RIFers Before VS500K

The first day is in the books! 40 runners and 4 relay teams set out yesterday to run 314 miles in the heat and humidity of Tennessee. That is the largest number of runners to start in the races history. The previous high was 22 runners. So cool to see so many people taking this challenge on this year. We are very proud of the 6 Run It Fast Club members who are running it this year. If you didn’t get a chance to meet them or would like to know more about them, check out this post.

And then check back throughout the day to see how things are going out there! I will be updating this post with emails, tweets, and photos as they come in.

Links you might find fun/useful:

To catch up on previous days: Day1  

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: Ok, here are the Top 10 and the Teams as of the 36 Hour Update:

Top 10 Solo
1. Joe Fejes – 138 miles
2. Alan Abbs – 124 miles
3. Sung Ho Choi – 122 miles
4. John Fegyveresi – 117 miles
5. Joshua Homes – 104 miles
6. Ray Krolewicz – 103.5 miles
7. Jim Ball – 102 miles
8. Tim Purol – 98 miles
9. Jeff Kasal – 98 miles
10. Joel Gat – 97 miles

Teams:
1. Team Stinky Feet – 182 miles
2. Team Country Gentlemen – 144 miles
3. Team Dancing Bears – 139 miles
4. Team Two Step – 138 miles

Little bit of shuffling in the top 10 but Joe still has the lead! I wonder if it will change by morning? What do you think? I hope you’ll come back and follow along on Day 3.

Email from Laz at 9:48 pm:

animals with attitudes (vol-state 36 hour report)

as we spent the day making our way thru the field to the back,
and then returning to the front,
one thing stood out above all else…

this family of vol-staters seem to possess an unbreakable positive attitude.
we have lost only a couple,
and the 38 survivors have smiles on their faces,
and are undeterred by the intimidating distances that lie in front of them.
more than a few have weathered crises which had us waiting for their call…

only to find them recovered and once again moving efficiently down the road.

even jan and diane t, who found oprah on their heels at the end of day 1,
have buckled down,
and are making a valiant push to get back on track.

the odds are against them;
nothing is harder than falling behind the line on day one,
and having to increase your output
with fatigue dogging your steps.
but they have made a statement:
they will not lie down beside the road and wait on oprah.
she will have to come and get them.

at the front, fejes is showing what we already knew.
he is an animal;
cranking out miles with no sign of slowing down…

but the race is not over.
abbs is an animal.
without benefit of any crew at all,
he has stuck to the road with unbelievable tenacity.
36 hours in, his persistence has pulled him within 14 miles of the lead.

2 miles behind abbs is choi.
choi has seen some ups and downs.
but nothing has taken the smile off his face.
every time we think he is flagging,
he comes back strong again.
choi is an animal.
of course he almost has to keep coming back.
he has fegys on his tail.

fegys is only 5 miles behind,
and equally crewless as abbs.
fegys, who finished barkley in just under 60 hours,
by never resting at all,
is not a man you want on your heels.
he is an animal.

and it isn’t quite time to write off holmes,
13 miles back of fegys, at 104 miles.
holmes has a couple of vol-states under his belt.
he knows the hell that waits in those next couple of hundred miles.
josh is perfectly capable of making a move.

holmes is capable of being an animal.

and he has motivation on his heels as well.
ancient krolewicz is less than a mile behind.
relentless forward motion has carried the k
from the very back into contention in only 36 hours.
the calendar might indicate that his day has passed.
that doesn’t mean anyone will be taking him lightly.

he is an animal.

and on it goes, all the way thru the pack.
every runner has fought for their position.
and every runner will have to fight to keep it.

it is a safe bet that those top 6 names will not remain in that exact order.
they probably will not even all be in the top 6,
when the names are called at the rock.

36 hours in, and the race has taken shape.
now the fun part begins.

laz

Lisa: Mike is referring to Shannon Burke who dropped at 64 miles and Ryan Brazell who dropped at 48 miles. Hopefully, the Last Annual Vol State 500K won’t claim any more victims in the coming days.

Email from Mike Dobies at 8:50 pm:

Vol State – 36 Hour Update

Tracking Sheet:
http://www.tinyurl.com/Volstate2013

Map:
https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=200687420624110668378.0004e15a74b6e940fc4c6&msa=0&ll=35.692995,-90.274658&spn=2.466938,5.410767

Note: I still need to mark Burke and Brazell as dropped……

Tweet from Dallas at 7:04 pm:

Facebook post by Josh at 6:28 pm:

Email from Carl Laniak at 5:30 pm:

vol state day 2 drive thru pics

https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/107684748124952715657/albums/5899848831547549281

Instagram from Josh at 3:24 pm:

Facebook post from Diane Bolton at 3:17 pm (apparently it’s a little bit warm out there!):

Lisa: 5 more hours until the next check-in. I wonder what’s happening out there! Hoping everyone is having a good day and that the stomach issues/blisters problems have gone away.  I wish there was a live video feed to watch! The suspense is killing me. 😉

Email from Carl Laniak at 1:17 pm:

Lockard & wingard – 61

Email from Carl Laniak at 12:33 pm:

Dallas smith – 53.5

Tweet from Josh at 12:14 pm:

Email from Carl Laniak at 11:40 pm:

Mouskateers – 75

Laz, Purol, Gat, Kasal, Stephens.

Carl

Tweet from @keithdunn:

Lisa: Ok, here’s the top 10 from the 24 Hour Update and the team standings:

Top 10
1. Joe Fejes – 107 miles
2. Alan Abbs – 91 miles
3. Sung Ho Choi – 84 miles
4. Joshua Holmes – 82 miles
5. John Fegyveresi – 81 miles
6. Ray Krolewicz – 76 miles
7. Joseph Nance – 70 miles
8. Sal Coll – 68 miles
9. Jeff McGonnell – 68 miles
10. Jim Ball – 68 miles

The team standings:
1. Team Stinky Feet – 124 miles
2. Team Country Gentlemen – 106 miles
3. Team Dancing Bears – 96 miles
4. Team Two Step – 82 miles

Lisa: Running a little late today so still have to catch up on some pics and tweets from the night. But here’s the important emails to get you started! Thanks for following along. 🙂

Email from Carl Laniak at 10:08 am:

Fejes at 119.5

Running strong, and joking around.

Carl

Email from Laz at 8:31 am:

(24 hours) as the competition goes…

after getting far ahead of all the solo runners,
we assume team stinky feet has hit the sack,
we have no 24 hour status for them.

fejes has moved out to a commanding lead in the race;
in parsons, at 107 miles.
this is one of the best first days in vol-state history
topped only by the record 110 mile first day back in the early 1980’s.

alan abbs, making the turn in Lexington, at 91 miles,
is certainly still in the chase.
and the feral fox has to know his screwed (uncrewed) record is under threat.
we are giddy at the thought of seeing a sub-5 by a screwed runner…

white trash might be giddy for other reasons.
such as the thought of crossing the Tennessee river and starting the long climb to linden.

sung ho (bruce) choi is next at 84
holmes (82), fegys (81), and krolewicz (76) round out the top 6.

that’s right.
the k.
the ancient, out of shape lister,
who was way back in the pack 12 hours ago
is now up with the big boys.

experience can be valuable.

now lets see what the second day brings…

carl and I are off to bring cheer to the footweary,
hope to the despairing,
anything but an easy ride to those who want to quit…

and a hook for anyone caught by opra.

laz

Email from Laz at 8:11 am:

the morning of hope

the second day has dawned bright and cool,
with as low a humidity as has been seen in these parts recently.

accordingly, the runners are doing well.
only one casualty so far.
shannon burke found a too-willing volunteer to retrieve her from the road.
how often your worst enemy comes in the guise of a friend!
(me and carl were sure we could get another day out of her)

5-day has reported a tiny blister,
hardly any bigger than a golf ball.
that should help him stay alert today.
hopefully it will heal during his 4 remaining days.

other than that,
only the usual stomach issues,
and moderately sore feet.

big backpack was sighted crawling from a ditch before martin,
yesterday afternoon.
he appeared to be having serious difficulties,
so we averted our eyes and drove quickly past….

turned out to be the right choice,
because he is now well up in the field and moving well…

certainly he has to have enough supplies to propel him down the road.

it doesn’t get any better than this….

at least it is not going to.

laz

Email from Mike Dobies at 8:29 am:

Vol State – 24 Hour Update

Tracking Sheet:
http://www.tinyurl.com/Volstate2013

Map:
https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=200687420624110668378.0004e150638dae8a95363&msa=0&ll=35.817813,-86.973267&spn=2.463072,5.410767

Hi all, it’s Lisa. I’ll be updating this post throughout the day with tweets, pictures, emails, maps, and links about the 2013 edition of the Last Annual Vol State 500K.

Check back throughout the day to see how things are going out there!

Links you might find fun:

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 – Joshua Holmes
Last Annual Vol State Road Race 

So far today:

Lisa: That’s it for today! I hope you will check back on Run It Fast tomorrow for Day 2’s live blog and see who took “a little bite” out of the Last Annual Vol State 500K!

Email from Laz at 11:06 pm:

inspiration, perspiration, and a sniff of the vol-state

49 runners along with assorted crew and family on the ferry was really something to see.
remembering the years when we might not have but 4 people,
we never thought the vol-state would look like this.

there was so much energy coursing thru the field as we cruised across the river,
unknown adventures hiding amongst the trees on the approaching riverbank.
hope and fear mingled, especially for the multi-day virgins among us.
it was impossible not to feel the inspiration.

after the traditional counting of the runners at the Mississippi river overlook,
there was little for carl and I to do but drive up thru the field,
and wait to take the splits at the 21 mile mark.
there were far too many runners on the road for us to stop and chat with each one.
the best thing for us to do was remove our own vehicle from the congestion on the road.

as we watched everyone pass thru the 21 mile mark,
happily informing nearly the entire field that they were on “course record pace”
we talked about where the runners really stood.

at 21 miles they had broken the wrapper on the vol-state.
they could catch just a sniff,
a hint of the smell of the real thing.
they had not taken a bite of vol-state yet,
not even a nibble.
hell, they hadn’t even peeled the wrapper back.
they had just broken the seal,
and maybe, just maybe, caught a hint of the smell.

the 12 hour results are on the map now.
fejes has taken a lead.
choi is 7 miles back, followed closely by abbs, holmes, and fegys.

none of this, of course, means anything as we head into the first night.
who will rest? who will run on?
who will get stronger? and who will falter?

the one thing certain is,
the 24 hour standings will little resemble the 12 hour’s.
the vol state is a race that takes a while to fall into place.
those who want to fight for the crown
must work hard to secure a spot among the contenders.
for those who get that work done,
in a couple of days the serious racing begins.

among the many newbies to this nasty game,
the passing of the first 24 hours includes another test.
how will they respond to messages from their body that it has had enough?
between tomorrow morning and the rock will come many next steps that seem impossible,
sheer will, and the refusal to surrender will be all that drives them on.

in the movies,
the hard work would be represented by a few minutes of visually stimulating clips,
accompanied by inspiring music.
the ultimate victory would go on forever in slow motion….

real life is very different.
the hard work is goes on forever,
with an end nowhere in sight.
the view changes slowly, and dramatic moments are few.
the closest thing to inspiring music is the slap of your shoes on the pavement,
and the sloshing of water in your bottles.

tomorrow morning we will see who has what it takes to tear open that wrapper,
and take a little bite.

laz

Email from Carl Laniak at 10:42 pm:

the volstate album is updated

https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/107684748124952715657/albums/5899552556950832081

this afternoon’s pics are shadowy, but you can’t blame me for sitting in the shade for the 6+ hours we waited for most of the field to pass the traditional “20 mile” split under the bridge….I mean, it’s a little warm out there.

they’re still out there, mostly moving. they’re going to start feeling like they’ve “actually gotten somewhere” soon.

carl

Lisa: So, at the 12 Hour Update, the top 10 solo runners were:
1. Joe Fejes – 60 miles
2. Sung Ho Choi – 53 miles
3. Alan Abbs – 49 miles
4. Joshua Holmes – 47 miles
5. John Fegyveresi – 47 miles
6. Roy Tamez – 45 miles
7. Jeff Kasal – 45 miles
8. Tim Purol – 45 miles
9. Joseph Nance – 44 miles
10. Ray Krolewicz – 44 miles

And here are the standing for the relay teams at the 12 Hour Update:

1. Team Stinky Feet – 70 miles
2. Team Two Step – 57 miles
3. Team Dancing Bears – 55 miles
4. Team Country Gentlement – 54 miles

This is what the map of the runners looks like at the 12 Hour Update:

Cool to see how much they have spread out over just one day! Joe Fejes is still in the lead. There’s been some speculation on the email list that he might not keep it so we will have to see how it plays out!

Email from Mike Dobies at 8:52 pm:

Vol State – 12 Hour Update

Tracking Sheet:

http://www.tinyurl.com/Volstate2013

Map:

https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=200687420624110668378.0004e12ec15b689068078&msa=0

Instagram post by Josh at 8:31 pm

Tweet from Dallas at 6:51 pm:

Tweet from Dallas at 6:48 pm:

Instagram post from Josh at 5:36 pm:

Lisa: Did you see that Joe Fejes is currently in 1st? He is the pre-race favorite and might even break the course record for the Last Annual Vol State 500K this year! The current record is 3:17:42:12 and Joe set the 72 hour mark by running 329.64 miles at the 2012/2013 Across The Years. Piece of cake, right? Of course, he had much cooler temps there but it will be exciting to watch what happens! Not only with him, but with all the runners.

Email from Carl Laniak at 2:36 pm:

Re: 21 mile vol state splits

Still waiting on:

Diane Taylor
Jan walker
Tj nagies
Marcia Rasmussen
Paul Heckert

Carl

Email from Carl Laniak at 2:10 pm:

21 mile vol state splits

1) joe fejes 3:09
2) sue (team stinky feet) 3:23
3) Alan white trash Abbs 4:04
4) Claude (team two step) 4:05
5) Joshua Holmes 4:06
6) sung ho choi 4:06
7) sal coll 4:21
8 ) Tim purol 4:30
9) Jeff castle 4:31
10) John fegys 4:35
11) Roy tamez 4:36
12) Marv Skagerberg (country gentlemen) 4:40
13) Charlie Taylor 4:40
14) Patrick binienda (dancing bears) 4:42
15) John Adams 4:46
16) Joel gat 5:09
17) joe F nance 5:10
18) dusty 5:19
19) Shannon 5:19
20) Texas Jeff 5:20
21) rayk 5:42
22) brad 5:42
23) Jeff mcgonnell 5:42
24) Jim ball 5:42
25) Diane Bolton 5:43
26) sherry Meador 5:44
27) Jeff Stevens 5:51
28) Wayne mccomb 5:57
29) jp 6:02
30) Dallas smith 6:17
31) psyche 6:18
32) joe co-alski 6:20
33) Robert Woodall 6:24
34) Scott tater krouse 6:24
35) giant backpack curro 6:29
36) 5-day brazell 6:29
37) dave wingard 6:33
38) Becky lockard 6:33

Carl

Tweet from @keithdunn at 11:03 am:

Email from Carl Laniak at 10:31 am:

Here is an album with a pic of each starter going past the overlook above the Mississippi River this morning (mile 2).

The sun was in the wrong place for more scenic pictures…

40 solo runners started their 500km journey run.

4 relay teams started.

https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/107684748124952715657/albums/5899373024742557185

Instagram post from Josh at 9:43 am:

Instagram post from Josh at 7:13 am:

And so it begins…

Email from Laz at 8:56 pm on 7/10/13:

twas the night before vol-state
and in all of the rooms.
not a person was stirring,
not even the doomed.
all of the runners were off in their beds,
with visions of ferries dancing in their heads…

except for the room that carl and laz share
where wagers are being taken;
who quits first, and where?

laz

Last Annual Vol State 500K 2012

The Last Annual Vol State 500K begins this Thursday, July 11th. What is the Last Annual Vol State 500K? It’s a 314 mile foot race across Tennessee…in July. Because running 314 miles isn’t crazy enough, you have to do it in the refreshing heat and humidity of the south in the summer!

The Last Annual Vol State 500K is the brain child of Lazarus Lake (Gary Cantrell). It starts in Dorena Landing, Missouri with a boat ferry ride, runs across Tennessee, and ends atop a mountain at Castle Rock, Georgia. The runners can do this crewed or uncrewed (Screwed) or as a relay. If you are doing it in the Screwed category, you must carry everything that you will need and can only accept handouts/help from the kindness of strangers.

This year, 6 Run It Fast Club members will be running the Last Annual Vol State 500K, 3 veterans of the race and 3 newbies. 2 RIFers will be doing this crewed and 4 will be Screwed. Think only super humans can do this kind of run? Think again! Below you will meet 6 every day people…just like you and me…who happen to be embarking on a 314 mile journey to see what they are made of. Check out their stories below and then check the bottom of the post for links to follow them.

THE VETERANS

RIF #276 DIANE TAYLOR

Diane has completed 2 Last Annual Vol State 500Ks and will be running her 4th this year (her first attempt was derailed by blisters). She will be running it uncrewed again this year. The past 2 years (since running 314 miles across Tennessee was not enough), Diane drove to the finish line and started her race early by running towards the start line. Last year, she was picked up in Lewisburg as others headed to the start so she added about 100 miles on to her journey in 2012! We asked Diane why she keeps coming back and she said: “I can’t explain it but I would like to do it every year as long as I’m physically able. There are others who have run/are running this who are in there 70s so I hopefully I will be able to do it into my 70s as well.”

Since Diane is running this Screwed and has to carry her own pack with what she needs, we asked her if she brought anything extra with her. She said this year “everything in the pack is just what I need. It weighs 9 1/2 pounds without water and another 6ish pounds with water so it will weigh about 16 pounds when full. Last year, I carried/wore a badge that Shannon (RIF #171 Shannon Burke – see below) made to honor our friend Angela Ivory.”

Screwed runners are not allowed to accept help from anyone they know or from the crews of other runners but can accept help from random strangers, Road Angels. We asked Diane if she had encountered any Road Angels and she said: “many times strangers stopped to give me water/soda and twice Road Angels asked me what I needed and then went to get water and bring it back to me.”

Next we asked Diane what she learned about herself while running the Last Annual Vol State 500K and she said: “I guess you learn when you want something bad enough, you are capable of doing a lot more than you thought. If you really, really want it, it can happen.”

Finally, we asked Diane if she had any advice for newbies to the VS500K or for anyone who was thinking about doing it and she said: “Tell everybody that they can do this. You don’t have to be a super athlete or runner. Anyone can do it.”

Diane used herself as a reference for that last questions, saying that if she, who was an average person, could do this then anyone can. We don’t know about you, but we think Diane is pretty amazing! Good luck Diane!

***

RIF #171 SHANNON BURKE

Shannon will be running her 3rd Vol State 500K this year and will be running uncrewed. The first year she ran it, she hadn’t even done a 50 Mile or 100 Mile race yet! She didn’t finish that first year but came back determined last year and finished in 8:13:13:36. We asked Shannon why she decided to run this race when her longest previous run was only 42 miles (only with a race like this can you say “ONLY” and 42 miles in the same sentence!) and she said: “I didn’t look at it as 500K as much as a grand adventure.  Laz (Gary Cantrell) has a way of writing that sucks you into his world.  I followed Vol State during 2010 and knew I wanted to try it.  And I am gullible and have a group of fellars that encourage me to try these races.”

Then we asked her why she keeps coming back and she said: “Vol State truly is a race that anyone can do.  It all depends on how bad you want it.  After I failed in 2011, I spent the next year wishing for the ferry to get my chance at redemption.  (It was a really long year!)  It is truly a journey run and you learn a lot about yourself.”

And finally, we asked her what the best and worst parts of the race are for her and she said: “The best: reading a Laz post that lifts your spirits when they were bottomed out, the open road, learning so much about yourself and your strength within, napping on a porch swing after a wonderful lunch, and the chance to stop when you reach the rock.  The worst:  going to bed knowing you have to get up the next day and go again, relentless rain that chases you under a bridge just to get a little bit of silence, and the pain and despair you find at times and don’t feel like you will ever reach the rock.”

But we do know that Shannon reached the rock and we are sure she will again this year! Good luck Shannon! You can follow Shannon on Twitter: @s4121burke and you can check out her blog Yellow Bus Adventures.

***

RIF #1 JOSHUA HOLMES

Josh has run over 90 marathons and ultras and will be running his 3rd Vol State 500K with a crew supporting him. Last year he was 2nd Overall and shaved more than 2 days off his previous year’s time! We asked him what makes Vol State 500K different from the many other races he’s done and he said: “It’s a grand epic adventure that gets in your blood like a bad virus and never leaves it even once the race is over and you’ve finished it. You think about it almost daily and the bond you make with your fellow Vol State runners is almost a fraternal bond that brings about a special spark when you see a VS alum at another race.”

Next, we asked Joshua about his huge PR last year and if it was training or mental preparation that made the difference and he said: “We had some crew issues in year one and I went in just wanting to finish the race. I was conservative and I kept an eye on my crew, my 15-year old cousin, as much as he kept an eye on me. We had a grand time and we both learned a lot along the way. I was a stronger runner going into my second attempt, but more so I knew what to expect and the layout of the course having run it before. I also attacked it like one of the wild dogs you sometimes meet along the way.”

Then we asked him if the running 314 miles seemed less intimidating after having done it twice and he said: “At this point I know what it takes to finish it, but I keep raising the bar of what I expect out of myself and what time goals I set for myself. It’s 314 miles no matter how you slice it. If you are going to be intimated by a race before it starts then it’s likely this one or you’re an android.”

Finally, we asked Joshua what lessons he’s learned from Vol State 500K that he’s been able to apply to other races/life experiences and he said: “Mental toughness, physical toughness, blister toughness…about every form of toughness imaginable. The downside is that almost every race since Vol State is a bit of a let down, because Vol State is such an epic adventure.”

We are excited to watch Joshua tear it up out there this year! He’s a beast! Good luck Josh! You can follow his adventures on Twitter: @bayou or on his Facebook page: UltraJoshua. Also, Joshua is raising money for charity: water and if you would like to donate to his campaign, click here: 2013 Vol State 500K Endurance Run. In 2011, Joshua and RIF #2 Naresh Kumar (@iamarunr) raised $6,205 while running VS500 that year and they helped fund a well in Ethiopia! Let’s help him top that this year!

THE NEWBIES

 RIF #79 DALLAS SMITH

Dallas has run many, many marathons, ultras, and Ironman races. He’s qualified for Boston numerous times and holds a boat load (58 and counting) of State Records for ages 63 to 72 in Tennessee for everything from the 5K to the marathon. He will be running his first Vol State 500K this year and he is doing it uncrewed.

We asked Dallas why he decided to take this challenge on and he said: “The answer is I don’t think I know why. I am always ready for adventure & a new experience & VS certainly is that. What I don’t like to face is that I may be seeking redemption for failing on a similar run in Spain. That failure was a spirit breaker in its abject totality. I was whipped. As broken ad Cool hand Luke. It haunts me yet & I guess I’m looking for a 2nd chance.”

And since everyone can use a bit of luck, we asked Dallas if he was taking a good luck charm with him and he said: “I hadn’t thought about that til now, but actually I am taking a good luck charm, a pair of Kalenji socks I bought on that same Spain trip. Practically every race I’ve run since, I’ve worn those socks, dozens & dozens. They seem indestructible & I’ve always said they were the best socks I ever owned. Not too romantic, I’ll admit, but when I was deciding on socks they had to go in. They connect this race to my failure in Spain.”

Since Dallas first answered that last question, he was given a good luck charm to carry by his daughter which we think is appropriate for the VS500:

Finally, we asked Dallas if he was nervous or excited about any part of this journey he was starting on and he said: “I’m not nervous. Strange to say – because I’m quite timid – I’ve never been nervous before a race. I am surely not bragging about that but merely expressing reality and a bit of amazement at it. I AM anxious, anxious in the sense that I want to see what will happen. Kinda like after a marathon finally starts and you say to yourself, finally dammitt we can run. This race holds many mysteries for me. A big component is the dirtbag-life on the road. Separate from the mere running is the continual foraging for food, water and shelter. All that is a problem in itself and I am curious to see how it all plays out.”

We cannot wait to hear all about the adventures Dallas has out there and are sure it would make for a great book! (If you don’t know, Dallas is an accomplished writer and a wonderful storyteller. You can find links to his books on his blog Turnaround and follow him on Twitter: @smithbend)

***

RIF #159 DIANE BOLTON

Diane is a racing machine. She just recently completed her SECOND round of marathons in 50 States. She will be running her first Vol State 500K this year with the help of a crew. We asked her why she took on this challenge and she said: “Why..actually I’ve been asking myself this too..ha,ha. Actually, RIF has been instrumental in having me challenge myself. With this in mind Vol State offered me a challenge totally out of my comfort zone. I’m not afraid of not finishing but would regret if I didn’t try. That said, I will take it day by day learning much about my threshold as well as the wonderful adventures in ultra endurance running.”

Next, we asked her what she was most excited and/or nervous about and she said she was: “Most excited about the knowledge I will gain learning so much more from some fascinating very accomplished ultra runners. What I’m most nervous about…everything! I’m such a rookie here. But thankful for the many people helping me on this journey. Most importantly my guardian angel crew chief Phil Min (RIF #286). None of this would have been possible had he not offered to crew me, giving up his scheduled marathon and extra days to be part of this epic event. I hope he’ll still call me friend when this is all over. “

Lastly, Diane had this to say about the coming days: “Also worried I’ll get lost. This is an unmarked course. I get lost on my last loop of a 9 times around course! 🙂 One thing I know for sure…I’m going to laugh and I’m going to cry. None of this would have been experienced had it not been for the gentle push by some in this wonderful Run It Fast family.”

We know Diane is going to be just fine! And we are excited that she is taking on this challenge. Go Diane!

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RIF #101 DAVID WINGARD

David will be running his first Vol State 500K this year and he will be doing it uncrewed. He’s run almost 100 marathons and didn’t start running until he was 52. Not only does he run, but he raises money for the Lazarex Cancer Foundation as well. You can learn more about David on his website Run David Run.

We asked David why he decided to do VS500 and he said: “I only decided about 10 days ago to do this race. When I did the Jackal Marathon series a couple of weeks ago, some of my close enablers, oh, I mean friends, explained to me why I needed to run this race.”

Next we asked David if he had done anything like this before and he said: “The longest race I have done so far is Camrades (54 miles) twice. I plan to do my 1st 100 mile racin in August – the Leadville 100.”

Finally, we asked him what he was most nervous and excited about the next 314 miles and he said: “I’m most nervous about having my 1st DNF. I am most excited about running a new race with my friends and running further than I have ever run before.”

Good luck David! We have no doubt you will do great and that this will be great training for your next big adventure! (David is planning to go for the World Record for hiking the Appalachian Trail in June 2014 – you can find more info about that on his website as well).

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I hope you’ll join us in wishing good luck to all of our Run It Fast Club members and all the others running the Last Annual Vol State 500K. Once again, it starts at 7am Central Time on Thursday, July 11th. We will be posting daily blogs/updates here on Run It Fast so make sure you check back here or follow us on Twitter @runitfast. You can also do a Twitter search on the hashtag #VS500 to see all the tweets about this year’s Last Annual Volstate 500K.

You can also like the Last Annual Vol State 500K Facebook page here: Last Annual Vol State Road Race.

And finally, you can also check on the runners at this link to the Last Annual Volstate 500K Spreadsheet & Map. It will be updated twice a day with each runners position/miles as they head to the finish.

Don’t miss out on the fun! Who knows, maybe next year people will be asking you “You’re going to run how far?” 🙂

[photos courtesy of Joshua Holmes, Naresh Kumar, and Lisa Gonzales]

That man who crumbled to the ground during the Boston Marathon bombings is Bill Iffrig and…..

…..he’s ok.

He got up off the ground, dusted himself off, and walked the remaining 20 feet to the finish line to finish the marathon in 4:03:47.

Yeah that’s an average time for the Boston Marathon except…..

…..Bill’s 78-years old or young and his time was the second best in his age division.

A race official came to check on him and helped him up.

Then, accompanied by the official, Iffrig walked the last 12 feet or so across the finish line.

“I ended up second in my division,” he said. “After you’ve run 26 miles you’re not going to stop there.” His timing chip marked his finish at 4 hours, 3 minutes, 47 seconds.

However, Bill was rattled as we all would have been in that situation:

“It was a close one though, boy. I’ll tell you, that scared me.”

Bill started running in the 70’s and hasn’t slowed down. In fact he’s very fast for his age. He know’s that he is not only fast but has outlived much of his competition as well.

“Not many old guys are as fast as me.”

He reminds me of my good friend, Dallas Smith, who is 72-years old and finished 4th in his age division on this tragic day.

It’s been a day full of bad news, stories, Tweets, and updates so it’s good to read something positive today.

I’m happy that Bill is ok. I’m even happy he got off the asphalt and walked the remaining 20 feet to the finish line.

He’s tough like everyone who ran Boston today and like all of the first responders and volunteers who did an amazing job under a lot of pressure.

Bill is lucky. Our thoughts and prayers go out to those that have been wounded and to the families of those that lost someone.

You can view a GIF of the explosion that knocked Bill down at the bottom of the page by clicking HERE. (I didn’t want to repost the video or GIF again on another page. I think we’ve all been traumatized enough by it today.)

UPDATE: The photo above of Bill is now on the cover of Sports Illustrated for this week. View the SI cover HERE.

More Stories from our Boston Marathon Coverage Today

• Out of the Ashes, Humanity Will Win the Boston Marathon
• Boston Athletic Association Releases Statement
• World Newspapers Response to Boston Marathon Massacre
• Bombs Explode at Boston Marathon Finish: Race Stopped (Photos)
• Lelisa Desisa Wins the 2013 Boston Marathon (Elite Male Results)
• Rita Jeptoo Wins Boston Marathon (Elite Female Results)
• 117th Boston Marathon Live Video Coverage (Watch)
• Live Blog: 117th Boston Marathon Coverage
• Elite Runners at the 117th Boston Marathon

[photo: Boston Globe]

Run It Fast Club members will be representing at the Boston Marathon this year! There will be quite a few members there from Tennessee, Mississippi, New York, Arizona, Illinois, Indiana, California, South Carolina, Oregon, and New Hampshire. They’ll all be going for the medal shown above, probably a PR too, and hopefully an Age Group win or two. Whatever their goals, we are so happy and proud that Run It Fast members will be running it fast from Hopkinton, up Heartbreak Hill, and across the finish line in Boston.

Check out our list of Run It Fast Club members who will be there and send them some good luck and well wishes:

RIF #159 Diane Bolton (Bib #26967) will be running her 4th Boston Marathon. Diane is a running machine and just recently completed marathons in Antarctica and Chile in her quest to run this world. Go Diane!

 RIF #28 Kenneth Williams (Bib #20561) has run Boston over 10 times. He’s not only a runner but a coach as well and has travelled the world to run marathons. You can follow him on Twitter here @MarathonKoach and check out his Run It Fast Profile here for more fun facts: Kenneth Williams Profile.

RIF #105 Kathy Shirley (Bib #20098) will be running her 3rd Boston Marathon. You can follow Kathy on Twitter @ipoddess

RIF #92 Steven Lee (Bib #6645) will be running his first Boston Marathon this year. He completed his 50 States quest at the Honolulu Marathon in December and has run a sub 4 marathon in all 50 states. You can follow him on Twitter here: @steventlee

RIF #206 Gary Krugger (Bib #309) will be running his 5th Boston on Monday. He ran a 2:44:48 there last year…when it was hot. It will be exciting to see what he does this year with better weather.

RIF #124 Michelle Walker (Bib #13916) will be running her 1st Boston Marathon. She also just recently completed marathons in Chile and Antarctica. You can follow her on Twitter here @MarathonMomof6, read about her Road to Boston here: Road to Boston, or check out her profile to learn more about her here: Michelle Walker Profile.

RIF #79 Dallas Smith (Bib #18431) will be running his 6th Boston Marathon on Monday. The last 2 years, Dallas finished 2nd in his Age Group! Go Dallas! He also holds quite a few Age records in the state of Tennesse. You can follow him on Twitter here @smithbend and check out his blog here: http://dallasfallsforward.blogspot.com/.

RIF #70 Chuck Engle (Bib #276) “Marathon Junkie” has run a sub 3 hour marathon in all 50 states and has over 275 sub 3 hour marathons on his resume. You can follow him on Twitter here: @MarathonJunkie and read more about him on his blog here: MarathonJunkie.

RIF #101 David Wingard (Bib #19810) will be running his 2nd Boston Marathon. He just completed his quest to run a marathon in each state at the Walt Disney World Marathon. You can follow him on Twitter here: @CockyDW.

RIF #261 Kerri Haskins (Bib #23693) will be running her 1st Boston Marathon. Kerri is on a quest to run a marathon in every state and has only 5 states to go! You can follow her on Twitter here @khrunner0815 and check out her Run It Fast Profile for more fun running facts here: Kerri Haskins Profile.

RIF #139 JD Leman (Bib #3575) is running his 1st Boston Marathon on Monday. It will be only his 4th full marathon. You can follow JD on Twitter here: @lefthash.

RIF #69 Nadia Ruiz Gonzales (Bib #8682) Nadia has completed over 90 marathons and has qualified for Boston over 50 times! You can learn more about her on her Facebook page Nadia Ruiz/Athlete or by checking out her blog: Nadia The Runner. You can also follow her on Twitter here: @IrongirlNadia.

If we left you off it wasn’t intentional. Just message us RunItFast@gmail.com and we’ll add you to the list!!! 🙂

Quite a list, isn’t it? Good luck to everyone running! We will be following along on Monday to see what they are up to. We hope you’ll join us on Monday too and follow along to get the latest info on all the Run It Fast Club members…and oh, yeah…the elites who will be running as well. 😉

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)

This is the medal for the Grand Marathon International de Casablanca that was held on October 21, 2012 in Casablanca, Morocco.

MORE PHOTOS OF MARATHON/ULTRA MEDALS AND BUCKLES

[Medal photo submitted by RIF #79 Dallas Smith. Follow Dallas on Twitter @smithbend]

Masochist/race director Josh Hite won the Blister in the Sun Marathon on August 5, 2012 for the third consecutive year in Cookeville, Tennessee with a winning time of 3:17:18.

Hite started the marathon back in 2010 when only 14 of his craziest friends dared to show up for five brutal loops of Cane Creek Park (and middle school). This year had nearly 90 participants.  Those that were lucky enough to finish took home some of the hottest bling you’ll ever come across.

John Ramsay finished in second placewith a time of 3:29:12 and Meredith Smith (Female Winner), third overall, with a time of 3:29:22. Third overall male went to Todd Shause in 3:31:53.

The second place female was Michelle Lenahan in 3:44:45 with the third place female going to Laura Schmitt in 4:06:46.

2012 Blister in the Sun Marathon Medal

[photo credit: Elly Foster (website)]

We are pleased to have the following Run It Fast – The Club members running the 116th Boston Marathon on April 16, 2012.

Best of luck to RIF-Club members and readers of Run It Fast that are running the most prestigious marathon in the United States.

Run It Fast Club Members Running Boston:

Kenneth Williams – RIF #28

Scott Stader – RIF #40

Trent Rosenbloom – RIF #57

Jonathan Harrison – RIF #65

Nadia Gonzales – RIF #69

Marathonjunkie – RIF #70

Dallas Smith – RIF #79

Stewart Crouch – RIF #89

Ashley Hook – RIF #97

Kathy Shirley – RIF #105

JOIN Run It Fast – The Club – Details HERE

(These are the RIF-Club members we’ve heard mention they are running Boston. If you are in the club and we omitted you then please just leave a comment below with your name and we’ll edit the list above to include you.)

When I first got my invite to do Josh’s Jackson Jackass 50K I was very honored that he choose me along with some of the more well known runners this side of TN. Knowing what kind of runner Josh is, I knew this was not going to be an easy run and I was in for a sweet surprise.

Now I love running wooded trails that have rolling hills that make you feel like you are on a roller coaster on foot but I’ve never got to run one with the extra challenges that lay ahead. Since it had rained all morning it made the course super muddy and slippery, so when you came to a downhill you would end up sliding down, and the steep up hills kept making you slide down as muddy footholds gave way. I slipped and fell so many times that after 5 falls I stopped counting. Only one of those falls was painful enough that I felt my right hip go out of place… but the next fall set it right back! Lucky me!

There were many sharp turns that would make your feet skate sideways because the mud was so slushy. One of the many challenging areas had a rope “hand rail” that if you didn’t keep a firm grip you would plummet down into a ravine. I heard one runner actually did end up falling into it, but I think he avoided any great injury.

Funny thing… it was about the 3rd go around that I realized if I just run and stop trying to be so careful, it became much easier. So when going down some of the steeper areas I did so much better and I never fell again after that. I was plagued with stomach issues, and lost some time with that. My legs stayed strong but my bowels made me make far too many stops in the bushes! Without all those extra stops I’m sure I would have finished at least an hour sooner. Several things could have been the cause, so I’ll just have to do some experimenting with long runs.

Every time I completed a loop I was met by Naresh who jotted down times and gave you assistance with anything you needed. He also made sure to give me words of encouragement and motivation before I left to the next round. He is a very encouraging individual!

My last round was mentally the hardest but also the most satisfying knowing that I would finish. Later I would find out that our dear friend Dallas lost his sight during the last loop. This same thing happened to him a few years back during another ultra. He was still able to complete the run which is amazing to no ends. He is author of Falling Forward and his new book, Going Down Slow. I was fortunate enough to receive a copy of his new book! I thoroughly enjoyed reading the first book Falling Forward and I heard that his second book promises to be just as interesting and I can’t to wait to start reading it.

Afterwards several of the runners met at this local restaurant named Coyote Blue and we had some of fanciest looking Mexican food I’ve ever seen. Of course we all looked a little different by then, all cleaned up.

Here are the results from the inaugural Jackson Jackass 50K that took place today in Jackson, Tennessee on a very wet and muddy trail.

The race was the first ultra ever to be held in Jackson.

2012 Jackson Jackass 50K Results

1. Karl Studtmann (Jackson, TN) – 5:23:25
2. Arthur Priddy (Jackson, TN) – 5:32:20
3. Kevin Leathers (Cordova, TN) – 5:53:33
4. Chris Estes (Murfreesboro, TN) – 5:55:23
5. Jeff Fugate (Jackson, TN) – 5:58:12
6. Cody Whitehead (Jackson, TN) – 6:01:35
7. Brad Box (Jackson, TN) – 6:21:35
8. Jonathan Bobbitt (Jackson, TN) – 6:26:40
9. Joshua Holmes (Jackson, TN) – 6:29:29
10. Emily Conley (Lakeland, TN) – 6:37:05 (1st Female)
11. Jonathan Harrison (Henderson, TN) – 6:38:32
12. Kam Otey (Amory, MS) – 7:33:22
13. Gene Pierce (Amory, MS) – 7:33:25
14. Jennifer Whitley (Murfreesboro, TN) – 7:45:00 (2nd Female)
15. Sulaiman Seriki (La Vergne, TN) – 7:45:27
16. Dallas Smith (Cookeville, TN) – 8:20:30
17. Lisa Gonzales (Alta Loma, CA) – 8:43:22 (3rd Female)

• Jonathan Stewart (Jackson, TN) – DNF 21.5 miles
• Brad Sullivan (Bowling Green, KY) – DNF 17.2 miles
• Trent Rosenbloom (Nashville, TN) – DNF 5.5 miles