This is the finisher’s medal for the Marathon 2 Marathon that was held on October 26, 2013 in Marathon, Texas.
MORE PHOTOS OF MARATHON/ULTRA MEDALS AND BUCKLES
[Medal submitted by RIF #79 Dallas Smith. Follow him on Twitter @smithbend]
Tag Archive | "dallas smith"
Marathon 2 Marathon Medal (2013)
Posted on 31 October 2013.
Posted in Bling, Featured, Marathon, MedalsComments (0)
Run It Fast – The Club Profile Suzy Spiceland #280
Posted on 15 August 2013.
RIF #280 Suzy Spiceland
This week’s Run It Fast The Club profile is on one of our newest members. RIF #280 Suzy Spiceland may be new to the club but she’s brought a lot of enthusiasm and support in the short time she’s been an RIFer. Suzy is also a Half Fanatic and a Marathon Maniac but she hasn’t stopped there.
Check out Suzy’s profile below:
INFO
Name: Suzy Spiceland
RIF #:
280
Twitter:
@bookaroo32
Facebook:
Suzy Spiceland
STATS
Years Running:
8, if you combine the time as both a walker and a runner.
Favorite Race Distance:
26.2
Favorite PR:
2012 Illinois Marathon
Favorite Race:
2009 Delaware Marathon (my first marathon)
Favorite Bling:
2013 Mississippi Blues
Next Race: Tupelo Marathon
What Makes You FEEL Fast?:
When I get in the flow. When I go down the hill, turn the corner, and take off. Running on a chilly day. Passing the people that I consider my toughest competition. 🙂
FUN RUNNING QUESTIONS
Why did you start running?
I started totally as a walker. During my son’s junior year in high school, he decided to join the JHS cross country team. At one of the first “meets” I could attend, which was in October, I remember freezing my tail off waiting for them to finish. Right then and there, I decided that while he was out there running, I would be out there walking. The next event was at his school—a fundraiser. I walked the 5k. Finished dead last. Got 3rd in my AG, since there were only three ladies present in my AG. I quickly realized, however, that I had to be fast enough to keep up with next-to-last place, so I started jogging whenever I had to in order to keep said person in sight. It took me three years to be able to complete a 5k without walking. During that time, I was diagnosed with exercise-induced asthma. I used that as an excuse over and over.
Who inspires your running and why?
Too many people to list. Besides, the list keeps changing as I meet more and more runners! Right now, I’d say Diane Bolton-Jones (RIF #159), Diane Taylor (RIF #276), and Dallas Smith (RIF #79) are inspiring me to aim higher. If I’m as insane as they are, I’ll find myself doing something totally irresponsible like signing up for Vol State (a 500K race across Tennessee in July).
If you could go for a run with any famous person (living or dead), who would it be and why?
Jesus. Could you imagine the conversation? Wow!
What is the strangest/funniest thing you’ve ever seen while running?
I was surprised one day to come across a large tomato in the middle of the rails-to-trails path. It wasn’t summer. And it’s not like there was a grocery store nearby. I was confused by that for a while. Another item I saw on the same trail on a different day gave me some interesting visuals for the rest of my run: running shorts. I’ve ditched layers while running, but my shorts???
What’s the most beautiful place that you’ve run?
Cummins Falls Marathon. About the only thing that could have made that course prettier was if the event took place in the fall, when the leaves were changing color.
What is your favorite go-to pre-race meal?
Peanut butter and jelly sandwich about two hours beforehand. Then, I usually eat a banana at the start line.
What is the thing you splurge on after a race?
A milkshake.
How many pairs of running shoes do you have and which pair are your favorites?
I set all of my current PR’s in Saucony ProGrid Guide 5’s. These are no longer available, so I’ve been sulking lately. I’ve gone back to Mizuno Wave Inspires. I have three pairs I’m running in now, and one new pair still in the box.
Why do you race?
Why not :-)? For the hell of it. For the comraderie. For the challenge.
Big races or small races? And why?
I tend to prefer smaller, more “intimate” races. That said, I totally loved the San Francisco Marathon, and it was big. I register for all sizes. I love variety!
What is the one piece of running gear you can’t leave the house without?
Wow! It would be difficult to whittle the list down to one piece. Technical clothes are a total necessity. As are my shades, visor, and lipstick. Plus, since breathing is not highly over-rated, I carry an inhaler with me at all times.
What running moment are you most proud of?
Completing my first marathon double. I ran the second one 23 minutes faster than the first one! Thanks, Josh (RIF #1), for holding the Jackal Marathons.
If I can’t run, …
I’m on FB or twitter of course 🙂 Or watching NCIS, Bones, Law & Order, etc.
Finally, one last thing…
I nicknamed myself ODB during a long run a while back. If you’re lucky, I’ll tell you what it means one of these days 🙂
***
Suzy has already begun her journey to “aim higher”. Not only did she run back-to-back marathons in June but she also ran her first 50K! And then she PRd that distance in July. Way to go Suzy! But…not fair to tease us with your nickname and then not tell us what it is. We’ll have to do a follow up with her to see if she will reveal it to us later.
One of the great things about the Run It Fast Club is getting to see our members accomplish something they never thought they would do. I bet Suzy never thought she would be running a marathon back when she started, let alone 2 in a row. Or that she would even think about doing a 50K (or possibly more). You never know what you can do until you try though!
If you’d like to join Run It Fast – The Club or would like more information about it, please click this link:
Run It Fast – The Club (JOIN TODAY)
[All photos submitted by Suzy Spiceland]
Posted in Interviews, Running, THE CLUBComments (0)
Day 10: 2013 Last Annual Vol State 500K Live Blog
Posted on 20 July 2013.
RIF #1 Joshua Holmes and RIF #101 David Wingard
I don’t know about you guys but I’m exhausted! Kidding! I had the easy part and it was fun watching the race unfold the past 9 days. Today is the last day of the 2013 Last Annual Vol State 500K. It’s been quite a ride! There are still 6 runners out there trying to make their way to the rock before the Grim Reaper gets there. I hope you’ll send them lots of luck and Run It Fast wishes today.
Make sure you check back throughout the day to see how things are going out there!
Links you might find fun/useful:
To catch up on previous days: Day1 Day2 Day3 Day4 Day5 Day6 Day7 Day8 Day9
Last Annual Volstate 500K Spreadsheet & Map – for runner tracking (updated twice a day).
Carl’s 2013 Last Annual Volstate 500K Album, Day 2 Drive Thru, and Day 3 Photos
Twitter:
RunItFast: @runitfast
Joshua Holmes: @bayou
Shannon Burke: @s4121burke
Dallas Smith: @smithbend
VS500: #VS500 or #VS500K
Facebook:
UltraJoshua – Facebook page for Joshua Holmes
Last Annual Vol State Road Race – Facebook page for VS500K
So far today:
Lisa: Well, that’s it for this year’s Last Annual Vol State 500K. We hope you enjoyed our coverage of the race…and maybe inspired you to give it a try next year! Congratulations to all 33 runners and 5 teams that completed this year’s VS500K! Way to Run It Fast!
Lisa: Holy cow! What a finish! Congratulations to Brian for completing the Last Annual Vol State 500K! I gotta say…I am relieved he made it under the cut off. I kept waking up when I heard an email come in and would look to see if there was any word. After 10 days and 314 miles, still so much excitement and drama…and that’s what is so great about this race!
Email from Carl Laniak at 6:54 am:
9:23:08:40 – Brian Curro
Email from Carl Laniak at 6:11 am:
Drama at Vol state
Message from Curro:
“Help, I am totally lost, have been wandering around this hill for hours.
I’m delirious, I was talking to trees last night.”There are now less than 90 minutes left. We think we ascertained his location and have directed him. If his description was accurate, he’s got 3 miles to go…..
Carl
Email from Carl Laniak at 5:14 am:
Brian Curro
If you read this, we suggest you drop that giant backpack and run.
Carl
Email from Carl Laniak at 5:10 am:
Vol state suspense
There are less than 2.5 hours til the 240 hour cutoff at the volstate.
Brian Curro last checked in nearing the Tennessee river crossing, 11 miles from the finish.
That was more than 6.5 hours ago…..
Word is, he lost his maps early yesterday. His last checkin included the tidbit that his phone was malfunctioning.
At 7:31 this morning, we’ll know whether he makes it or not.
Go Brian!
Carl
Lisa: Congratulations to Joe and RIF #276 Diane Taylor for finishing the VS500K! This was Diane’s 3rd finish of the Last Annual Vol State 500K. Just one runner left now…
Email from Carl Laniak at 2:32 am:
Diane Taylor – 9:18:44:23
Email from Carl Laniak at 10:43 pm:
9:15:08:12 – joe kowalski
Wow
Carl
Lisa: Here is John Feyveresi’s VS500K race report (it’s a great read!): Lakewood’s Wanderings and Scribbles
Lisa: So now there are just 3 runners left on the course! At 7 pm, this is where they were…
Joe Kowalski 306 miles
Diane Taylor 300 miles
Brian Curro 295 miles
Just 12 hours left! They should all be in by the time I wake up in the morning. I will update this post with their times.
Lisa: Mike added a race report tab where the links for this year’s race reports will be gathered. John Fegyveresi is the first to have his written up.
Email from Mike Dobies at 7:56 pm:
Vol State – 228 Hour Update
Tracking Sheet:
http://www.tinyurl.com/Volstate2013
Email from Carl Laniak at 7:06 pm:
9:11:29:54 – Paul Heckert
Email from Carl Laniak at 6:16 pm:
Jan Walker – 9:10:11:42
Email from Carl Laniak at 5:30 pm:
Re: Who will finish?
Jan is in the woods. Paul is in Alabama.
Kowalski, Curro and Taylor to follow…?
Carl
Lisa: I missed Marcia’s finish. She reached the rock in 9 days 2 hours 26 min 29 sec. Congrats Marcia!
Lisa: Here’s a recap of the race so far…
- 5 relay Teams (2 w/men only and 3 mixed) and 40 runners (31 men & 9 women) started the 2013 Last Annual Vol State 500K.
- 32 runners were Screwed (un-crewed).
- All 5 teams finished along with 27 solo runners…so far.
- 7 runners dropped out.
Top 3 Men
1. Joe Fejes (with a new course record of 3 days 8 hours 10 min 16 sec)
2. Alan Abbss (with a new Screwed course record of 4 days 11 hours 31 min 27 sec)
3. Sung Ho Choi (4 days 13 hours 39 min 52 sec)
Top 3 Women
1. Sherry Meador (7 days 2 hours 42 min 52 sec)
2. Diane Bolton (7 days 14 hours 13 min 5 sec)
3. Psyche Wimberly (7 days 23 hours 14 min 59 sec)
Top 3 Teams
1. Team Stinky Feet (2 days 19 hours 14 min 17 sec)
2. Team Country Gentlemen (4 days 4 hours 5 min 46 sec)
3. Team Two Step (4 days 12 hours 29 min 12 sec)
Tweet from Dallas Smith about the VS500K menu…maybe:
Lisa: Final day! Marcia should be finished by now, I think, and all the rest should be able to finish if they keep putting one front in front of the other. Let’s hope they don’t run into wild weather or anything else to hold them up. Also, apparently, blogging while running is not suggested:
Tweet from Dallas with great advice for future VolStaters:
Email from Mike Dobies at 10:27 am:
Vol State – 216 Hour Update
Tracking Sheet:
http://www.tinyurl.com/Volstate2013
Email from Laz at 9:15 am:
day 10
with 9 days in the bank
we settle in on the rock
to watch the final stories unfold.these are the ones who have fought the longest.
day after day, for 9 days,
they have watched oprah in their mirrors;
counting the miles,
measuring their reserves.
doing what it takes to achieve the impossible.now it all comes down to one final push.
some will coast home.
marcia and jan have proven worthy warriors;
gaining strength with each passing day,
burying oprah in the distance.
they will come home “easily” within the time limit,
and deserving of accolades given to athletes
who have achieved their potential.others will face,
in this final day,
all the pressure of the race,
knowing that one bad stretch without water,
one unleashed fury of nature
(a thunderstorm, blazing sun, or suffocating heat)
can erase the safety margin
and leave the reward for their long hard struggle
out of reach.and then there is giant back pack.
he has the added burden
of overcoming the time lost when he was detained by the police last night.and what is the reward for all they have endured?
to run the final mile in solitude,
thinking the thoughts
that only those who have come from the ferry to the rock can understand.
to find the finish line still open.
(pity those who see us driving away as they enter the beanfields)
to look out over the sequatchie/tennessee valley.
to feel the feelings that champions feel,
when a great opponent has been vanquished.
for these are champions,
vanquishing heat, hills, humidity, and their own human frailty.all hail king joseph,
and his worthy minions.laz
Email from Carl Laniak at 8:31 am:
216hours
Diane 275
Curro 279
Kowalski 282
Heckert 290
Jan 295
Marcia 309Carl
Posted in Running, THE CLUB, Ultra Marathon, Vol StateComments (0)
Day 9: 2013 Last Annual Vol State 500K Live Blog
Posted on 19 July 2013.
RIF #159 Diane Bolton and Lazarus Lake
Yesterday, we saw 6 runners and 2 teams finish! A few more finished overnight and sadly, I hear there are 2 more runners who dropped. But there are still runners on the course though so this race isn’t over yet!
Check back throughout the day to see how things are going out there!
Links you might find fun/useful:
To catch up on previous days: Day1 Day2 Day3 Day4 Day5 Day6 Day7 Day8
Last Annual Volstate 500K Spreadsheet & Map – for runner tracking (updated twice a day).
Carl’s 2013 Last Annual Volstate 500K Album, Day 2 Drive Thru, and Day 3 Photos
Twitter:
RunItFast: @runitfast
Joshua Holmes: @bayou
Shannon Burke: @s4121burke
Dallas Smith: @smithbend
VS500: #VS500 or #VS500K
Facebook:
UltraJoshua – Facebook page for Joshua Holmes
Last Annual Vol State Road Race – Facebook page for VS500K
So far today:
Lisa: TJ did drop so we are down to 6 runners. Here’s where they were at the 204 Hour Update:
Marcia Rasmussen – 279 miles
Jan Walker – 278 miles
Paul Heckert – 277 miles
Brian Curro – 268 miles
Joe Kowalski – 266 miles
Diane Taylor – 266 miles
Joe and Diane are .9 miles behind the Grim Reaper but are steadily moving forward. They have less than 36 hours to get to the rock now. Like Laz said in the email below, “I am anxious to see where they will stand when the sun next rises.”
Email from Mike Dobies at 9:23 pm:
Vol State – 204 Hour Update
Tracking Sheet:
http://www.tinyurl.com/Volstate2013
Email from Laz at 9:18 pm:
FW: Now the real fun begins!
for me, the race remains as compelling as it has been for the past 8+ days.
I find the challenges faced by people who are stretching the limits of their ability
and competing to the end
equally compelling,
regardless of their level.we have one last pack of runners on the course.
with only a tiny distance separating the last 6 heroes,
I am anxious to see where they will stand when the sun next rises.I have watched these people compete for more than a week;
I have seen them in their moments of weakness,
and I have seen them rise to the challenge.
I have come to feel like I know something of them,
from how they have faced the demons.I cannot wait to see the great victories to be won tomorrow…
and tomorrow night.and great victories will be won.
anyone who does not back down,
who gives their all,
is a great champion.
whether they finish 1st,
or 40th.
Lisa: Having been at the back of the pack in a few races, I can appreciate that email!
Email from Frank Lilley at 6:42 pm:
Now the real fun begins!
Not to take a single thing away from all the unbelievable achievements of Vol State finishers to this point . . . but now it starts getting REALLY tough! These next folks to finish are my peeps!!!
These folks have been out there suffering away, every day with no notoriety! Everyone rightly focuses on Joe Fejes and Alan Abbs and Bruce Sung Ho Choi and Ray Krolewicz and Psyche Wimberly and all the others that have finished already. What they have done is awesome!
But here come my peeps!
I love the back of the packers! The folks that are slow and not all that gifted when it come to speed and endurance. See . . . I am siure that part of our performance is a genetics gift! Oh . . . those with the “gift” . . . they work hard at excelling I know. But there is love in my heart for everyone else!
Us slower, maybe undertrained, maybe overweight folks who just “try.” Those people that know they will be the tail of the dog . . . and they just don’t give a rat’s ass! They are there just simply to see if the can do it! Period.
Finishing is not an absolute given for my peeps! This is a gut wrenching testament to pure desire! The desire to accomplish the seemingly impossible!
So I honestly do love all you guys and gal that have already achieved greatness by finishing Vol State . . . but here come my peeps!!
frankenlilley
Lisa: There is no medal or prize for finishing this race but a couple of runners had these souvenirs made. Pretty cool, huh?
Tweet from Dallas Smith that shows a couple of his souvenirs:
Email from Joel Gat at 3:02 pm:
Texas Jeff – 8:07:26:06
“It was long… if my feet hadn’t been blistered, it still would have been long.”
Lisa: Great clip of RIF #79 Dallas finishing the VS500K (thanks to @bayou for sharing!): https://vine.co/v/hmFQZgOBhET
Lisa: Congratulations to David and Dallas! This is the first Last Annual Vol State 500K for both of them and they did it uncrewed! Love that Dallas sprinted at the end! 🙂
Email from Joel Gat at 1:10 pm:
Dallas Smith – 8:05:34:11
“Whoa! Slow down!” – as Dallas charged at a sprint to the finish…
Email from Joel Gat at 12:26 pm:
David Wingard – 8:04:48:43
Lisa: Pics from life on the road at Vol State 500K…
Photos from RIF #1 Joshua Holmes:
RIF #79 Dallas Smith with 1st time finisher RIF #159 Diane Bolton
RIF #79 Dallas Smith
With RIF #101 David Wingard
Tweet from Dallas at 9:40 am:
Email from Joel Gat at 9:52 am:
Becky Lockard 8:02:09:55
“I did this because I didn’t know if I could.”
Email from Joel Gat at 9:48 am showing a sleeping RD:
But what about us?
The runners come in at all times of the day and night, so Carl and Laz have slept a total of about 6.5 hours since Sunday. That’s been one 4 hour sleep and a few 15-45 minute snoozes. This one lasted about five minutes…
Lisa: It looks like Jeff Stephens is a definite drop. And rumor on the list is that TJ Nagies is a drop too though he’s not listed as that on the spreadsheet. He is, however, still at the same mileage he was for the 180 Hour Update. 🙁 Here is where the rest of the runners were at during the check in:
Becky Lockard – 303 miles
David Wingard – 300 miles
Dallas Smith – 300 miles
Jeff Venable – 290 miles
Jan Walker – 267 miles
Marcia Rasmussen – 266 miles
Paul Heckert – 258 miles
Brian Curro – 256 miles
Joe Kowalski – 252 miles
Diane Taylor – 250 miles
TJ Nagies – 201.5 miles
It looks like we should have 3 more finishers very shortly including two of our RIFers – RIF #101 David Wingard and RIF #79 Dallas Smith!
Email from Mike Dobies at 9:46 am:
Vol State – 192 Hour Update
Tracking Sheet:
http://www.tinyurl.com/Volstate2013
Lisa: Congrats to Jeff and Psyche! We are glad Psyche found her way to the rock! W
Lisa: Here’s what happened overnight…
Email from Carl Laniak at 6:50 am:
Psyche – 7:23:14:59
An epic struggle the last 2 miles….
Carl
Email from Carl Laniak at 5:44 am:
From laz:
This is the longest Monday if my life.
The sun keeps coming up and going down, while runners are fed out from Kimball at regular intervals. I spent this last dark period smoking camel filters and listening to “let’s kill all these morherf#ckers,” by Lair of the Minotaur.
Psyche found a way to buy time for the next runner to start by getting lost at mile 312 (of 314).
She’s now laying in a ditch a half mile off course, refusing all offers of assistance, while regrouping for another attempt to locate the state of Georgia.I’m entertained by the view from the rock, 4 acre lily pads in the ocean below. I may be hallucinating from lack of sleep…..
They call it the volstate.
Laz
Email from Carl Laniak at 1:09 am:
Jeff McGonnell – 7:17:32:38
Posted in Running, THE CLUB, Ultra Marathon, Vol StateComments (0)
Day 8: 2013 Last Annual Vol State 500K Live Blog
Posted on 18 July 2013.
RIF #159 Diane Bolton shopping during the VS500K
Thanks to RIF #286 for sharing this photo of Diane shopping for antiques yesterday. It’s not all about the grind out there! I think it’s more about the little moments. At least, it seems that way reading the emails from the ultra list about this race. Something must keep them coming back every year. They can’t all be masochists for the pain, right?
I hope you’ll check back here throughout the day to see all of today’s happenings!
Links you might find fun/useful:
To catch up on previous days: Day1 Day2 Day3 Day4 Day5 Day6 Day7
Last Annual Volstate 500K Spreadsheet & Map – for runner tracking (updated twice a day).
Carl’s 2013 Last Annual Volstate 500K Album, Day 2 Drive Thru, and Day 3 Photos
Twitter:
RunItFast: @runitfast
Joshua Holmes: @bayou
Shannon Burke: @s4121burke
Dallas Smith: @smithbend
VS500: #VS500 or #VS500K
Facebook:
UltraJoshua – Facebook page for Joshua Holmes
Last Annual Vol State Road Race – Facebook page for VS500K
So far today:
Email from Mike Dobies at 12:18 am:
Vol State – 180 Hour Update
Tracking Sheet:
http://www.tinyurl.com/Volstate2013
Email from Carl Laniak at 11:37 pm:
Scott Krouse – 7:16:01:53
Lisa: Here is where the runners still out there were at the 180 Hour check in:
Scott Krouse – 300 miles
Jeff McGonnell – 299 miles
Jeff Stephens – 297 miles
Psyche Wimberly – 295 miles
Dallas Smith – 293.5 miles
David Wingard – 290 miles
Becky Lockard – 290 miles
Jeff Venable – 283 miles
Paul Heckert – 252 miles
Marcia Rasmussen – 252 miles
Jan Walker – 247 miles
Joe Kowalski – 235 miles
Diane Taylor – 235 miles
Brian Curro – 233 miles
TJ Nagies – 201.5 miles
Looks like there will be a bunch of finishes tonight too. Don’t think Laz and Carl will be getting much sleep again.
Lisa: Both Team Saturday and Team Dancing Bears (Patrick) also finished. I don’t have their times yet but will post those as soon as I know. It’s just 15 solo runners left on the course now.
Lisa: Woo! This was her first time running the VS500K! We are so proud of her! Congratulations Diane!
Email from Carl Laniak at 9:55 pm:
Diane Bolton – 7:14:13:05
Lisa: Apparently flavoring was an autocorrect. LOL! But then he let us know that she had just a mile to go about 20 minutes ago! The waiting is killing me!
Facebook post by RIF #1 Joshua Holmes:
Email from Carl Laniak at 5:32 pm:
Joseph Nance – 7:09:56:26
“That’s some good stuff”
Carl
Facebook post by Diane Bolton’s crew RIF #286 Phil Min showing the “cool” weather on today’s course (as if running 314 miles wasn’t hard enough!):
Lisa: Here are 2 great photos that RIF #1 Joshua Holmes shared as he wanders the course cheering on runners:
Josh with RIF #79 Dallas Smith
Josh with RIF #159 Diane Bolton
Lisa: There are no ties at the VS500K and because they want runners to enjoy their time at the “rock”, they set up a sprint line 30′ from the rock so whoever gets to that line first, gets to go to the rock first. Congrats to Johnny and Charlie! Way to Run It Fast! Here’s a great quote from RIF #2 Naresh Kumar about Johnny and Charlie’s finish:
Just amazing how a 314 mile race ended up to be a sprint finish for two runners. Epic!! Congrats CT and Johnny! Way to finish it. ~Naresh Kumar
Email from Carl Laniak at 2:36 pm:
correction – Johnny Adams – 7:05:30:36
Sorry, sleep deprivation at work…Johnny was ahead of Charlie
Carl
Email from Carl Laniak at 1:07 pm:
Charlie Taylor – 7:05:31:03
Johnny won the sprint to the finish-order-line, so got the right to approach the rock first. It was closer than the 30 second finish difference. A true sprint.
Carl
Email from Carl Laniak at 1:05 pm:
Johnny Adams – 7:05:31:03
Sprint finish!
Carl
Email from Mike Dobies at 12:36 pm with the solo runners finishing rates since 2009:
For solo runners:
2009 – 75% (12/16)
2010 – 43% (6/14)
2011 – 68% (13/19)
2012 – 61% (14/23)2013 – 40% (16/40) so far, with 19 still on the course (almost 3 days remaining)
Tweet from Dallas at 11:38 am sharing some of the views from the road:
Lisa: And here is a great tweet from the Awesome RIF #79 Dallas Smith earlier this morning:
Lisa: Here’s a great quote from the 2012 Last Annual Vol State 500K winner Dan Fox:
It’s just that Vol State is so huge that it can contain a lot of life’s vicissitudes.
It’s big enough to go to hell and back, and still have time left over. ~Dan Fox
Lisa: Congrats to Roy and Sherry! Oh, and Sherry is the 1st Woman to complete this year’s VS500K! Woo!
Email from Carl Laniak at 10:20 am:
Tamez & Meador, 15 & 16
Roy Tamez – 7:00:42:51
Two hours later…
Sherry Meador – 7:02:42:52
She wants a yoohoo.Carl
Lisa: There are now 21 runners and 2 teams out on the course. Here’s where they are:
Roy Tamez – 310 miles
Sherry Meador – 304 miles
Joseph Nance – 296 miles
John Adams – 296 miles
Charlie Taylor – 296 miles
Team Saturday – 296 miles
Team Dancing Bears – 291 miles
Jeff Stephens – 291 miles
Jeff McGonnell – 274 miles
Scott Krouse – 274 miles
Psyche Wimberly – 274 miles
Diane Bolton – 272 miles
David Wingard – 265 miles
Becky Lockard – 265 miles
Dallas Smith – 262 miles
Jeff Venable – 259 miles
Paul Heckert – 235 miles
Marcia Rasmussen – 233 miles
Jan Walker – 230 miles
Joe Kowalski – 217 miles
Brian Curro – 213 miles
Diane Taylor – 213 miles
TJ Nagies – 197 miles
I guess Team Dancing Bears is back on the road as Patrick has decided to continue on his own. Two more runners should be finishing any minute now and more are very close. Sadly, 4 runners are behind the Grim Reaper (219.8 miles which is the daily avg miles needed to complete the VS500K in 10 days). 🙁 But like Brad mentioned in his email below, they all are determined to make it so send them all the Run It Fast vibes you can today!
Email from Mike Dobies at 8:34 am:
Vol State – 168 Hour Update
Tracking Sheet:
http://www.tinyurl.com/Volstate2013
Lisa: Here’s what happened overnight… 3 more runners finished in sub 7 days! John Price finished in 6:15:36:26, Jeff Kasal finished in 6:22:03:21, and Tim Purol finished in 6:22:03:22! Congrats to John, Jeff, and Tim!
Email from Carl Laniak at 7:33 am:
Kasal and purol – done
Sub 7 days.
They finished alone at the rock.
Race management had been up for 2 days and somehow didn’t make it to the Rock. Glad they stopped at the finishline.Carl
Email from finisher Brad Compton at 6:53 am:
Driving home
Getting breakfast in Pelham – Harry & Ollie’s. seen several runners. No look of “quit” in any of their eyes; just grim determination.
Email from Laz at 12:16 am:
RE: John price – done.
06:15:36:26…
in the rain.
Email from Carl Laniak at 11:39 pm:
John price – done.
Time to follow
Carl
Posted in Running, THE CLUB, Ultra Marathon, Vol StateComments (0)
Day 7: 2013 Last Annual Vol State 500K Live Blog
Posted on 17 July 2013.
RIF #1 Joshua Holmes at the rock!
They are finishing fast and furious now. Well, relatively speaking. 🙂 But 3 runners finished over night and under the 6 day mark! Sadly, it looks like we lost another runner. Dusty Hardman dropped at 210 miles due to an injury. It was a tough day for a lot of people, let’s hope today is a better one for them out on the course.
I hope you’ll keep checking back throughout the day and until the last runner is in!
Links you might find fun/useful:
To catch up on previous days: Day1 Day2 Day3 Day4 Day5 Day6
Last Annual Volstate 500K Spreadsheet & Map – for runner tracking (updated twice a day).
Carl’s 2013 Last Annual Volstate 500K Album, Day 2 Drive Thru, and Day 3 Photos
Twitter:
RunItFast: @runitfast
Joshua Holmes: @bayou
Shannon Burke: @s4121burke
Dallas Smith: @smithbend
VS500: #VS500 or #VS500K
Facebook:
UltraJoshua – Facebook page for Joshua Holmes
Last Annual Vol State Road Race – Facebook page for VS500K
So far today:
Facebook post by Diane Bolton’s crew, Phil Min, earlier today showing life on the road for a VS500K runner:
Tweet from Dallas at 8:44 pm:
Lisa: Here are the Top 10, Top 3 Women, and Team Standings as of the 156 Hour Update:
Top 10
1. Joe Fejes – 314 miles (Done! 3 days 8 hours 10 min 16 sec)
2. Alan Abbs – 314 miles (Done! 4 days 11 hours 31 min 27 sec
3. Sung Ho Choi – 314 miles (Done! 4 days 13 hours 39 min 52 sec)
4. John Fegyveresi – 314 miles (Done! 4 days 16 hours 19 min 1 sec)
5. Sal Coll – 314 miles (Done! 5 days 5 hours 52 min 42 sec)
6. Brad ComptonJim Ball – 314 miles (Done! 5 days 20 hours and 47 sec)
7. Jim Ball – 314 miles (Done! 5 days 21 hours and 20 sec)
8. Joshua Holmes – 314 miles (Done! 5 days 23 hours 17 min 7 sec)
9. Richard Westbrook – 314 miles (Done! 6 days 4 hours 56 min 16 sec)
10. Joel Gat – 314 miles (Done! 6 days 9 hours 8 min 35 sec)
Top 3 Women
1. Sherry Meador – 292 miles
2. Diane Bolton – 256 miles
3. Psyche Wimberly – 244 miles
Teams
1. Team Stinky Feet – 314 miles (Done! 2 days 19 hours 14 min 17 sec)
2. Team Country Gentlemen – 314 miles (Done! 4 days 4 hours 5 min 46 sec)
3. Team Two Step – 314 miles (Done! 4 days 12 hours 29 min 12 sec)
4. Team Saturday – 274 miles
Ray Krolewicz also finished today in 6 days 10 hours 38 min 53 sec. We had one more drop too so there are now 24 runners and 1 team that are still on the course:
John Price – 303 miles
Roy Tamez – 303 miles
Tim Purol – 300 miles
Jeff Kasal – 300 miles
Sherry Meador – 292 miles
Joseph Nance – 274 miles
John Adams – 274 miles
Charlie Taylor – 274 miles
Jeff Stephens – 274 miles
Team Saturday – 274 miles
Jeff McGonnell – 262 miles
Diane Bolton – 256 miles
Scott Krouse – 252 miles
Jeff Venable – 252 miles
Dallas Smith – 252 miles
David Wingard – 252 miles
Becky Lockard – 252 miles
Psyche Wimberly – 244 miles
Marcia Rasmussen – 217 miles
Jan Walker – 216 miles
Paul Heckert – 214 miles
Brian Curro – 203 miles
Diane Taylor – 203 miles
Joe Kowalski – 203 miles
TJ Nagies – 191 miles
It looks like there will be a bunch of finishes tonight too! Good luck everyone!
Email from Mike Dobies at 8:09 pm:
Vol State – 156 Hour Update
Tracking Sheet:
http://www.tinyurl.com/Volstate2013
Lisa: Yikes! I thought they might not run into the crazy TN storms this year!
Email from Carl Laniak at 5:21 pm:
Thunder and lightning
On the rock.
Rayk is on castle rock rd….out in it.Carl
Lisa: LOL! Looks like Joel won the race to the rock! Congrats to Joel for making the top 10!
Email from Carl Laniak at 4:43 pm:
Joel Gat – 6:09:08:35
He made it, balls in tact….?
Carl
Email from Carl Laniak at 4:08 pm:
Racing at vol state
Joel gat and rayk are both on sand mountain. There are no ties at volstate. The afternoon sun is baking hot.
There is heavy rain and violent thunder in the distance.
We have set up a finish-order-line 30′ back of the rock. In case of a sprint finish, the first one to the line will have the privilege of walking to the rock first.Carl
Lisa: We hope Jan doesn’t melt and that she finds something appetizing for dinner!
A gem of an email from Jan Walker sent at 2:03 pm:
Erica’s Huddle House Eggs…
Sorry, my brain is muddled at the moment and I can’t remember who Erica’s mom is, but thought I would tell her this…
I wholeheartedly agree that the Lewisburg Huddle House eggs are the best in the world. In fact, if the chicken that laid those eggs had been there, I’d have kissed her squarely on the beak!!’
Of course I was so hungry by the time I made it to the HH, I would have eaten dog poop…and kissed the dog that laid it… Then asked for more…
Jan Walker
Slowly melting into a puddle that some other Vol St runner will sop up and squeeze into their water bottle…
Lisa: Oh yeah! 3 for 3! We at Run It Fast are so proud of Josh. He was in #beastmode out there, fighting food poisoning and a problem shin. He is tough!
Email from Carl Laniak at 11:05 am:
Joshua Holmes – sub 6
Josh is 3 for 3 at volstate
Forgot to copy down finish time before we came back up to the rock.
It was around 5:23:17:xx I thinkCarl
Lisa: Here are the Top 10, Top 3 Women, and Team Standings as of the 144 Hour Update:
Top 10
1. Joe Fejes – 314 miles (Done! 3 days 8 hours 10 min 16 sec)
2. Alan Abbs – 314 miles (Done! 4 days 11 hours 31 min 27 sec
3. Sung Ho Choi – 314 miles (Done! 4 days 13 hours 39 min 52 sec)
4. John Fegyveresi – 314 miles (Done! 4 days 16 hours 19 min 1 sec)
5. Sal Coll – 314 miles (Done! 5 days 5 hours 52 min 42 sec)
6. Brad ComptonJim Ball – 314 miles (Done! 5 days 20 hours and 47 sec)
7. Jim Ball – 314 miles (Done! 5 days 21 hours and 20 sec)
8. Joshua Holmes – 314 miles (Done! 5 days 23 hours 17 min 7 sec)
9. Richard Westbrook – 298 miles
10. Ray Krolewicz and Joel Gat – 290 miles
Top 3 Women
1. Sherry Meador – 272 miles
2. Psyche Wimberly – 244 miles
3. Diane Bolton – 231 miles
Teams
1. Team Stinky Feet – 314 miles (Done! 2 days 19 hours 14 min 17 sec)
2. Team Country Gentlemen – 314 miles (Done! 4 days 4 hours 5 min 46 sec)
3. Team Two Step – 314 miles (Done! 4 days 12 hours 29 min 12 sec)
4. Team Saturday – 231 miles
The top 10 is almost complete! We should see Richard, Ray, and Joel finish today. Good luck to all the runners still on the course!
Email from Mike Dobies at 8:48 am:
Vol State – 144 Hour Update
Tracking Sheet:
http://www.tinyurl.com/Volstate2013
Lisa: There were 3 finishers last night while the rest of us were sleeping! Brad Compton, Jim Ball, and RIF #1 Joshua Holmes all finished sub 6. This is Josh’s 3rd consecutive VS500K finish! Congratulations to all 3!
Instagram post from Joshua:
Email from Carl Laniak at 4:46 am:
Jim ball – 5:21:00:20
Picture with bearded brad…
Carl
Email from Carl Laniak at 4:45 am:
5:20:00:47 – brad Compton
A monster push over the second half of the race.
Carl
Posted in Running, THE CLUB, Ultra Marathon, Vol StateComments (0)
Day 6: 2013 Last Annual Vol State 500K Live Blog
Posted on 16 July 2013.
Instagram from RIF #1 Josh
Day 6 of the Last Annual Vol State 500K! 2 runners have now completed the 314 mile trek and others are not far behind. They are doing what they need to do to survive out there, just like in Josh’s Instragram photo above. Whether it’s dealing with an angry shin, chaffing, blisters, or whatever. It’s all about managing the pain and suffering. And maybe blocking it out. Good luck to all the runners today!
Check back throughout the day to see how things are going out there!
Links you might find fun/useful:
To catch up on previous days: Day1 Day2 Day3 Day4 Day5
Last Annual Volstate 500K Spreadsheet & Map – for runner tracking (updated twice a day).
Carl’s 2013 Last Annual Volstate 500K Album, Day 2 Drive Thru, and Day 3 Photos
Twitter:
RunItFast: @runitfast
Joshua Holmes: @bayou
Shannon Burke: @s4121burke
Dallas Smith: @smithbend
VS500: #VS500 or #VS500K
Facebook:
UltraJoshua – Facebook page for Joshua Holmes
Last Annual Vol State Road Race – Facebook page for VS500K
So far today:
Lisa: Here are the Top 10, Top 3 Women, and Team Standings as of the 132 Hour Update:
Top 10
1. Joe Fejes – 314 miles (Done! 3 days 8 hours 10 min 16 sec)
2. Alan Abbs – 314 miles (Done! 4 days 11 hours 31 min 27 sec
3. Sung Ho Choi – 314 miles (Done! 4 days 13 hours 39 min 52 sec)
4. John Fegyveresi – 314 miles (Done! 4 days 16 hours 19 min 1 sec)
5. Sal Coll – 314 miles (Done! 5 days 5 hours 52 min 42 sec)
6. Jim Ball – 300 miles
7. Brad Compton – 295 miles
8. Joshua Holmes – 290 miles
9. Richard Westbrook – 272 miles
10. Ray Krolewicz and Joel Gat – 263 miles
Top 3 Women
1. Sherry Meador – 252 miles
2. Psyche Wimberly – 233 miles
3. Diane Bolton – 222 miles
Teams
1. Team Stinky Feet – 314 miles (Done! 2 days 19 hours 14 min 17 sec)
2. Team Country Gentlemen – 314 miles (Done! 4 days 4 hours 5 min 46 sec)
3. Team Two Step – 314 miles (Done! 4 days 12 hours 29 min 12 sec)
4. Team Saturday – 206 miles (No check in at 132 hours)
1 more runner finished today and I’m sure we will see more before the morning check-in. Looks like it was a tough day out there. Let’s hope tomorrow is a little better for them.
Email from Mike Dobies at 9:33 pm:
Vol State – 132 Hour Update
Tracking Sheet:
http://www.tinyurl.com/Volstate2013
Email from Laz at 5:52 pm:
these people need help (5.5 days)
“i’m ready to quit.”
“you don’t want to quit. you only have 16 miles to go.”
“I am out of water.”
“you are only 200 yards from a store.”
“I don’t think I can make it.”“someone needs to come and get me”
“are you sure?”
“i just took 2 hours to go 1/2 mile.”“my feet are covered with blisters and my legs don’t work.”
“i am getting a room and going down.
i don’t know if i will get back up.”“i am 2 miles from wartrace and there is a fork in the road. i don’t know which way to go.”
“please help me.
i have been sitting in the shade for 2 hours and i don’t remember which way i was going when i got here?”the only sure way to know that carl has finally dozed off;
his phone rings.
there are some desperate people out there,
and they think carl is the “nice” one….these people are in trouble.
serious heat showed its ugly face today.
and those who failed to muster superhuman performances are paying the price.
tomorrow should be even hotter.but relief is on the forecast for Thursday…
severe thunderstorms all day and night.
they call it the vol-state.
laz
Email from Carl Laniak at 1:27 pm:
5:05:52:42 – sal coll
His 2nd finish and a PR.
Carl
Lisa: By the way, John Fegyveresi is one of the few runners to finish the Barkley Marathons. He completed it in 2012 in 59:41:21.
Facebook Post from Diane Bolton’s crew Phil Min (Diane is looking great – Go Diane!):
Lisa: Abi Meadows shared her photos from yesterday. They are very cool: Vol State 2013 7/15/13
Lisa: Here are the Top 10, Top 3 Women, and Team Standings as of the 120 Hour Update:
Top 10
1. Joe Fejes – 314 miles (Done! 3 days 8 hours 10 min 16 sec)
2. Alan Abbs – 314 miles (Done! 4 days 11 hours 31 min 27 sec
3. Sung Ho Choi – 314 miles (Done! 4 days 13 hours 39 min 52 sec)
4. John Fegyveresi – 314 miles (Done! 4 days 16 hours 19 min 1 sec)
5. Sal Coll – 295 miles
6. Jim Ball – 279 miles
7. Joshua Holmes – 266 miles
8. Brad Compton – 260 miles
9. Richard Westbrook – 240 miles
10. Ray Krolewicz, Sherry Meador, and Joel Gat – 233 miles
Top 3 Women
1. Sherry Meador – 233 miles
2. Psyche Wimberly – 215 miles
3. Dusty Hardman – 202 miles
Teams
1. Team Stinky Feet – 314 miles (Done! 2 days 19 hours 14 min 17 sec)
2. Team Country Gentlemen – 314 miles (Done! 4 days 4 hours 5 min 46 sec)
3. Team Two Step – 314 miles (Done! 4 days 12 hours 29 min 12 sec)
4. Team Saturday – 206 miles
4 runners and 3 teams are done now! Who will finish today?
Email from Mike Dobies at 11:27 am:
Vol State – 120 Hour Update
Tracking Sheet:
http://www.tinyurl.com/Volstate2013Sorry for the delay, but my vacation is over… and my boss doesn’t have the same enthusiasm for Vol State that I do.
Also, fixed the “Race Time:” in the script to show finishing times, if applicable. (I’ll fix the old maps when I get a chance.)
Email from Laz at 9:58 am:
the great road race (5 days)
the winners are already back at work,
but the racing continues.sal coll looks to be next in line to finish.
he passed jim ball last night on the mountain
(after a heated 2-day pursuit).
as sal described the dramatic moment;
“he was sitting on a bench in monteagle.”there is a lot of passing back and forth.
but passes in the last 30 or 40 miles are significant.individual struggles continue all the way back.
struggles against the race,
struggles against other runners.
struggles against a variety of physical ailments.on the other hand,
impromptu teams face the demons together.
after days and nights spent on the road
total strangers have become fast friends and staunch allies.the biggest battles are being fought by those dueling with oprah.
after a valiant fight,
tj watched oprah go past last night.
he has a crew now,
so he can make a last desperate attempt to reel her back in.
(we won’t go and do a manatory pick-up if he is self reliant)
but oprah is relentless, if slow.her pace never varies.
the teams of walker & taylor,
and kowalski & giant backpack
staved off disaster last night;
linden to Columbia is always a challenge at the back of the pack,
forcing strategy changes to reach the halfway mark
ahead of the cutoff.jan/diane and joe/GB made it,
but oprah remains just out of sight behind them.
their battles are far from over.
every day will be a challenge from here on out
cutoff by cutoff
to reach that magic mark before oprah,
and buy another day on the road.the winners are already back at work…
for those battling oprah,
the race is only half over.laz
Lisa: Ah…life on the road! LOL!
Lisa: The worst part about living on the west coast is I feel like I miss so much! Here’s what happened overnight and this morning so far…
Instagram post from Josh at 8:53 am:
Tweet from Dallas at 7:02 am:
Tweet from Josh at 6:45 am:
Tweet from Dusty Hardman @notfastsoigofar at 6:01 am:
Email from Carl Laniak at 12:06 am:
John fegyveresi – 4:16:19:01
Tread was worn off of his shoes, he ate it in the mud pit at mile 313.5
Carl
Posted in Running, THE CLUB, Ultra Marathon, Vol StateComments (0)
Day 5: 2013 Last Annual Vol State 500K Live Blog
Posted on 15 July 2013.
Bench of Despair
Yesterday saw the crowning of a new King of the Road. Joe Fejes was this year’s winner and he set a course record while he was at it! He shaved over 9 hours off the old record and completed the VS500K in 3 days 8 hours 10 min 16 sec. 9 hours! Only in a race like this could that be conceivable. The old record stood for 8 years and you have to wonder how long this one will stand. The race is gaining in popularity so more and more “fast” people may have a go at it.
Who will finish today? Check back throughout the day to find out!
Links you might find fun/useful:
To catch up on previous days: Day1 Day2 Day3 Day4
Last Annual Volstate 500K Spreadsheet & Map – for runner tracking (updated twice a day).
Carl’s 2013 Last Annual Volstate 500K Album, Day 2 Drive Thru, and Day 3 Photos
Twitter:
RunItFast: @runitfast
Joshua Holmes: @bayou
Shannon Burke: @s4121burke
Dallas Smith: @smithbend
VS500: #VS500 or #VS500K
Facebook:
UltraJoshua – Facebook page for Joshua Holmes
Last Annual Vol State Road Race – Facebook page for VS500K
So far today:
Lisa: Here are the Top 10, Top 3 Women, and Team Standings as of the 108 Hour Update:
Top 10
1. Joe Fejes – 314 miles (Done! 3 days 8 hours 10 min 16 sec)
2. Alan Abbs – 314 miles (Done! 4 days 11 hours 31 min 27 sec
3. Sung Ho Choi – 308 miles (Now done! 4 days 13 hours 39 min 52 sec)
4. John Fegyveresi – 300 miles
5. Jim Ball – 262 miles
6. Sal Coll – 250 miles
7. Joshua Holmes – 241 miles
8. Brad Compton – 233 miles
9. Ray Krolewicz – 223 miles
10. Richard Westbrook, Roy Tamez, Tim Purol, Jeff Kasal – 222 miles
Top 3 Women
1. Sherry Meador – 218 miles
2. Psyche Wimberly – 203 miles
3. Dusty Hardman – 186 miles
Teams
1. Team Stinky Feet – 314 miles (Done! 2 days 19 hours 14 min 17 sec)
2. Team Country Gentlemen – 314 miles (Done! No time posted yet though)
3. Team Two Step – 311 miles
4. Team Saturday – 190 miles
A flurry of finishes today! And more should be coming in any minute now. What a day!
Email from Mike Dobies at 10:05 pm:
Vol State – 108 Hour Update
Tracking Sheet:
http://www.tinyurl.com/Volstate2013
Lisa: Congrats to Bruce for being 3rd to the rock!
Email from Carl Laniak at 9:21 pm:
4:13:39:52 – Bruce Sung Ho Choi
“Can I get a ride”
Carl
Lisa: Alan Abbs is 2nd at the 2013 Last Annual Vol State 500K…and he did it uncrewed and set a new uncrewed course record! Congratulations Alan!
Email from Carl Laniak at 7:15 pm:
Alan Abbs – 4:11:31:27
Sub 4.5 days!
Carl
Lisa: That’s one way to deal with the dogs! That or pepper spray.
Tweet from Dallas at 7:06 pm:
Lisa: Did you see Laz’s reference to Oprah in his email this morning?
but it is the way of the world.
the strong cannot carry the weak forever.
sooner or later the choice is whether one will survive,
or both will fall to oprah.
There have been other references to her throughout the race as well. So you may be wondering what’s going on with Oprah. Well, I mentioned before that there is no money or bling prize for winning or completing the Last Annual Vol State 500K. In fact, there isn’t even an entrance fee. You just show up at the ferry. And while this is a pretty laid back race, you do still have to meet cut-offs because you only have 10 days to finish it. In this screen capture of the 2013 VS500K map, the runners are represented by numbers and then there’s the Grim Reaper. The Grim Reaper is the pace you must stay at to complete the race in 10 Days. If you’re behind him…adios!
Now, I’m not saying the Grim Reaper and Oprah are one in the same but here’s an excerpt from one of Laz’s emails from last year:
16) oprah 224- everyone keeps asking; “who is oprah?”
you know who oprah is.
she is the spectre that trails the pack at the vol state.
she is the “real” world. where celebrity is the most important thing,
and there are no lonely figures alongside the road, chasing dreams.laz
Spectre…Oprah…Grim Reaper…same difference! Don’t fear the reaper but you better keep moving!
Instagram post from Josh at 2:53 pm:
Lisa: Tweets from Dusty Hardman (@notfastsoigorfar) and Dallas Smith about life on the road in the VS500K:
Sometimes, it’s about enjoying the simple things in life! Also, in the last tweet by Dallas, he mentions the location of hotels being important. That’s because uncrewed runners are not allowed to accept rides to/from hotels. They must get to them using their own two legs and since no one wants to add miles, you either sleep in a hotel when you get to it or find somewhere else to sleep…like a cemetery!
Make sure you follow Dusty and Dallas so you don’t miss all the fun out there!
Lisa: Abi Meadows was kind enough to share her pics of July 13 -14 with the list. Check them out!
Email from Laz at 9:25 am:
Vol State – 96 Hour Update
vol state trivia:
on day one we suggested jim ball consider calling 911,
after he collapsed in a ditch.
he waved off the suggestion.check out who is in third among the screwed runners.
laz (do not try this at home)
Lisa: Here are the Top 10, Top 3 Women, and Team Standings
Top 10
1. Joe Fejes – 314 miles (Done! 3 days 8 hours 10 min 16 sec)
2. Alan Abbs – 282 miles
3. John Fegyveresi – 266 miles
4. Sung Ho Choi – 264 miles
5. Jim Ball – 230 miles
6. Sal Coll – 223 miles
7. Joshua Holmes – 218 miles
8. Ray Krolewicz – 208 miles
9. Brad Compton – 206 miles
10. Charlie Taylor – 196 miles
Top 3 Women
1. Sherry Meador – 192 miles
2. Psyche Wimberly – 178 miles
3. Dusty Hardman – 161 miles
Teams
1. Team Stinky Feet – 314 miles (Done! 2 days 19 hours 14 min 17 sec)
2. Team Country Gentlemen – 300 miles
3. Team Two Step – 250 miles
4. Team Saturday – 149 miles
Looks like we will be seeing more finishers today! Team Country Gentlemen could be there as I write this and Alan Abbs is right behind them. No drops overnight so that’s a good thing. Let’s hope they all have good days out there!
By the way, did you know there is no prize or medal for this race? And that the only title that matters is King of the Road? The people who run this don’t do it for the glory or the money or the bling. They do it to see if they can and to find out what they are made of!
Email from Laz at 9:20 am:
human dynamics after 4 days on the road
you might not expect it,
but the vol-state is an excellent place to study human behavior.
4 days into this ordeal,
and all the pretenses have been stripped away.with a world reduced to concerns for food and water,
a safe place to shit,
and maybe, on a good day, shelter for sleeping,
people soon become who they really are.
after 4 days on the road,
everyone is who they really are.it is refreshing that most rise to the challenge,
rather than sink to the situation.group dynamics;
runners pair up.
sometimes, maybe most of the time,
they combine their strengths,
each providing an extra facet to the other.
humans can be stronger together,
than the sum of the parts.sometimes,
their weaknesses play off one another,
and the team dynamic pulls them into a vortex of failure.
the stronger member has to realize that they must abandon their companion
(because forming a weak team does not prevent growing attached)
humans together can be weaker than the sum of the parts.sometimes, even in a good team,
the strong must abandon the weak.
it is sad,
but it is the way of the world.
the strong cannot carry the weak forever.
sooner or later the choice is whether one will survive,
or both will fall to oprah.relays, and crew-runner teams plan to be together from the start to the finish.
the crucible of the vol-state either forges unbreakable bonds,
or melts away the bonds that connect the runners.
relay runners are likely to embrace at the rock.
or they may pull me aside when I stop to check on them;
each telling me that the other;
“has lost his mind.”the crew can watch their runner persevere;
to suffer from severe discomfort, fatigue,
and feel this growing pride inside for what the runner has accomplished.
regardless of place or time
because what you accomplish out here is not measured by where you finish.
no one prolongs the ordeal in order to “make it easier”
the longer it takes, the harder it is.
what you accomplish is measured by where you get.
every runner who reaches the rock
is, in that moment, greatness.the runner either sees the crew as saviors,
as angels whose presence makes this hell bearable.
or they can grouse and complain about the crew’s failures.
failures to anticipate their needs,
and have exactly what is wanted,
exactly when it is desired.of course there is no magic provision
that will take away the reality of 4 days and nights on the road.but it is the screwed runners who reveal themselves under the brightest lights of all.
the screwed vol-state is an unimaginable test of will and endurance.
no one who drops can be faulted by those who were not there.
there are,
once you get out of the ferry’s shadow,
countless reasons to stop….all of them are good reasons.
the vol-state is not kind to your body or your mind.there is but one reason to continue;
you set out to do this thing,
and you refuse to be stopped.and this is the only thing it takes to finish the race;
the refusal to be stopped.all the little veteran tricks of the trade,
you will learn.
no one will have to instruct you.
the road is an effective teacher.all the smiling faces, and happy voices we see and hear
during call-ins, and drive-thrus;
I cannot explain them.
I get why they are so joyous at the rock.
the hell is over.
they DID IT!
but how can they be so cheerful,
when an end to the hell is not even within reach of imagination?there have not yet been enough vol-states
to get the human dynamic,
which makes them happy in the face of intolerable conditions.maybe one day I will understand those people.
laz
Email from Mike Dobies at 8:54 am:
Vol State – 96 Hour Update
Tracking Sheet:
http://www.tinyurl.com/Volstate2013
Posted in Running, THE CLUB, Ultra Marathon, Vol StateComments (0)
Day 4: 2013 Last Annual Vol State 500K Live Blog
Posted on 14 July 2013.
Day 4 and the course record is on the line! Will we see it broken today? Will there be a new King of the Road? We already had one team finish over night and we should expect more finishes today. It’s been a pretty funny morning so far and things will only get loopier as the race goes on.
Come back and visit throughout the day so you don’t miss a thing!
Links you might find fun/useful:
To catch up on previous days: Day1 Day2 Day3
Last Annual Volstate 500K Spreadsheet & Map – for runner tracking (updated twice a day).
Carl’s 2013 Last Annual Volstate 500K Album, Day 2 Drive Thru, and Day 3 Photos
Twitter:
RunItFast: @runitfast
Joshua Holmes: @bayou
Shannon Burke: @s4121burke
Dallas Smith: @smithbend
VS500: #VS500 or #VS500K
Facebook:
UltraJoshua – Facebook page for Joshua Holmes
Last Annual Vol State Road Race – Facebook page for VS500K
So far today:
Lisa: I added links for Carl’s photos of Day 2 and Day 3 above.
Lisa: Top 10, Top 3 Women, and Team standings as of 84 hours:
Top 10
1. Joe Fejes – 314 miles (3 days 8 hours 10 min 16 secs – course record)
2. Alan Abbs – 251 miles
3. John Fegyveresi – 238 miles
4. Sung Ho Choi – 233 miles
5. Sal Coll – 201 miles
6. Jim Ball – 198 miles
7. Joshua Holmes – 197 miles
8. Ray Krolewicz – 187 miles
9. John Price – 182 miles
10. Jeff Kasal, Tim Purol, Joel Gat, Brad Compton, and Richard Westbrook – 179 miles
Top 3 Women
1. Sherry Meador – 177 miles
2. Psyche Wimberly – 174 miles
3. Dusty Hardman – 150 miles
Team
1. Team Stinky Feet – 314 miles (2 days 19 hours 14 min 17 sec)
2. Team Country Gentlemen – 258 miles
3. Team Two Step – 250 miles
4. Team Saturday – 134 miles
Team Dancing Bears dropped at 250 miles. 🙁 #2 Alan and #3 John are still on track to break the Uncrewed course record. There is a pack of runners in the 172-179 range, a 12 pack. Hopefully they are keeping each other company out there. The Top 3 Women haven’t changed in a while but it looks like Sherry might catch some of the men and move into the top 10. I wonder what will happen overnight!
Email from Mike Dobies at 8:57 pm:
Vol State – 84 Hour Update
Tracking Sheet:
http://www.tinyurl.com/Volstate2013
Lisa: Staying on top of blisters is a big key to completing VS500K. It’s one of the main reasons I’ve seen runners drop. So glad Dallas was able to take care of it!
Tweet from Dallas at 8:02 pm:
Lisa: Congratulations to King Joe from everyone at Run It Fast!
Email from Laz at 5:10 pm:
the new king
it is official now.
we have a new king.the official time (and new record)
3:08:10:16all hail king joseph!
laz
Lisa: What is the “bench of despair”? Here’s an excerpt from one of Charlie Taylor’s recap of the 2012 VS500K:
“Word is that many runners, having run 185 miles , when taking a break on this bench would call it quits. We all got our pictures made in front of and sitting on the bench and all declared that they would not quit on that silly bench. This store owner was smart, she had painted the name on the back of the bench and I’m sure she got plenty of questions from outsider about why that was painted on the back.”
Facebook post by Josh at 3:23 pm:
Email from Laz at 1:57 pm:
fejes across the river
not long now
Tweet from Dallas at 9:38 am:
Lisa: Here is the Top 10, Top 3 Women, and Team standings as of 72 Hours:
Top 10
1. Joe Fejes – 280 miles
2. Alan Abbs – 218 miles
3. John Fegyveresi – 204 miles
4. Sung Ho Choi – 202 miles
5. Jim Ball – 178 miles
6. Joshua Holmes – 177 miles
7. Sal Coll – 175 miles
8. Jeff Kasal – 170 miles
9. Tim Purol – 169 miles
10. Ray Krolewicz – 166 miles
Top 3 Women
1. Sherry Meador – 145 miles
2. Psyche Wimberly – 128 miles
3. Dusty Hardman – 124 miles
Teams
1. Team Stinky Feet – 314 miles (done!)
2. Team Dancing Bears – 228 miles
3. Team Country Gentlemen – 225 miles
4. Team Two Step – 201 miles
5. Team Saturday – 91 miles (they started on Saturday)
So one team done and happy to say there were no more drops. 🙂 Joe Fejes put down 50 miles in that last 12 hours despite saying his legs were “trashed” yesterday. He only has to do 34 miles in 17 hours and 42 minutes to beat the course record. I’m thinking that barring a disaster, he’s got it. Good luck Joe!
Also, in case you didn’t know Alan in 2nd and Joe in 3rd are running this Screwed (solo, un-supported)! Pretty amazing, right? They are on track to beat the Unaided Course Record (5 days 3 hours 9 minutes 33 seconds) set by Dan Fox last year.
What a year this is turning out to be!
Email from Mike Dobies at 9:06 am:
Vol State – 72 Hour Update
Tracking Sheet:
http://www.tinyurl.com/Volstate2013
Lisa: The emails this morning were awesome! Now you can see what being on the road for 3 days does to a person. Much respect to the runners out there!
Email from Wayne McComb at 9:06 am:
Sunday morning, com in’ down
So I fumbled through my backpack to find my
cleanest, dirty shirt.
And I tried to find a way to put my shoes on my feet
that didn’t hurt.
On a Sunday morning sidewalk,
Lord I’m wishin’ I was stoned.
Cause there’s something ’bout the VolState,
That makes a body, feel alone.Wayne
Email from Laz at 8:48 am:
clear thinking after 3 days on the road
this morning’s check-ins are off to a flying start.
i am groggy when the phone rings,
after having been up most of the night waiting on the stinky feet
to finally choose the correct roads into alabama and georgia.the connection seems to be no clearer on the opposite end.
shaking out cobwebs, i answer;
“good morning! 3-day check-in”
“this is marcia”
(ah, this one remembered to tell me who was calling!)
“so how was your night?”
“yes, yes it was.”
then she hangs up.
i have all the critical information,
except where she is.i don’t have long to think about this,
because the phone rings again.
“good morning! 3-day check-in”
“do you have any coffee?”
“no, i don’t have any coffee here.”
“i thought you might bring some coffee.”
“no, i won’t be bringing any coffee.”
“oh well; i am at the church of latter day saints.”
“who is i?”
“diane bolton.”
“i don’t know the distance for that church.”
“between parsons and linden.”
(that would be between 103 and 125)
“which side of the tennessee river are you on?”
“yes.”
“you haven’t reached the tennessee river yet?”
“oh no, we crossed that a long time ago…but we haven’t got to linden yet.”
i am trying to think of a way to narrow this down some, and she volunteers a clue.
“dallas is right behind us.”
“oh, dallas.”
“dallas smith. poor dallas.”
“poor dallas?”
“i have a crew, and he doesn’t.
(she laughs)
i think i have lost my humanity.
i should feel guilty, up here eating ice chips….and there is poor dallas.
he doesn’t have a crew.
he doesn’t have anything.”
then she laughs again and hangs up.so far i know that marcia had a night,
and diane has ice chips, but would like coffee.
(also dallas still has no crew, but that is only hear-say)the phone rings again.
“good morning! 3-day check-in.”
“this is (garbled) bruce’s crew”
“and how are yall doing this morning?”
“we are doing good. bruce is at 102.”
“102? it seems more likely he is at 202?”
“oh, yes. it is probably 202. not that it makes any difference….well, it might make a difference to bruce.”
(i am sure it makes a difference to bruce.)
“i have you down, ya’ll have a fun day out there.”
“ok”
she hangs up.i am not sure the vol-state is good for brain function.
but the important thing is,
everyone seemed to be in very good spirits.i better get these results to carl,
so we can start figuring out where people are
(within a planet)laz
Email from Carl Laniak at 8:18 am:
vol state: the un-coolest race around.
72 hours in. a runner checks in.
runner:
“had a good night. mile xxx. it’s raining.”me:
“well done. see you on the road later.”runner:
“cool. thanks. i ate out of a garbage can last night.”
Lisa: Fun stuff from overnight…
Instagram post from Josh at 4:40 am:
Lisa: So Team Stinky Feet is the first team to complete the VS500K. They are Sue Scholl and Ben Herron. Congrats Team Stinky Feet!
Email from Laz at 4:18 am:
stinky feet
2:19:14:17
would have been faster without the side-trip into Alabama
when sue missed the turn to new hope.laz
Tweet from Dallas Smith at 3:41 am (this is what the solo runners have to deal with):
Posted in Running, THE CLUB, Ultra Marathon, Vol StateComments (0)
Day 3: 2013 Last Annual Vol State 500K Live Blog
Posted on 13 July 2013.
Dallas and Laz 2013 Last Annual Vol State 500K
The runners are starting their 3rd day today at the Last Annual Vol State 500K! There was a lot of running going on through the night and Joe Fejes laid down some big miles – 58! Everyone else is moving steadily along. It’s going to be another warm and humid day out there. Wish them luck!
Make sure you check back throughout the day to see how things are going out there!
Links you might find fun/useful:
To catch up on previous days: Day1 Day2
Last Annual Volstate 500K Spreadsheet & Map – for runner tracking (updated twice a day).
Carl’s 2013 Last Annual Volstate 500K Album.
Twitter:
RunItFast: @runitfast
Joshua Holmes: @bayou
Shannon Burke: @s4121burke
Dallas Smith: @smithbend
VS500: #VS500 or #VS500K
Facebook:
UltraJoshua – Facebook page for Joshua Holmes
Last Annual Vol State Road Race – Facebook page for VS500K
So far today:
Lisa: Carl’s email is a good way to end this blog so that’s it for day 3’s live blog! I hope you’ll come back tomorrow and follow along on day 4. It should be an interesting day!
Email from Carl Laniak at 11:20 pm:
Re: FW: resilience (2.5 days)
I will just add that the second half of the race is quite remarkable.
There is no despondency in these runners. They are positive to a fault.
Whether they are nearing the half way mark, or still looking for a 100 mile split, they are pushing forward and upbeat.
(at least that is what I see when I stop to say hello…perhaps a friendly face in the middle of a rough afternoon is skewing my perception?!)This year’s weather is a special occurrence, and the runners are really taking advantage.
-PS RUNNERS-
i believe we’ve confirmed that there’s a slight typo in john’s book, the first gas station in hohenwald is 4-5 miles further than stated. Runner’s headed that way, stock up at the gas station where hwy 100 splits to the left and the course goes right. If I am wrong (i don’t have my book in front of me) it won’t hurt too much to be stocked up there.well done!
carl
Email from Laz at 11:08 pm:
resilience (2.5 days)
I have been relegated to the same view of much of the field,
as the people at home.
the race has become so strung out that carl and I had to split up.
I got to see the people at the front.
carl is witness to the mayhem in the back.with fewer people to see,
I got to spend more time talking to them.
one thing stood out,
both in the screwed runners’ comments,
and in the descriptions of the crews.the successful vol-stater must have remarkable resilience.
everyone has gone thru dark periods;
yet somehow come back. (again and again)this is one reason for the fruit basket turnover we see
every time the standings are updated.abbs was, at one point last night,
reduced to scouring a construction zone for partially consumed water bottles,
and drinking what was left.
the old man relay team saw him staggering down the road,
seemingly near his end.
an hour later he was running again.I missed fegys entirely,
as he was sleeping behind a tree when I passed….I see in the standings that he not only returned to the road,
but has closed back in on those in front of him.schick said of fejes;
“he will look like he is absolutely on his last legs,
then he lays down for a short while,
and comes back as strong as he was on the first day.”I see we had a third drop today.
37 of the original 40 are still on the road
(altho several are locked in a life and death struggle with oprah)if everyone who had been thru a period of hopelessness had dropped;
no one would be left.I went and scouted the finish line,
preparing for the first relay to come in some time tonight
(and fejes sometime in the morning)the big mudhole in the woods has reached record size.
(no one is getting past that sucker dry this year)
the recent monsoons have left the roads on castle rock ranch virtually impassable.
those who survive the first 313 miles have a real treat in store.laz
Email from Carl Laniak at 11:04 pm:
vol state day 3 photos
from hohenwald back thru the field.
Lisa: Crazy weather. wild dogs, Road Angels…yep, they are getting the full VS500K experience!
Tweet from Josh at 9:34 pm:
Lisa: Here is the Top 10, Top 3 Women, and Team standings as of the 60 Hour check in:
Top 10
1. Joe Fejes – 230 miles
2. Alan Abbs – 185 miles
3. Sung Ho Choi – 184 miles
4. John Fegyveresi – 178 miles
5. Joshua Holmes – 152 miles
6. Jim Ball – 151 miles
7. Ray Krolewicz – 148 miles
8. Tim Purol – 145 miles
9. Jeff Kasal – 145 miles
10. Sal Coll – 144 miles
Top 3 Women
1. Sherry Meador – 132 miles
2. Psyche Wimberly – 128 miles
3. Dusty Hardman – 110 miles
Team
1. Team Stinky Feet – 280 miles
2. Team Two Step – 200 miles
3. Team Dancing Bears – 196 miles
4. Team Country Gentlemen – 190 miles
5. Team Saturday – 57 miles (they started today)
There’s been one more drop from the VS500K – Robert Woodall dropped at 82 miles. There are now at 37 runners and 5 teams out on the Tennessee roads.
230 miles! Joe is a beast! Will Joe’s legs hold up? Will he have another big night? Tune in tomorrow morning to find out!
Email from Carl Laniak at 8:57 pm:
Re: Vol State – 60 Hour Update
the folks i marked at 91 miles are all in the Days Inn in lexington by 7:30….just so everyone understands…
I will post all my pics from this afternoon in a little bit (most of them were sent out already)
Email from Mike Dobies at 8:52 pm:
Vol State – 60 Hour Update
Tracking Sheet:
http://www.tinyurl.com/Volstate2013
Instagram post from Josh at 8:05 pm:
Lisa: Great to see Road Angels at work today for the runners out on the course! FYI – A Road Angel is a stranger that offers help to the runners. If a runner is uncrewed (or Screwed), they must carry everything they will need or buy it along the course and cannot except help from anyone they know but they can accept the kindness of strangers. Of the 40 runners that started the race, 7 runners were using crews and 33 runners were Screwed. Can you imagine running 314 miles uncrewed? What an adventure!
Tweet from Dallas at 7:50 pm:
Email from Carl Laniak at 6:32 pm:
Diane B – back on road and lookin good
Email from Stu at 5:48 pm showing more good will towards the VS500K runners:
next to the bench of great joy
this is waiting for you in culleoka!
stu
Instagram post from Josh at 5:11 pm:
Email from Carl Laniak at 4:17 pm:
Holmes and ball nearing hohenwald
Email from Carl Laniak at 4:12 pm:
Rayk at 143.5
Gifted some pizza by generous folks from union city who saw the runners Thursday in union city and “really admire what we’re doing out here!”
Carl
Tweet from @keithdunn at 3:02 pm:
Facebook post from Phil (Diane Bolton’s crew) at 2:43 pm:
Email from Mike Dobies at 11:12 am:
Re: Vol State – 48 Hour Update
Just an fyi:
When two runners are at the same mileage, the pins will have the exact same coordinates and only one will be visible on the map (the other is beneath the first). If you click the name on the left margin, then you will see where the hidden icon is on the map.
Thanks for pointing this out Josh.
I’m adding the Course Record (Unaided) pace information to the Tracking Sheet and map now. This record is also being seriously challenged.
Lisa: Here are the Top 10, Top 3 Women, and Team standings thru 48 hours:
Top 10
1. Joe Fejes – 196 miles
2. Alan Abbs – 154 miles
3. John Fegyveresi – 145 miles
4. Sung Ho Choi – 143 miles
5. Joshua Holmes – 133 miles
6. Ray Krolewicz – 127 miles
7. Jim Ball – 124 miles
8. Joes Gat – 124 miles
9. Joseph Nance – 120 miles
10. Sal Coll – 117 miles
Top 3 Women
1. Sherry Meador – 107 miles
2. Dusty Hardman – 92 miles
3. Psyche Wimberly – 83 miles (didn’t check in at 48 hours though)
Teams
1. Team Stinky Feet – 229 miles
2. Team Dancing Bears – 150 miles
3. Team Country Gentlemen – 145 miles
4. Team Two Step – 144 miles
Just a reminder that the course record is 3 days 17 hours 42 minutes and 12 seconds. Joe certainly looks like he’s on target to beat that! I wish I was there to see it too. Like Laz said: “the real fun is just beginning.”! Stay tuned!
Email from Laz at 10:33 am:
fegys v choi update
choi was, indeed, on break at 48 hours.
he was at 143 miles, so fegys had moved into third (145).choi is back on the road and has retaken third at this time.
more later.
laz
Email from Laz at 10:21 am:
it is a multiday now (vol-staters pass 48 hours)
fejes put on one of those fabulous stretches
that will be spoken of at the last suppers for years to come.58 miles between 36 and 48 hours.
he barely missed 200 in two days.
I feel privileged to be here to see his race.carl and I discussed this morning,
the possibility that he might put on a surge
that carries him past 300 miles within 3 days.
however this ends,
it is going to be something to see.and it isn’t like abbs is not putting on a performance for the ages.
people have discussed for years,
whether it is possible for a screwed (crewless) runner to break 5 days…at 48 hours, abbs was only 3 miles over 4-day pace.
with choi’s whereabouts unknown at 48 hours
(assumed to be taking a break)
fegys might have moved into third.holmes had put some distance between himself and the k during the night
(133 to 127)
but holmes was just starting an extended break at 48 hours.it is a safe bet that k is taking over 5th place as I write this
(if he has not already done so)gat (124), ball (124), and nance (120) have emerged from the pack
to threaten moving into the top 6.we are starting the third day.
this thing is now officially a multiday.
the real fun is just beginning.with 38 runners on the road,
every time someone takes a nap,
they are going to lose multiple places.laz
Email from Mike Dobies at 9:40 am:
Vol State – 48 Hour Update
Tracking Sheet:
http://www.tinyurl.com/Volstate2013
Tweet from @keithdunn at 9:27 am:
Tweet from Josh at 7:24 am:
Lisa: Overnight happenings…
Tweet from Josh at 4:21 am:
Tweet from Josh at 2:40 am:
Facebook post from Dallas last night:
Day’s highlights: A lone pigeon cooed in the dark beams as I passed under a bridge at 5 a.m. At 6 a.m. the sun was barely up. It cast my shadow 50 yards long across the rows of a low soy bean field. That thin wafting shadow measured my puny motion in precise 32-inch intervals. There was the Korner Kafe in Gleason where I had eggs and bacon – and caught four competitors. Finally, the road angel, a high-school-age young woman who drove up and with the help of who I took to be her young brother gave me a snack and a frosty bottle of water just when I needed it.
Main strategy tomorrow: Minimize damage.
Posted in Running, THE CLUB, Ultra Marathon, Vol StateComments (0)
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