 257 miles and is heading in for the day to get some beef and catch some sleep per his crew.

Photo from yesterday via John Fegyveresi of the Canadian duo of Marylou Corino and Lisa Van Wolde finishing the Vol State 500K.

“So the race was over Steven (Smith) had touched yhe rock awhile later I was rummaging around in the back of my dodge ram pickup for something which was our crew vehicle,Steven walks up says I need some more iced tea…I said hey dude race is over and I just retired from crewing…ha it dawned on him about then and said..dang I have been handed food and drink for the last 5 days hope I haven’t forgotten how to do those things for myself…I did relent and hand him a clean cup..” – Bill Baker

And the great Sal Coll is done in 6 days 8 hours 4 minutes 25 seconds.  “Oh man I’m glad that’s over.” It’s Sal’s 4th Vol State 500K finish. Congrats on an amazing accomplishment. #RunItFast tough!

Scott Krouse is to the top of Monteagle mountain, mile 273.

Run It Fast’s Sal Coll (above) 4x Vol State 500K finisher…amazing!

“This course beat me like a lil rag doll for 6 straight days. I staggered into Shelbyville last night around midnight going 1.5 mph, no joke. My feet felt like someone beat them repeatedly w a ball bat, like they were broken. Stopped at a store only a block or so from the hotel and it ended up taking another hr to get to the room lol. Slept late to try n recover and have been running since. Oh, the difference a day makes. Day 7 has been my best day so far. Beautiful weather, sun out w a nice breeze, gorgeous scenery. I guess the moral of my story is this: just hold on, stay the course, persevere cause things do get better ☀ ‪#‎GetToTheRock‬” – Gregg Ellis

Tim Waz reports: Super proud of two great friends Bo & Karen for finishing the 2015 Vol State!!! Proud of you both!!! 6 days 10:11:20

Photo above of 3rd place finisher John Fegyveresi after an amazing uncrewed Vol State 500K run at the Rock in the ‘thrown’!

Bo Millwood on The Rock after finishing the his first Vol State 500K with Karen ‘Action’ Jackson.

Add Rick Gray to the list of Vol State 500K finishers with a time of 6 days 11 hours 10 minutes 8 seconds. Way to go, Rick!

“Vol State Day 7. 35 miles. 257 miles total. 57 miles to the finish. We caught a break this morning with great cool temperatures. By the morning, I mean midnight until 6ish. I stayed extra time in the hotel due to 2 large storms yesterday. The extra rest had me moving a little quicker. Despite that, there is no way I have a 50+ day in me tomorrow, so I am looking at 2 more running sessions. Each session will contain one of only two “hills” on the course. Tomorrow will be Monteagle via hwy 41 and the finish Friday will include the climb up North Sand Mountain. Barring disasters, I am hoping to finish two days early on Friday morning. A few more pics are posted below.” – Shane Tucker

156 Hour Update

5 more finishers have reached The Rock since the 7:30am check in this morning. The 156 hour check in included finishes from James ‘Give Me A Samuel’ Adams, Sal ‘4x finisher’ Coll, Bo Millwood, Karen Jackson, and Rick Gray. That brings the total to 14 finishers with 36 runners still on the road.

156 Hour Vol State 500K Standings 7:30pm Wednesday, July 15th (15 Finishers, 44 Running, 21 DNFs)

1. Greg Armstrong – 3 days 22 hours 5 minutes 23 seconds (King of the Road)
2. Johan Steene – 3 days 23 hours 15 minutes 52 seconds (uncrewed course record, 2nd overall)
3. John Fegyveresi – 4 days 19 hours 28 minutes 54 seconds (3rd overall, uncrewed)
4. Steven Smith – 4 days 20 hours 3 minutes 48 seconds
5. Lisa Van Wolde – 5 days 8 hours 6 minutes 47 seconds (1st Female)
6. Marylou Corino – 5 days 8 hours 6 minutes 52 seconds (T-1st/2nd Female)
7. Jeremy Ebel – 5 days 16 hours 42 minutes 30 seconds (uncrewed)
8. Andrea Stewart – 5 days 21 hours 33 minutes 59 seconds (3rd female, uncrewed)
9. Jay Dobrowalski – 5 days 23 hours 34 minutes 38 seconds (uncrewed)
10. James Adams – 6 days 5 hours 47 minutes 12 seconds (uncrewed)
11. Sal Coll – 6 days 8 hours 4 minutes 25 seconds (uncrewed, 4x finisher)
12. Bo Millwood – 6 days 10 hours 11 minutes 20 seconds (uncrewed)
13. Karen Jackson – 6 days 10 hours 11 minutes 40 seconds (uncrewed)
14. Rick Gray – 6 days 11 hours 10 minutes 8 seconds
15. Lisa Hazlett – 6 days 11 hours 22 minutes 27 seconds
16. Michael Callans – 302 miles
17. David Lettieri – 302 miles
18. Ben Herron – 295 miles
19. Edward Masuoka – 295 miles
20. Thomas Alm – 290 miles
21. Timothy Daily – 290 miles
22. Tom Dekornfield – 284 miles
23. Jeffrey Stephens – 283 miles
24. Tim Purol – 283 miles
25. Scott Krouse – 277 miles
26. Thomas Skinner – 275 miles
27. Caleb Nolen – 274 miles
28. Joshua Swink – 273 miles
29. Allen Wrinkle – 270 miles
30. Gina Chupka – 270 miles
31. John Sharp – 270 miles
32. Sherry Meador – 266 miles
33. Shelly Mack – 265 miles
34. Ally Gregory – 259 miles
35. Shane Tucker – 257 miles
36. Christopher Knight – 252 miles
37. Dallas Smith – 252 miles
38. Christian McMahon – 249 miles
39. Sergio Bianchini – 248 miles
40. Rich McKnight – 244 miles
41. Gregg Ellis – 244 miles
42. Fred Davis III – 244 miles
43. Don Winkley – 241 miles
44. John Price – 240 miles
45. Johnny Adams – 237 miles
46. Jameelah Abdul-Rahim – 226 miles
47. Gilbert Gray – 226 miles
48. Remy Brandefalk – 226 miles
49. Joseph Kowalski – 226 miles
50. Garry Price – 225 miles
51. Troy Johnson – 225 miles
52. Cathie Johnson – 225 miles
53. Tim Loudermilk – 222 miles
54. Paul Heckert – 213 miles
55. Terrie Wurzbacher – 212 miles
56. Bill Haecker – 208 miles
57. Jay Hamilton – 202 miles
58. Diane Taylor – 202 miles
59. Ben Pennington – 202 miles

DID NOT FINISH (21): Richard Westbook 257 miles, Lynda Webber 235 miles, Sandy Geisel 189 miles, Francesca Muccini 188 miles, Jeff McGonnell 165 miles, Nathan Dewall 145 miles, Johnny Adams 145 miles, Joe Ninke 145 miles, Mike Delang mile 135, Curt Chambers mile 130, 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

*bold = Run It Fast Club members

Dallas Smith in Manchester with friend Lana Sain who came out to say, “Hello, Is it me you are looking for?”

“Day 7, Wednesday, Manchester, MM 252.

Feet are shredded! Have no trouble usually. Danger of infection concerns me on nail of big toe. Don Winkley knows a woman who lost foot over similar. He recommended soaking in peroxide. When someone of his experience speaks, you should listen. So, it happened the little mart had peroxide. I did what Don suggested.

Plans for tomorrow are uncertain. May go short to give feet a break – stop in Monteagle rather than cover the 48 miles to Kimball as I did last time.” – Dallas Smith

Lynda Webber has dropped from the race at mile 235.

Gregg Ellis currently at 252mi on his way towards Monteagle.

Sal Coll, Karen Jackson, and Bo Millwood at The Rock earlier today.

_____________

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 Joy of Suffering: The Last Annual Vol State 500K Race Report

There are many parallels between life and running, especially ultra running. On the completion of my second VolState 500k (314 miles), my lesson is the “Joy of Brokeness”.

Completing an event like the VolState 500k is humbling and strips a runner to their absolute core (at least that was my experience). It forced me to reassess my goals and strive to not become self defeated. On multiple occasions I wanted to quit, doubted my ability, feared for my health, and just simply felt BROKEN!

I had and verbalized a lofty goal of completing the 314 miles in less than 72 hours and had a very detailed plan (hour by hour) to complete the goal. There is a 12 hour check in so my goals were based on 12 hour increments. Since the race started at 7:30 A.M., I broke it down into segments: 12 hour days of extreme heat and humidity and 12 hour nights.

The first 24 hours went exactly as planned (120 miles) and I felt strong going into day two. Day two was not as kind. Since the course runs west to east, shade became a rare luxury. I found out early on day two that the heat was a factor sooner in the day than I had anticipated. I made a few mistakes managing the heat early on and paid for it dearly. The first 12 hours of day two only produced 32 miles. The next twelve hours (7:30pm-7:30am) the wheels almost came completely off. I found myself in the middle of the night incapable of even walking a 30 minute mile. I was fighting to remain conscious and contiplated just laying in the ditch multiple times. The night of day two only produced 24 slow miles. My goal of completing the race in under 3 days was a distant memory.

Day 3 brought temps in the high 90s with an index over 100, but after modifying my approach to dealing with the heat I was able to muster a respectable 35 miles in the 12 hours of the day. I struggled through the night again with only 30 miles.

My goal now became to complete the race in under 4 days. That meant I had to complete 70 miles in 24 hours. Keeping in mind those 70 miles include 20 of little to no shade in 96 degree temps, two 3 mile climbs at a 7% grade and a brutal 3 mile descent at a 7% grade. Day 4 blessed me with strong legs, 37 daytime miles and 30 miles to the Rock just in time for a beautiful sunrise!

I must say one of my greatest motivators was my good friend, Johan Steene. He trailed me the entire race by just a few miles. The difference is that Johan was not crewed, meaning that he had to carry all his gear, fluids, food, etc. Considering the heat and the long stretches between aid, his performance is one of best I have ever witnessed! I thought to myself frequently “if Johan can do this at this pace without a crew surely I can”.

Romans 5 tells us that we can find “Joy in Suffering (Brokeness).” It goes on to say that “suffering leads to perseverance, perseverance leads to character, and character leads to HOPE!” This is the passage for the ultra runner. The Brokeness/suffering I experienced in this race taught me volumes about myself, far more than any joyful occasion ever could.. I hope and pray that my character has been enhanced as I glean from life’s experiences. But ultimately HOPE is what we long for! Hope is the expectation of future good! It helps us to remember how we will be delivered and that completing the race can be done.

Experiences like this remind me what my late grandmother Armstrong said about living through the Great Depression, “I wouldn’t take a million dollars to go through that again, but you couldn’t give me a million dollars to take away the memories/lessons learned.”

Currently I feel the same about the VolState, but like most ultra runners I will soon forget the intense pain/suffering and probably sign up for next year!

– Greg Armstrong (RIF #373)

[Greg founded Run4Water which is a nonprofit organization that strives to raise awareness and provide solutions for the worldwide water crisis. R4W builds wells and help provide water in the state of Tennessee and countries of Honduras, Haiti and Nicaragua. Read more about this great organization at Run4Water.net]

Greg Armstrong Repeats as Vol State 500K King of the Road

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