Run It Fast®

American ultra-legend Michael Wardian has been declared the winner of the Quarantine Backyard Ultra after finishing the 63rd lap of 4.1667 miles by himself for a total of 262.52 miles. One more official lap than the Czech Republic’s Radek Brunner.

The event was hosted online by Canadian coaching group, Personal Peak. The Quarantine Backyard Ultra had about 2,500 starters from all over the globe.

The concept of the race is that runners have 60 minutes to finish running 4.1667 miles. With the world on lockdown, this virtual event allowed runners to do it from the comfort of their own home on a treadmill or doing it outside. They were asked to verify their results on Strava and/or on Zoom that connected all the runners participating in the race. The event was comprised almost evenly of some runners on treadmills in their homes, others running outside in their neighborhoods, along with one Russian man running laps around his living room, and another man in Canada running laps around an empty coffee shop in his socks.

The original race format was created by ultra race mastermind Lazarus Lake in 2012. His Big’s Backyard Ultra has become a hot destination in Bell Buckle, Tennessee where the best runners from around the world descend every October to see how long they can go before they time out or quit.

The final four was comprised of two Americans and two Europeans. Wardian and Brunner had been battling it out for round after round after American Greg Armstrong bowed out after his 43rd lap (179.17 miles), and Sweden’s Anna Carlsson quit after 46 laps (187 miles). Anna was the last female in the field and an inspiration to many as she ran her laps on the snow and ice in extremely frigid temps.

The finale of the event was not without controversy though. Radek and Wardian both finished the 62nd lap (258.4 miles). Moments before the round 63 bell was to ring, Radek climbed back onto his stationary treadmill and finished his drink, as could be seen on the live feed. As the bell rang to start round 63, he handed the discarded cup to his wife, who then exited the frame. She returned a few seconds later to deliver an iPad. Under normal Backyard rules any aid after a round started would be considered a DQ. However, the Personal Peak rules for the event clearly stated that this was not a rule for this event.

Click HERE to Watch the Zoom Feed as It Unfolded Live (Fast Fwd to the 4 hour 54 min mark)

Radek stood on his treadmill for a minute in place, and then almost two minutes as he positioned his book/papers and his iPad. He was in no rush and going through his usual routine. He seemed very alert and mentally ready to go. The Personal Peak RD, Travis, along with Laz, on the Zoom feed tried to tell Radek that he needed to get going. During this time, he stood on the treadmill oblivious to their comments as he couldn’t hear them. I’m not sure if his Zoom feed was on mute on his end, muted by Peak Performance, or if there was a delay in the internet/Zoom connection over to Czech Republic at his home.

Finally, after about 104 seconds into the 60 minute countdown clock, Laz could be heard on the Zoom feed saying, “It’s over,” and walked away at literally the very moment Radek’s treadmill started moving with him running at

58:15 remaining on the clock. Personal Peak ruled that Radek had not started the loop promptly enough and he was DQ’d out of the race although he kept running (at least until 20 min left on the clock when the feed went dead again)

As stated on the Personal Peak website: “you must be back on your treadmill when the bell rings to start the next lap.” Radek was clearly on the treadmill.

Elsewhere on the site it states: “Participants must be in their starting corral at the bell, and must leave immediately to start their loop.”

Did Radek know the the bell had rang and the clock started? He clearly couldn’t hear on his end what was going on or what the RD was trying to tell him. He for sure had not quit the race. He was on his treadmill going through his routine to start round 63 and running by 58:15 on the PP countdown clock that was displayed.

Is there a vast looseness of the rules from an official Backyard Ultra to this Virtual event? Yes, of course. Many runners, even finalists couldn’t even be seen to see if they started some of their loops or not. Radek had his entire show live for the world to see the entire time.

Radek, per the Zoom feed started with 58:15 remaining in the 63rd round and kept running until the feed went out with about 20 minutes left on the clock. He never timed out on any of the loops, and he never quit. In the spirit of the Virtual Challenge’s popular appeal, and it’s loosely interpreted rules (until round 63), he should have been allowed to continue in our opinion.

Did Laz’s words at the time carry weight with the Personal Peak RD and his decision? That’s very possible for sure. Laz is the Backyard godfather.

It was Personal Peak’s event, and ultimately their call for sure. They confirmed this as well in a tweet:

Were the RD’s tired, exhausted, and infuriated with the YouTube and technical issues? Without a doubt, any RD would be, much less one manning multiple days. thousands of runners from all over the globe while trying to wrestle all the technology and headaches that came with it.

Laz upon after a few minutes reflection on how it ended posted on his Facebook page the following about how it unfolded:

“maybe i am the only person who is glad not to be in charge.
not this time.
people tend to see the world in black and white,
and with the screen of not having to make decisions when things go grey
deal in absolutes.

being here in quarantine in the house on the hill,
and handcuffed by a near total absence of technological skill,
i dont know how many people saw the events that unfolded at the start of hour 63.
but here is what i saw….

with the caveat that i had finally gotten to sleep for a couple of hours…..
i did not realize it at the time,
thinking i had just taken a nap between the start of hour 61 and the start of 62
i actually slept thru hour 62 and it was time for 63.
i got to the computer during the countdown.

as the final minute counted down i just saw radek’s treadmill standing alone.
it got under 30 seconds and still no radek.
i thought he must have quit.

then with just seconds left here is radek.
he gets on his treadmill and is just standing there.
i am yelling at him,
which is useless because he cant hear me.
by a minute after the start i think he is done..
almost 2 minutes in, he starts running.

the race management disqualified him.

maybe in the world of people who are absolutely certain they know the right answer i am the only one
who is glad to not be in charge today.

mike did his 63rd hour,
and now he is the winner.
radek was left with the taste of ashes.”

It should be noted how immensely popular this ultra baby Laz birthed in 2012 has become all over the world even before this Quarantine Backyard Ultra. There are now Backyard Ultras all over the world that serve as qualifying events where the winner often wins a coveted golden ticket to Big’s Backyard Ultra.

I have hosted last runner standing events for eight years, including the longest, continuous running one in the world, the Trail of Fears, since 2012, along with The Cannonball, both in Tennessee. I know the Backyard rules, and the spirit of the rules fairly well at this point. I know and have had to interpret some of these gray area issues before, and I usually decide them with one simple question, “Was there an unfair advantage gained?”

I don’t believe an advantage was gained here, and believe this fell well into the gray area that Laz mentions in his Facebook comments above.  If between a rock and a hard spot, or delving in between the black and white, deep within the grays, the tie should go to the runner…quite literally.

This would for sure have been a tough decision for a Race Director at a real, in-person event where all the variants were more equal and both were on the same course and starting in the same corral. But with the setup of this Quarantine Backyard Ultra for a fun escape from what’s happening in the world, and the massive large following it had going for days, I would have erred on the side of letting it continue on and play out. I don’t envy the decision Personal Peak had to make. I have no doubt it was a tough one.

It would have been fun to see Radek and Michael duke it out until one quit or timed out. Without a doubt it was disappointing that the event ended on a technicality of a loosely interpreted rule in the event (up until that point). But that doesn’t take away from an amazing 63 hours that enthralled the endurance community in a time when we have no other sports to watch or entertain us.

Mike and Radek both put down two epic performances when considering not just the total distance, but the varying difficulties each were facing. Radek on a treadmill in his home in the Czech Republic for the duration of his run, and Wardian out in the conditions near his home in Virginia which were very wet and cold at times.

Mike messaged me after the race and simply stated, “That was incredible. Would have loved to keep pushing each other. What a champion,” referring to Radek.

All of late drama aside, Personal Peak did an amazing job putting together this widely popular Quarantine Backyard Ultra. It was extremely professionally done. They put this together very quickly with nearly 2,500 runners from all over the world. The dynamics of that many runners and trying to connect them all with technology, on many levels with the social component of the live Zoom feeds broadcast to YouTube was simply amazing. The hourly Twitter updates were almost on the hour and made the race easy to track. Personal Peak managed the issues that arose as well as anyone could, and they always had a backup or end around to keep the live video feed and updates for the masses to watch on YouTube and then Facebook after they were booted off YouTube.

Congrats to Mike on the win, Radek on an amazing performance, all the finalists, and everyone who participated over the course of three days. A big thank you to Personal Peak on an amazing production that entertained so many of us when we all needed this fun distraction to follow and root for our favorite runners.

Run It Fast member, Greg Armstrong, has been crowed the new ‘King of the Road’ after being the first runner to ‘The Rock’ to finish the historic Last Annual Vol State 500K for 2019. This is Greg’s fourth time running the race as well as his fourth time winning it.

Greg finished the multi-day race of 314 miles in a time of 3 days 14 hours 11 minutes and 31 seconds. His time is the 4th fastest time in race history and set a new uncrewed course record.

Greg Armstrong’s Vol State Check-In by Check-In:
12 hour – 62 (1^st)
24 hour – 113 (1^st)
36 hour – 145 (2^nd)
48 hour – 184 (2^nd)
60 hour – 223 (1^st)
72 hour – 262 (1^st)
84 hour – 305 (1^st)
Finish Time: 3:14:11:31

All four of Greg’s finishes are in the All Time Top 10 Finishes of the race’s history and he now holds both the crewed and uncrewed course records.

Congratulations Greg!

Day 2 is always brutal at the Vol State 500K. The excitement and adrenaline is gone, the sun is hotter and brighter, and the miles are slower….and slower…and slower. It even had a shocker as 3x King of the Road RIF Greg Armstrong dropped from the race at mile 113 just past Parsons, TN. This left the Australian Grant Maughan with the lead and at the end of day 2 (48 Hours) Grant had accumulated 162 miles.

On the women’s side there was a change overnight as Regina Sooey, who was 1 mile behind of Andrea Kooiman, at the 36 hour check in, took over the lead at the 48 hour check in with 159 miles. Amazing performance so far as she seems to be getting stronger and is second overall to Grant just by 3 miles.

Kooiman had a strong second day as well putting down 63 miles and currently resides at 154 miles for 3rd overall/2nd female.

Other notable mentions are Cathy Downs who put down a very strong 50 miles on day 2 and is currently at 117 miles and is 5th female. Steven Smith continues to use his VS experience to move up the leaderboard as does former King Juli Aistars.

Cary Long, despite his comedy show tapings of death, continues to impress with actual numbers as he is at 107 miles. The Double D(iane)’s keep pushing the field forward from behind with 70/71 miles. If Seth Crowe would have had a few more dimes for Sandy he might be a bit further down the road as well. However, without Sandy he’s put down an impressive 105 miles.

David Nichols is at a cool 102 miles as well after some Armour from RIF Kevin Gerteisen, who after DNFing has remained on the course to help and crew other runners. Bravo!

The Double Diane’s (D’s) Diane Taylor and Diane Durden continue to push the field from behind with 71 and 70 miles.

Sadly we lost Tom Orr to the Meat Wagon this morning. That leaves 18 of the 21 RIF members who started the race in contention for The Rock.

Run It Fast Members @ LAVS
48 Hour Totals (miles) – tracker
Andrea Casella Kooiman – 154 (3rd overall/2nd female)
Cathy Downes – 117 (5th female)
Steven Smith – 113
Lisa Van Wolde – 113
Juli Aistars – 107
Cary Long – 107
Seth Crowe – 105
Rachael Anderson – 102
David Nichols – 102
Chris Clemens – 99
Sherry Meador – 92
Kendra Fields Schoffstall – 92
Sharon Carver – 82
Beth Ann Russell Hosick – 82
David Oglesby – 82
James Tom Orr – DNF 82
Sal Bill Coll – 77
Diane Durden – 71
Diane Taylor – 70
DNF’s: Kevin Gerteisen 57, Greg Armstrong 113, Tom Orr 82

The road is long and hard…cleansing and rewarding. Great work by everyone that remains on the long road to The Rock.

Day 1 – Vol State 500K – Run It Fast Members Update (2018)

The brutal heat and humidity of The Last Annual Vol State 500K introduced all 114 starters to the crawl of this historic race on Thursday morning.

Our Run It Fast – Club had 21 members of the 114 that boarded the ferry to start the race including former ‘King of the Road’ winners Greg Armstrong (3x) and Juli Aistars.

After three wins crewed, Greg is running unscrewed this year and took off with the lead right off the bat. He had 66 miles at the 12 hour check in and added another 37 miles before the 24 hour check-in. He currently leads Australian badass Grant Maughan, who summited Mt. Everest a handful of weeks ago. Grant is just 4 miles back of Greg’s 103 miles.

On the women’s side Pennsylvania native Rhoda Smoker led most of the day with Andrea Kooiman less than 5 miles behind. At the 12 hour check in Rhoda was at 54 miles with Kooiman just 2 miles back. Smoker went down for sleep in McKenzie as Andrea pushed throughout the night to mile 92 in Lexington by the 24 hour check in. She is currently the female leader and 1 mile ahead of the second place female Regina Sooey.

So at 24 hours both the men and women’s race was currently led by Run It Fast members. The rest of the RIF members had a strong day as well as documented below. Last year’s runner-up Kevin Gerteisen, battling what is being reported as kidney stones, had to drop from the race at mile 57.

24 Hour RIF LAVS Update (tracking link)
Greg Armstrong – 103 (first overall)
Andrea Casella Kooiman – 92 (first female)
Lisa Van Wolde – 75
Steven Smith – 71
Chris Clemens – 67
Cathy Downes – 67
Rachael Anderson – 65
Juli Aistars – 62
Cary Long – 62
Sherry Meador – 57
Kevin Gerteisen – DNF 57 (possible kidney stones)
Sharon Carver – 56
David Nichols – 56
Kendra Fields Schoffstall – 56
Seth Crowe – 54
Sal Bill Coll – 50
Diane Durden – 48
Beth Ann Russell Hosick – 41
David Oglesby – 40
James Tom Orr – 40
Diane Taylor – 40

All members still in the race are well ahead of the minimum miles needed pace.

Day two is usually the hardest for all Vol Staters as the reality of the distance remaining sets in, the adrenaline is gone, and you feel the pain from your head to your blistered toes with every step.

Many RIF members from the area showed up on the course to encourage everyone including Dallas Smith, JR Reynolds, Danny Crossett, Jennifer Hall, Eryn Tyner, Josh Tyner, Leigh Carr, and others.

Best of luck to all 21 RIF members and all the runners still remaining on the course.

The Rock

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

• King of the Road, Greg Armstrong’s Vol State 500K Race Report (2015)
• One Mutant’s Last Annual Vol State 500K Race Report (2012)
• Charlie Taylor’s Vol State 500K Race Report (2012)
• Naresh Kumar’s Last Annual Vol State 500K Race Report (2011)
• Joshua Holmes Vol State 500K Photo Journal + Race Report (2011)
• ‘King of the Road’ Don Winkley’s Winning Vol State 500K Race Report (2011)

Day-by-Day Vol State 500K Recaps

• Day 11: The Vol State 500K Live Blog/Standings (2015)
• Day 10: The Vol State 500K Live Blog/Standings (2015)
• Day 9: The Vol State 500K Live Blog/Standings (2015)
• Day 8: The Vol State 500K Live Blog/Standings (2015)
• King of the Road, Greg Armstrong’s Vol State 500K Race Report (2015)
• Day 7: The Vol State 500K Live Blog/Standings (2015)
• Day 6: The Vol State 500K Live Blog/Standings (2015)
• Greg Armstrong Repeats as 2015 Vol State 500K King of the Road
• Day 5: The Vol State 500K Live Blog/Standings (2015)
• Day 4: The Vol State 500K Live Blog/Standings (2015)
• Day 3: The Vol State 500K Live Blog/Standings (2015)
• Day 2: The Vol State 500K Live Blog/Standings (2015)
• Day 1: The Vol State 500K Live Blog/Standings (2015)

Historical Vol State 500K Results

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

Run It Fast®

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

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

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

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

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

DID NOT FINISH (20): Richard Westbook 257 miles, Sandy Geisel 189 miles, Francesca Muccini 188 miles, Jeff McGonnell 165 miles, Nathan Dewall 145 miles, Johnny Adams 145 miles, Joe Ninke 145 miles, Mike Delang mile 135, Curt Chambers mile 130, Dale Rucker mile 125, Marcia Rasmussen mile 125, Ronald Trignano 109 miles, Sue Scholl mile 107, John Rasmussen mile 92, Ann Kerkman 83 miles, Troy Varney 83 miles, Brian Pickett mile 78, Betty Holder 56 miles, Michael Melton mile 54, Amanda McMahon mile 45, Larry Phillips mile 39

*bold = Run It Fast Club members

Day 7 Vol State 500K News & Notes

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

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

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

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

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

Lax’s Morning Update

stories

the stories that everyone will hear

have mostly been written.

the winners have won,

and the world class runners have gone home…

but the worthy tales have not all been spun.

the most dramatic dramas have not yet played out.

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

the majority of the vol staters

still occupy that other real world.

the world where all that matters is food and drink.

where sleeping indoors is the height of luxury.

a world where the barest of essential possessions

have been parsed over,

and most of the trappings of modern day life

have been deemed extraneous.

every runner still on the road has a story.

and every story is worthy of telling.

some of the stories I know,

most, I do not,

and many I will never know.

no one came here from a vacuum.

they did not spontaneously generate on the ferry.

these are real people

with real lives;

regular, ordinary people

the sort we see around us every day.

but something inside them

drove them to move out of the comfort zone;

to try things that no one would think reasonable,

or even possible.

those who could be broken are gone,

and those who remain are the select.

they have paid a price in pain and fatigue.

they have watched the residue of civilized life

wash away,

leaving only the most basic essentials of existence…

and a quest.

the arduous journey to the rock.

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

they have lived more life in the past 6 days,

than many will live in a lifetime.

they have seen despair

and hopelessness

and have heard the clarion call of surrender…

but they have persevered.

those few,

those hardy few who remain,

can only be stopped now by injury.

they will not give up.

the ones with surrender in their hearts are gone.

and oh, the stories they have to tell.

the stories of life on the open road.

with oprah at their heels

and the rock beyond the reach of their imagination.

there are stories of drama,

of challenges,

of the surprises that wait around every bend.

stories of the kindness of strangers

and the impersonal cruelty of the beating sun.

the beauty is,

as each one reaches the rock,

their faces alight with joy,

we unworthy followers get to share in the passion.

and, as each finisher arrives,

they get their moment on the throne.

when their stories are the center of attention.

when we all are waiting,

to hear the stories only they can tell.

each of us, who have been there,

share the knowledge of the truths we have learned

on the unforgiving road.

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

I need to take a quick shower.

james adams is approaching sand mountain…

he has stories to tell,

and I want to be there to hear them.

laz

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

156 Hour Update

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

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

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

DID NOT FINISH (21): Richard Westbook 257 miles, Lynda Webber 235 miles, Sandy Geisel 189 miles, Francesca Muccini 188 miles, Jeff McGonnell 165 miles, Nathan Dewall 145 miles, Johnny Adams 145 miles, Joe Ninke 145 miles, Mike Delang mile 135, Curt Chambers mile 130, Dale Rucker mile 125, Marcia Rasmussen mile 125, Ronald Trignano 109 miles, Sue Scholl mile 107, John Rasmussen mile 92, Ann Kerkman 83 miles, Troy Varney 83 miles, Brian Pickett mile 78, Betty Holder 56 miles, Michael Melton mile 54, Amanda McMahon mile 45, Larry Phillips mile 39

*bold = Run It Fast Club members

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

“Day 7, Wednesday, Manchester, MM 252.

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

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

Lynda Webber has dropped from the race at mile 235.

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

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

_____________

Day-by-Day Vol State 5ooK Recaps

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

Vintage Vol State 500K Race Reports

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

Historical Vol State 500K Results

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

– Run It Fast®

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

– Greg Armstrong (RIF #373)

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

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

Join Run It Fast – The Club

Two more finishers reached The Rock during the night as John Fegyveresi finished in third place with a time of 4 days 19 hours 28 minutes 54 seconds. Almost catching John was Run It Fast’s Steven Smith who came from 32 miles back of John to finish just 35 minutes behind him in 4 days 20 hours 3 minutes 48 seconds.

Congrats to both John and Steven for both finishing in less than 5 days which is truly an amazing feat.

120 Hour Vol State 500K Standings 7:30am Tuesday, July 14th (4 Finisher, 57 Runners, 19 DNFs)

1. Greg Armstrong – 3 days 22 hours 5 minutes 23 seconds (King of the Road)
2. Johan Steene – 3 days 23 hours 15 minutes 52 seconds (uncrewed course record)
3. John Fegyveresi – 4 days 19 hours 28 minutes 54 seconds (uncrewed)
4. Steven Smith – 4 days 20 hours 3 minutes 48 seconds
5. Lisa Van Wolde – 288 miles (F)
6. Marylou Corino – 288 miles (F)
7. Jay Dobrowalski – 267 miles
8. Jeremy Ebel – 263 miles
9. James Adams – 262 miles
10. Andrea Stewart – 251 miles (F)
11. Michael Callans – 245 miles
12. Bo Millwood – 237 miles
13. Karen Jackson – 237 miles
14. Sal Coll – 234 miles
15. David Lettieri – 232 miles
16. Richard Westbrook – 227 miles
17. Lisa Hazlett – 226 miles
18. Rick Gray – 226 miles
19. Jeffrey Stephens – 226 miles
20. Tim Purol – 226 miles
21. Ben Herron – 225 miles
22. Thomas Skinner – 225 miles
23. Thomas Alm – 225 miles
24. Sherry Meador – 223 miles
25. Timothy Daily – 223 miles
26. Edward Masuoka – 222 miles
27. Scott Krouse – 214 miles
28. Joshua Swink – 212 miles
29. Shane Tucker – 211 miles
30. Caleb Nolen – 207 miles
31. Tom Dekornfield – 207 miles
32. Allen Wrinkle – 205 miles
33. Gina Chupka – 205 miles
34. John Sharp – 205 miles
35. Christian McMahon – 205 miles
36. Christopher Knight – 202 miles
37. Gregg Ellis – 202 miles
38. Richard McKnight – 202 miles
39. Shelly Mack – 200 miles
40. Fred Davis III – 197 miles
41. Ally Gregory – 195 miles
42. Joseph Kowalski – 189 miles
43. Gilbert Gray – 188 miles
44. Remy Brandefalk – 188 miles
45. Dallas Smith – 187 miles
46. Jameelah Abdul-Rahim – 185 miles
47. Don Winkley – 181 miles
48. Lynda Webber – 180 miles
49. Sergio Bianchini – 180 miles
50. John Price – 179 miles
51. Johnny Adams – 179 miles
52. Timothy Loudermilk – 179 miles
53. Garry Price – 175 miles
54. Troy Johnson – 175 miles
55. Cathie Johnson – 175 miles
56. Bill Haecker – 173 miles
57. Paul Heckert – 168 miles
58. Jay Hamilton – 163 miles
59. Terrie Wurzbacher – 163 miles
60. Diane Taylor – 161 miles
61. Ben Pennington – 161 miles

DID NOT FINISH (19): Sandy Geisel 189 miles, Francesca Muccini 188 miles, Jeff McGonnell 165 miles, Nathan Dewall 145 miles, Johnny Adams 145 miles, Joe Ninke 145 miles, Mike Delang mile 135, Curt Chambers mile 130, Dale Rucker mile 125, Marcia Rasmussen mile 125, Ronald Trignano 109 miles, Sue Scholl mile 107, John Rasmussen mile 92, Ann Kerkman 83 miles, Troy Varney 83 miles, Brian Pickett mile 78, Betty Holder 56 miles, Michael Melton mile 54, Amanda McMahon mile 45, Larry Phillips mile 39

Day 6 News & Notes

The Canadian women leading pack of Corino and Van Wolde are not past mile 295.

The great Dallas Smith of KISS continues to Rock n Roll All Night and party every day as he has reached the Bench of Despair. Beware ladies of this god of thunder!

Mary Lou Corino and Lisa Van Wolde are at mile 300, 2 miles of crossing the bridge in South Pittsburgh, where they will call Laz to let him know they will be at The Rock soonish. See, Laz needs a few hours head start to meet them out there.

“215 miles done. That means only 99 to go! Compared to my previous Vol-States, I feel great. Now if I could get my legs to move, that’d be great, too. In the meantime, killing some chocolate milk and wondering how people drink this stuff! It’s gross! But protein and nearly 500 calories. Hoping to make the last few miles to the hotel before afternoon rain storms wash me out. – Scott Krouse

“I’m ok everybody. I’m just trying to regroup. Things turned south on me last night around 2am. Struggled getting into the next town, it was a death march. I’m at 202 miles. Next town is 22 miles away, Shelbyville. I’ll get there sometime today, somehow someway. Thks for the tremendous support. I’m gonna finish this bad boy. It’s not gonna be pretty and it may be slow, but I’m on a mission. Just gotta get my legs n feet cooperating #‎GetToTheRock‬” – Gregg Ellis

“I am passed 200 miles.i have around 100 left
Had to stop to wait for a store to open , I was bonking bad.
Back, feet and stomache issues.
Feeling rough, next stop Shelbyville in around 9 miles.” – Sherry Meador

“Vol State Day 6: 35 miles. 223 miles total. 91 miles remaining. However, there are some chinks and rust starting to show in my 43 year old “armor”. So far everything is being patched with band-aids, corn pads, KT Tape, body glide and prayers. I am taking some extended downtime today while the storms roll through. Tomorrow will probably be a short day of 30 or less to prepare for the climb to Monteagle on Thursday and (hopefully) a finish on Friday afternoon. A lot will also depend on the weather. Thanks again for the comments and likes. I will respond to all of them after this journey is over…..” – Shane Tucker

Karen Jackson and Bo Millwood are in Manchester, TN with 64 miles to go!

Lazarus Lake’s Mid-Race Report

what about us?

the halfway mark has come and gone.

the canadiennes are about a “marathon” from the finish.

the front of the “pack” is another 20 miles behind them.

the crew at race headquarters is already wearing thin.

enabling this insane adventure

is an adventure in and of itself

between call-ins, meat wagon runs, various crises,

and now finishes,

it has been several days since we were able

to steal more than an hour or two at once, for sleep.

and those have come at progressively more and more odd times.

figuring out what day it actually is,

now requires calculating the hours of the race.

hell,

we are maintaining an ever more tenuous contact

with whether it is morning or afternoon.

we have a relative calm today.

time to get caught up on napping,

and maybe store up some fat…

because, starting sometime tomorrow morning,

runners will be hitting the rock about one every two hours.

each will have to have their finish recorded.

and we will have to find ways to ferry them off the rock to rest

and back for their vehicles,

once they are safe to put behind the wheel.

just like everything else that has happened since last Friday morning,

there is no way to plan it ahead.

the bus rides to the ferry are choreographed,

the first day of the race is predictable.

after that….

it is all reaction.

actually, we do have one thing we can rely on.

runners will plan their finishes to deprive us of any chance to sleep or eat.

two more finishers came in last night.

a fading john fegyveresi gave away almost all of a 10 mile lead

over the last 20 miles,

but had enough to beat steven smith to the rock by 35 minutes;

a veritable photo finish in a 500k.

the canadiennes continued to smile their way across the state,

now safely ensconced in 5th and 6th.

jay dobrowalski kept on keeping on.

jay has been hurting since around culleoka,

but he shows no signs of being discouraged.

he just walks slowly down the road with a look of grim determination.

being the vol state,

he will, like as not,

have a comeback at some point.

he needs to have it soon,

as Jeremy ebel has returned from his 20 mile off course expedition

and has now almost recaught jay.

Jeremy started the race strong,

then went thru his own spell of difficulty

before getting into a groove that has seen him moving well

the past few days.

it looked like he might catch the canadiennes,

before he got caught in the Lewisburg triangle.

Michael callans was another runner who was coming on strong,

before falling into a common trap.

he went right by the turn between war trace and Manchester,

not realizing his error until he came into Normandy,

8 miles off course.

there can be no more discouraging moment,

than when a vol stater comes to a city,

and realizes that it is not on the course…

unless it is the moment that they find it on the map,

and see just how far they have to backtrack.

well.

I need to grab an hour or two of sleep,

before the canadiennes cross the blue bridge,

and we are called back to the rock.

there will not be many more opportunities.

laz

“I’ve wanted to quit several times , but I’ve wanted to finish MORE” – a determined Gregg Ellis

“Vol State 500k update. Grinding on and on. I’d love to say the first 208 miles were easy but that would be stretching the truth. Soon I will have less than a 100 miles to go. I’m gonna touch the Rock.” – Rich McKnight

Marylou Corino camped out in Alabama about 4 miles from the finish getting it done with Lisa Van Wolde.

“Things sometimes go wrong in ultrarunning, you gotta bounce back though.Rich McKnight and I missed a turn costing us an extra 6 miles of running in this hot sun today. Oh well, things happen. Not gonna let it steal my joy. Vol State baby, not for the weak minded” – Greg Ellis

“We started on our way to Columbia last night and arrived around 9 am Today. It was a long night of running and walking.” – Troy and Cathie Johnson

Team Canada leading women of Marylou and Lisa are 3 miles from The Rock.

1 mile to go for Marylou and Lisa who will be the first women to reach The Rock this year. I’m curious as to who will cut who right before the ROCK for the win.

Run It Fast members Marylou Corino and Lisa Van Wolde (tied) are the first women to finish the 2015 Vol State 500K. Congrats to both of them on an amazingly strong race and finish. They came down together from Canada and ran every step of the entire 314 mile journey together. Congrats to them both! 5 days 8 hours 6 minutes 52 seconds.

Order your Last Annual Vol State 500K Trucker Hats HERE

And the Vol State thunderstorms have found Gregg Ellis and the rest of the remaining field.

“So…the hotel I intended to stay at the 222 mile mark was under renovation. Rather than go a mile off course round trip, I went 10 more miles. Makes sense right?

Did the last 6 miles in 1:15 with a stray dog traveling with me. Poor guy just wanted a home. Locked him out when I went in to the convenience store and he jumped in a lady’s car. Wasn’t there when I came back. Good deed for the day?

Now if I could get in this damn hotel instead of sitting outside watching the storm with my pizza. Ugh. No luck. Again.

_____________

Day-by-Day Vol State 5ooK Recaps

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

Vintage Vol State 500K Race Reports

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

Historical Vol State 500K Results

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

– Run It Fast®

Lebanon, Tennessee native Greg Armstrong is the winner of the 2015 Last Annual Vol State 500K and keeps his crown as King of the Road until next July. He finished a tough race, overcoming extreme heat and a broken rib, to finish in 3 days 22 hours 5 minutes 23 seconds. Greg is the first back-to-back winner of the race and joins DeWayne Satterfield as the only 2-time winner of the race.

Sweden’s Johan Steene finished very closely behind in 3 days 23 hours 15 minutes 52 seconds for second place. Steene was uncrewed (screwed) and broke his uncrewed record from last year by about 3 hours. Simply amazing and even more so when you consider how hot and humid it was this year.

“I know I am relatively new to the sport but this performance by Johan Steene may be one of best/gutsiest efforts of all time. How can I make such a lofty comment? Well, I went through the exact same conditions usually just hours before Johan each day. Unless you have done this race one can’t fully appreciate the difference between being “crewed” and “screwed”. As far as I’m concerned Johan is the true “King of the Road”. I appreciate the well wishes and congrats but I’m not in the same league as this amazing man!!” – Greg Armstrong after Johan’s finish.

96 Hour Vol State 500K Standings 7:30am Monday, July 13th (61 Runners, 19 DNFs)

1. Greg Armstrong – 3 days 22 hours 5 minutes 23 seconds (King of the Road)
2. Johan Steene – 3 days 23 hours 15 minutes 52 seconds (uncrewed course record)
3. John Fegyveresi – 262 miles
4. Steven Smith – 253 miles
5. Lisa Van Wolde – 234 miles (F)
6. Marylou Corino – 234 miles (F)
7. Jeremy Ebel – 220 miles
8. Jay Dobrowalski – 214 miles
9. James Adams – 214 miles
10. Michael Callans – 202 miles
11. Andrea Stewart – 199 miles
12. David Lettieri – 199 miles
13. Richard Westbrook – 193 miles
14. Timothy Daily – 188 miles
15. Sal Coll – 188 miles
16. Jeffrey Stephens – 188 miles
17. Tim Purol – 188 miles
18. Ben Herron – 184 miles
19. Bo Millwood – 183 miles
20. Karen Jackson – 183 miles
21. Thomas Skinner – 183 miles
22. Edward Masuoka – 182 miles
23. Lisa Hazlett – 180 miles
24. Rick Gray – 180 miles
25. Scott Krouse – 179 miles
26. Sherry Meador – 179 miles
27. Caleb Nolen – 178 miles
28. Tom Dekornfield – 178 miles
29. Thomas Alm – 177 miles
30. Joshua Swink – 177 miles
31. Christopher Knight – 176 miles
32. Shane Tucker – 174 miles
33. Gregg Ellis – 173 miles
34. Allen Wrinkle – 173 miles
35. Gina Chupka – 173 miles
36. John Sharp – 173 miles
37. Christian McMahon – 167 miles
38. Bill Haecker – 167 miles
39. Sandy Geisel – 165 miles
40. Shelly Mack – 164 miles
41. Richard McKnight – 164 miles
42. Fred Davis III – 163 miles
43. Joseph Kowalski – 162 miles
44. Ally Gregory – 159 miles
45. Dallas Smith – 157 miles
46. Lynda Webber – 152 miles
47. Sergio Bianchini – 152 miles
48. Gilbert Gray – 152 miles
49. Jameelah Abul-Rahim – 152 miles
50. Remy Brandefalk – 152 miles
51. Don Winkley – 150 miles
52. Timothy Loudermilk – 146 miles
53. John Price – 145 miles
54. Cathie Johnson – 141 miles
55. Troy Johnson – 141 miles
56. Garry Price – 140 miles
57. Paul Heckert – 135 miles
58. Jay Hamilton – 133 miles
59. Terrie Wurzbacher – 130 miles
60. Diane Taylor – 126 miles
61. Ben Pennington – 126 miles

DID NOT FINISH (19): Francesca Muccini 188 miles, Jeff McGonnell 165 miles, Nathan Dewall 145 miles, Johnny Adams 145 miles, Joe Ninke 145 miles, Mike Delang mile 135, Curt Chambers mile 130, Dale Rucker mile 125, Marcia Rasmussen mile 125, Ronald Trignano 109 miles, Sue Scholl mile 107, John Rasmussen mile 92, Ann Kerkman 83 miles, Troy Varney 83 miles, Brian Pickett mile 78, Betty Holder 56 miles, Michael Melton mile 54, Amanda McMahon mile 45, Larry Phillips mile 39

Last night saw Jeremy Ebel go off course for 10 hours, being uncrewed, that meant an extra 20 miles of shuffling by the time he got back on course. Just a brutal mistake that has dropped him down in the standings. Steven Smith is the strongest runner in the field currently after the finishes of Armstrong and Johan.

The 2-headed Canadian monster of Lisa Van Wolde and Marylou Corino are relentless and steady as they have now pushed past 240 miles since the morning update.

Johnny Adams and Nathan Dewall joined the list of DNF’s last night. Francesca Muccini is still off course and supposedly done but attempts to get her back to finish her strong race have commenced.

The Canadian women are currently at mile 247 and have a dominating lead on the women’s side (11:57am).

Poor uncrewed runners around mile 188.

Shane Tucker reaches the Bench of Despair!

“I feed the boy got him a chair under huge pecan tree was telling him the story of my life and he fell asleep…whats up with that?” – Bill Baker, crewing Steven Smith (SS Top)

King Greg Armstrong’s view from ‘The Rock’ early this morning! It must be good to be king!

Leading women combo of Marylou Corino and Lisa Van Wolde have hit mile 250 in Manchester, TN. They were happy once upon a time.

Canadian women are now around mile 255.

“Vol State Day 5. 36 miles. 188 total. This was the 5th day in a row it has been hotter than the previous day.” – Shane Tucker

“Best rest I’ve had this whole race. 6 hrs of solid sleep just now. I needed it. Hoping to make a big push tonight. This race is crazy lol. There’s nothing like it, that’s for sure.” – Gregg Ellis

“Mentally…let’s just say I may have spent an hour confused and sleepy at a car wash…” – Scott Krouse

“We started out at 1:00am today and went 19 miles.We decided to get out of the heat, and start back around 8 pm for a long night of knocking out miles from Hohenweld.” – Troy and Cathie Johnson

Dallas Smith is having a burrito somewhere. Diane Taylor is probably laying under a tree somewhere. Ben Pennington is wishing he was anywhere but here.

Gregg Ellis and Shane Tucker…wannabe VS Creatures of the Night!!

108 Hour Vol State 500K Standings 7:30pm Monday, July 13th (2 Finisher, 59 Runners, 19 DNFs)

1. Greg Armstrong – 3 days 22 hours 5 minutes 23 seconds (King of the Road)
2. Johan Steene – 3 days 23 hours 15 minutes 52 seconds (uncrewed course record)
3. John Fegyveresi – 294 miles
4. Steven Smith – 284 miles
5. Lisa Van Wolde – 258 miles (F)
6. Marylou Corino – 258 miles (F)
7. Jay Dobrowalski – 239 miles
8. Andrea Stewart – 233 miles (F)
9. James Adams – 224 miles
10. Jeremy Ebel – 223 miles
11. Bo Millwood – 214 miles
12. Karen Jackson – 214 miles
13. Lisa Hazlett – 214 miles
14. Rick Gray – 214 miles
15. Richard Westbrook – 212 miles
16. Michael Callans – 210 miles
17. David Lettieri – 208 miles
18. Ben Herron – 207 miles
19. Edward Masuoka – 207 miles
20. Sal Coll – 202 miles
21. Jeffrey Stephens – 202 miles
22. Tim Purol – 202 miles
23. Christopher Knight – 201 miles
24. Thomas Alm – 201 miles
25. Sherry Meador – 201 miles
26. Caleb Nolen – 198 miles
27. Joshua Swink – 195 miles
28. Tom Dekornfield – 194 miles
29. Scott Krouse – 189 miles
30. Shane Tucker – 188 miles
31. Francesca Muccini – 188 miles
32. Timothy Daily – 188 miles
33. Shelly Mack – 186 miles
34. Allen Wrinkle – 181 miles
35. Gina Chupka – 181 miles
36. John Sharp – 181 miles
37. Gregg Ellis – 180 miles
38. Richard McKnight – 179 miles
39. Joseph Kowalski – 179 miles
40. Dallas Smith – 179 miles
41. Fred Davis III – 177 miles
42. Lynda Webber – 177 miles
43. Gilbert Gray – 175 miles
44. Jameelah Abul-Rahim – 175 miles
45. Remy Brandefalk – 175 miles
46. Christian McMahon – 174 miles
47. Sergio Bianchini – 174 miles
48. Ally Gregory – 174miles
49. Sandy Geisel – 172 miles
50. Don Winkley – 171 miles
51. John Price – 167 miles
52. Johnny Adams – 164 miles
53. Timothy Loudermilk – 164 miles
54. Jay Hamilton – 157 miles
55. Paul Heckert – 150 miles
56. Garry Price – 149 miles
57. Troy Johnson – 146 miles
58. Cathie Johnson – 146 miles
59. Terrie Wurzbacher – 145 miles
60. Diane Taylor – 145 miles
61. Ben Pennington – 145 miles

DID NOT FINISH (19): Francesca Muccini 188 miles, Jeff McGonnell 165 miles, Nathan Dewall 145 miles, Johnny Adams 145 miles, Joe Ninke 145 miles, Mike Delang mile 135, Curt Chambers mile 130, Dale Rucker mile 125, Marcia Rasmussen mile 125, Ronald Trignano 109 miles, Sue Scholl mile 107, John Rasmussen mile 92, Ann Kerkman 83 miles, Troy Varney 83 miles, Brian Pickett mile 78, Betty Holder 56 miles, Michael Melton mile 54, Amanda McMahon mile 45, Larry Phillips mile 39

“Day 5, Monday, Columbia, MM 179

Left Hohenwald at 0300. By 0730, the end of 4 days. I had 157 miles, precisely halfway.

Who cares whether what I do is what anyone would call running? I won’t worry with it. My aching feet have got to get my chaffing butt on down the road any way they can. I need this finish bad.

_____________

Day-by-Day Vol State 5ooK Recaps

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

Vintage Vol State 500K Race Reports

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

Historical Vol State 500K Results

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

– Run It Fast®

UPDATED: King of the Road, Greg Armstrong’s 2015 Vol State 500K Race Report

Greg Armstrong, of Lebanon, Tennessee, won The Last Annual Vol State 500K early Monday morning becoming the first runner to reach The Rock in Castle Rock, Georgia. Armstrong goes back-to-back as he won the race last July as well. His time of 3 days 22 hours 05 minutes 23 seconds is the 4th fastest time in Vol State history.

Armstrong is the first back-to-back King of the Road and joins DeWayne Satterfield as the only two-time winner of the race.

This year’s extreme heat knocked Armstrong off his plan to set the course record, as did a cracked rib, but he persevered to keep the uncrewed Swede Johan Steene just far enough back the entire race to earn the win.

Steen reached The Rock shortly after Armstrong in 3 days 23 hours 15 minutes 52 seconds breaking the uncrewed/screwed record that he set last year by nearly 3 hours.

The humble and gracious Armstrong had the following to say after Steene’s finish, “I know I am relatively new to the sport but this performance by Johan Steene may be one of best/gutsiest efforts of all time. How can I make such a lofty comment? Well, I went through the exact same conditions usually just hours before Johan each day. Unless you have done this race one can’t fully appreciate the difference between being “crewed” and “screwed”. As far as I’m concerned Johan is the true “King of the Road”. I appreciate the well wishes and congrats but I’m not in the same league as this amazing man!!

King Greg sitting atop his throne (or the ‘thrown’ as Laz calls the chair because after every runner sits in it, the stench is so bad that the chair has to be ‘thrown’ away in the garbage)!

The race was started many years ago by Gary Cantrell, also known as Lazarus Lake, who still presides over the race and haunts runnes over all 314 grueling miles.

Greg might be done but over 60 other runners remain on the course, some as far back as 190 miles, hoping to get to the same Rock that Armstrong reached so quickly.

Last Annual Vol State Kings of the Road (modern course)

• 2015 Greg Armstrong – 3d 22h 5m 23s
• 2014 Greg Armtrong – 3d 17h 50m 53s
• 2013 Joe Fejes – 3d 8h 10m 16s (course record)
• 2012 Daniel Fox – 5d 3h 9m 33s
• 2011 Don Winkley – 5d 14h 21m 32s
• 2010 Juli Aistars – 5d 22h 1m 33s
• 2009 DeWayne Satterfield – 3d 17h 42m 12s
• 2008 Kevin Dorsey – 4d 23h 45m 3s
• 2007 Carl Laniak – 6d 6h 11m 1s
• 2006 DeWayne Satterfield – 4d 8h 39m 44s

The view King Greg had upon reaching ‘The Rock’ overlooking the Tennessee River

Congrats to Greg and his crew on his amazing victory!