Run It Fast®

JASMIN PARIS BECOMES THE FIRST WOMAN TO EVER FINISH THE BARKLEY MARATHONS in 59:58:21….by just 99 seconds before the 60 hour cutoff. HISTORY MADE!!

She is the first woman in the race’s 40 year old history to complete all 5 loops for 100 miles in under 60 hours.

Lazarus Lake, race creator, famously said over and over that no woman could ever finish the course. Of course he hoped it would happen and has a way of motivating people.

2024 Barkley Marathons Results

1. Ihor Verys – 58:44:59
2. John Kelly – 59:15:38 (his 3rd finish)
3. Jared Campbell – 59:30:32 (his 4th finish)
4. Greig Hamilton – 59: 38:42
5. Jasmin Paris – 59:58:21

It should be noted and applauded as well that the great Beverly Abbs was the first woman every to complete a Barkley ‘Fun Run’ (3 loops) a few years back.

2024 Barkley Finisher’s Photo posted by Keith Dunn

Greig Hamilton, Jared Campbell, Ihor Verys, Jasmin Paris, and John Kelly. – 2024 Barkley Marathons Finishers

Major congrats to Jasmin and all of this year’s finishers.

Big thanks to Keith Dunn for his amazing tweets and updates throughout.

#RunItFast #BM100

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.

the barkley fall classic
frozen head state park
wartburg, tn
16 sept 2017

it is a race like no other
based on an even more insane
impossible event like no other
the barkley marathons
the race that eats it’s young

the barkley fall classic has grown quickly
to over 400 runners in just 3 years
trying to finish
wicked
gnarly
back mountain trails and hillsides
to get to laz
for a bonus loop
for a 50k – mile finish
for as advertised it is more
bang for your buck than just 31 miles
some say 48 miles
the lowest estimate was 40 miles

you see
no gps is allowed at the barkley
despite incessant cicadas beeping at mile 1 and beyond

before the race started
as i was getting my gear together
while downing my fourth organic pop tart of the morning

a race vet
in the car next to me
told me that we were required to have a light
in our drop bag at mile 22…ahem 35
i had not even brought a light from the west coast
because i didn’t plan to run past the sun
but it was for sure more of a safety precaution
in case one got lost
as frozen head state park has been known
to swallow a wardian or two before
i had my phone flashlight
but RIF member cathy downes told me
she had an extra headlamp in her drop bag i could use if needed
her kindness stuck with me
as i thought about how many nice things
run it fast members have done for me over the past few years

the race starts with the laz lighting a cigarette
just like he starts the big barkley in the spring
laz lit up and we all took off like any other race
yet we all knew we were about to enter a vast unknown

400 of us dashed down the paved road
taking advantage of the smooth surface and cool temps
about 50 feet in i hear some dudes behind me saying,
“someone is really going to miss that water bottle later.”
so i remember my soft flask i had stuck in my pocket pre-race
and check my pocket and it’s not there
so i immediately start swimming upstream
against a torrid stampede of anxious and eager buffalo
i finally see my bottle and runners stepping on it
oblivious to what was going on
they just saw this runner going the wrong way without a guide
i finally grab it and spend the next few min cleaning it with my shirt

so back to moving forward in the correct forward position
all of a sudden felt like getting shot out of a cannon
the first mile is on pavement before you reach the famed yellow gates
of frozen head made famous by the barkley
the race that eats it’s young
a sort of golden arches of sorts for ultra mile junkies

everyone was full of optimism and nerves
knowing that likely just 120 or so of the 400 starters would finish the 50k
i wondered who the other 119 would be myself

any race i begin
i visualize myself with only one outcome
coming out clean on the other side
no matter how ugly or desperate it might become

as unforgiving as little bark is
there is still some insurance knowing that you can
take a marathon
more like true 50k finish
if it goes to hell or you don’t make the cutoff at laz

the first few miles from the gate were on a single track trail
the climb was pretty gradual
and not too technical

even though we were slowing climbing
i pushed the pace
i had gone out aggressive
to avoid massive conga lines
to find some space
to be able to operate
breath
find rhythm
the marvin gaye type
smooth
easy
effortless
and not over run
to avoid being over run
or be hung up
on the heels of whoever lay before me

i worked through this section
with rif member lisa van wolde
we would move past other runners
on this single track together
which made it easier for both of us
to get by quicker using less energy

you come upon the first aid station about 4 miles in
where the coalfield boys
high school football players held the jugs
that didn’t have moonshine
but had water and sword instead

i quickly refilled and kept down the trail
until coming upon a photographer
not my first in this life
a couple of us tried to run past her
continuing on down the trail
but she quickly said, “no, that way!”
as she pointed into the true wilderness
down a ravine into a giant lake
but it wasn’t a lake but just massive fog
onto of the moguls
this was testicle spectacle

quickly into testicle
i found a steep
slick
down where i could get no footing
i had put on my brush clearing gloves
as i knew i was about to be tested
my legs came out from under me
and i slide down the hillside about 20 feet
before i could get my legs under me again

this went on a few times
with some moderate climbs
for a mile and half or so
then we turned left into some low lying ground
and waded through a creek

luckily i was behind dewayne satterfield
who has done big bark
because none of this was marked
there was for sure no trail at this point
just some creek funk thing
that looked a bit like the forked deer in west tn

well found a road on the other side of the marsh
then quickly over a wooden bridge
we ran
into a small white country church
that had an aid station to the right of it
as advertised it had water
sword
slim jims
and long elongated yellow fruits
this was also where we got our first bib punch
i think it was the letter i

testicle is an out and back
being near the lead of the pack it meant we were going to see
a lot of terrified faces coming at us
escaping testicle on the way out
is even more difficult than it was sliding down
into this foggy bottom

as my mouth burned from slim jims
that were obviously soaked in tabasco
i quickly found myself on my hands and knees
trying to get up the muddy hillside
it is amazing how high your heart rate rises
when you are on all fours
trying to get any grip of the earth you can
to climb up

the two way traffic wasn’t easy
people were slipping and sliding into each other
but everyone was polite and understanding

once we escaped testicle
we hit that same photographer again
for the after ts photo
as i have told other runners
always know where the photographers are

thinking we were getting a temporarily hiatus from the gnarly stuff
i took my gloves off
as we crossed the trail down into methlab hill
some parts of meth were worse than testicle
it could have been called testicle part 2
it included more butt sliding
and knocking other runners further down into the ravine
shortly after you bottom out on meth
you hit the prison

i hit it in 3 hrs 7 min 6 sec from the start

brushy mountain state penitentiary that is
an expired prison where james earl ray
the white supremacist
who killed the transcendent Martin Luther King was jailed
for many years
laz says he got the idea for barkley
back in the late 70s when ray escaped
it took several days for authorities to recapture him
but they did 58 hours later
he had only made it 5 miles in that time
due to the intense rugged mountains and lacking a garmin

the prison looked straight out of shawshank
i went in the front door
and walked through the first building
then into the second building where most of the cells where located
a volunteer told me that cell 27 had been ray’s
as i walked by and looked into 27
all i could think about
was what a cowardly
loser
pos ray was for killing king
a man of peace

after the cells it was out the side door
into the back yard behind the penitentiary
where we scaled a ladder over the back prison wall
and down the other side
where i got my second bib punch of the morning
the letter r

the bib puncher
keith dunn
directed me to run around the back corner of the prison wall
and through a long
dark tunnel
the tunnel had a feint light at the other end of it
there was a slow stream of water flowing through the tunnel
more flashbacks to andy durfresne escaping from shawshank
it was pitch black in the tunnel
but i ran and trusted my footing would not be compromised

then i took a sharp left
into some overgrown
green centrifuge
a couple min into it
as it started to climb
i asked another runner
if it was rat jaw
the infamous rat jaw
up the steep mountain side
under the power lines
the answer was in the affirmative

gloves back on
it was wildly overgrown
from a healthy rain season
i moved pretty quickly
up the first half of this rat’s nest
then i started to see a long line of runners stack up above me
stuck in the greenness
briars
thick
long
executing briars
that none of us could escape
i asked another runner if the half marathon was merging with us
as so many runners had grinder to a halt
stuck in the thick of it
it was so overgrown and thick with no where to go
a path had to be slowly carved
with human bodies

robert youngren
who moments before grabbed my feet below me
to give me a solid surface to climb up
as i couldn’t get a grip
started a new
revolutionary path he started blazing
with a mini train behind him
i was about the seventh car in this train
this was painfully slow but rob was taking most of the abuse
as the conductor of this train
our train was slow but steady
moving faster than the longer train
that seemed stuck in a paused motion
perhaps mighty casey had run out of steam
rob got us to the top
passing several in the other train in the process

it took time but finally we reached the top of rat jaw
60 runners had stacked up behind us

rat jaw had been the great equalizer
almost like a nascar caution flag to bring the field all back together

quickly we climbed to the top of the watch tower and back down
quick aid station stop after the tower for refills
and then some downhill jeep roads
to garden spot
then to bald knob

most vets had underestimated how hard the back side
of the race would be
since rat jaw and testacle were knocked out earlier on

bird mountain was a formidable foe
it wasn’t gnarly or impossible
but due to not knowing exactly how long the course was
it seemed to go on forever

i knew we were many miles beyond what the map said
but as they say laz miles are way longer than actual miles
like 1.5x longer
the bird mtn miles seemed to go on forever
i kept thinking we had to be close to laz and dropbags

finally we come off the trail
back onto park roads
and after about 1/2 a mile later to our drop bags
and then laz
with an elapsed time of 8:03:30 to that point

laz punched my bib
and made mention of how well i was doing
seeming a bit surprised
maybe it was because when i first met him on the ferry
in dorena landing years ago
at the start of the vol state
he looked at me and my crew
consisting of my high school cousin and his buddy
and told me
look to your left and your right
one of you will finish this race
i could tell his confidence was not in me being the one
i was very green then
i am just light
lime green now

other runners had warned me that the last loop was 9 miles
like 9 actual miles not laz miles

the climb up to chimney top was a long 5-6 mile climb
others had opted to grab poles out of their drop bags
i didn’t want to cheat my exercise routine with poles

early in the climb i was passed by a handful of hikers
i mean runners
as the climb wore on
i started to catch and reel in a couple of them
by being persistent and relentless

i finally hit the top of chimney top
and you know how i knew it was the top of chimney top
because there was a mf chimney at the top of the climb
in the middle of nowhere
no house with it
no signs of a house
just a chimney and fireplace
no smoke
prevent forest fires
it was then i realized that i was at the top of chimney top
i did not need a sign to tell me

after chimney’s top started a gradual downhill
not many other runners were around at this point
another runner was in front of me
and after a mile and a sharp turn to the left down the mountain
we both started to get nervous wondering if we were on the right trail
or if we had become lost
and if so how lost where we and would we have enough time
to get back on the correct trail and make the cutoff
i pulled out my cloth map several times
and each time wadded it back into my pocket
unable to make sense of it
we both were running well
but simply did not see any other human beings
as more and more indecision began to set in

finally we saw another runner
and a volunteer
with a hole puncher and jugs of water
i refilled all 4 bottles i had with me
the volunteer punched my bib
and knew exactly how much of the course remained
he told us 2.5 miles back to laz
and about 3.4 total to the finish
and that it was all down hill

i took off running
knowing i needed to be perfect
if i wanted to break 11 hours
i knew i was about in 23rd position as well
however i didn’t know the terrain or the accuracy of the distance
but i ran hard smelling the barn
or perhaps it was myself
but either way it fueled me to another gear
that had been abandoned miles earlier

i caught a couple runners including youngren
who was probably simply tired
from sleepless nights with his new baby
and then shortly after there was laz and friends
i slowed just enough to ask if we needed another punch
laz said no and i turned it up knowing 10 hrs 52 min had expired
on the clock

1 mile
8 min or less
again was the distance accurate or not
i didn’t know
but i ran harder

another runner was alongside me
as i had caught him near laz
we were both chasing sub 11
we ran that last road like it was a legit 5k
i hit the pavement and emptied all my bottles
to get as light as possible knowing every second would matter

the other runner
nathan i believe
got a few feet in front and i followed in his wake
a couple turns hoping the end was in sight
clock ticking
a clock with no mind or mercy of what i wanted

i finally start to hear people
then i see the grassy field knowing to turn right
for the finishing arches
i see the clock at 10:59:30
i sprinted in comfortably over those 40 yards
crossing the finish line in 10:59:43

a time that would matter only to me
breaking 11 hours that would only matter to me
but it had mattered to me for several miles
because it helped me stay focused and on point
it helped me prevent bad miles
and gave me something to focus on
and help drive me those last few miles to the finish

my last mile was 7 min 11 sec

the first person i saw after finishing was my good friend
rif member and bfc rd steve durbin
it was good to see him
he congratulated me and i thanked him for an amazing event
i was then presented with the prized
croix de barque for finishing

i caught my breath
drank a few bottles of sword from the orange cooler
and then walked backwards on the course
to cheer in other runners
and root for my fellow run it fast members than remained on the course
slowly
one by one they found the finish as i had
some had made the 50k cutoff and finish
others had been turned in early
but all seemed satisfied with the effort they put forth that day

they knew they hadn’t don’t a normal race
and they were proud of the valiant effort they gave
they had been challenged in a new way
and had dug deep or discovered a new depth for the first time

after a few photos and hugs
i redeemed my post race meal card for a veggie burger
i am not even a vegetarian but it sounded like what my stomach
would agree with
and it was spot on

i beat the rat

i traded war stories from the course and other battles
with other veteran ultra runners
from the past and present
the weather had been perfect
the course ripe
and i was pleased with my effort

my goal had been to finish in the top 20 and sub 11
i was 20th overall and 18th male
in a time of 10:59:43

it was a good feeling to run well
and share in so many others achievements
i wore the rat bites and dozens of flesh wounds with pride
a very special running
epic event
race directed by my good friends durb and laz

rif members before the lighting of the cigarette

congrats to all who were brave enough to toe the start
whether you got a finish or not
it takes a lot to take on a task like the bfc

thank you to all the volunteers
and football players
and friends
who were encouraging
helpful
resourceful
and made it possible to finish
marathon/ultra #197

and a special thanks
to all my Run It Fast friends
who continue to inspire and drive me
every race
step by step

joshua holmes
run it fast
2017

barkley fall classic results – 2017
photos: susan typert, daryl ann patton

Lazarus Lake explains the hectic and chaos at the finish of The Barkley Marathons yesterday when Gary Robbins arrived at the yellow gate after 60 hours 00 minutes 06 seconds.

Here is what he said to clarify what happened at The Yellow Gate:

Explained in a way only Laz can explain.

Congrats to John Kelly on becoming the 16th finisher of The Barkley Marathons. Big tip of the hat as well to Gary Robbins on an amazing effort that was just barely short. True #RunItFast Grit.

Ultrarunner John Kelly just become the 15th person EVER to complete The Barkley Marathons 100 Miler in a time of 59:30:53 less than 30 minutes before the 60 hour cut off.

You can follow John on Twitter @RndmForestRnnr

Canadian Gary Robbins reached the yellow gate 6 seconds after the 60 hour cutoff in 60:00:06 with all the book pages but was 6 seconds late and had gotten lost returning on the wrong trail. Amazing, amazing effort by Gary. Congrats to him as well. The most painful near Barkley finish ever. Video of an emotional Gary reaching the gate seconds too late can be viewed on our Twitter HERE.

Barkley Marathons Finishers
18 finished by 15 runners

– 1995 Mark Williams 59:28:48 New record
– 2001 David Horton 58:21:00 New record, Blake Wood 58:21:01
– 2003 Ted “Cave Dog” Keizer 56:57:52 New record
– 2004 Mike Tilden 57:25:18, Jim Nelson 57:28:25
– 2008 Brian Robinson 55:42:27 New record
– 2009 Andrew Thompson 57:37:19
– 2010 Jonathan Basham 59:18:44
– 2011 Brett Maune (1) 57:13:33
– 2012 Brett Maune (2) 52:03:08 Current record,  Jared Campbell (1) 56:00:16, John Fegyveresi 59:41:21
– 2013 Nick Hollon 57:39:24, Travis Wildeboer 58:41:45
– 2014 Jared Campbell (2) 57:53:20
– 2016 Jared Campbell (3) 59:32:30
– 2017 John Kelly 59:30:53

Laz’s Regret with Gary Robbins Near Barkley Finish

source: Wikipedia

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®

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

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

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

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

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

*bold = Run It Fast Club members

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

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

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

And now he’s to the top!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Day 8, Thursday, Tracy City, MM 281

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

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

Vol State 500K Splits

_____________

Day-by-Day Vol State 5ooK Recaps

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

Vintage Vol State 500K Race Reports

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

Historical Vol State 500K Results

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

– Run It Fast®

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!

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

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

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

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

Laz’s 72 Hour Pep Talk

the long thin line grows thinner:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The eloquent Dallas Smith checks in with these words:

Day 4, Sunday, Hohenwald, MM 145

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Armstrong has got to be getting close to The Rock!

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

Laz’s Nightly News Report from the Road

blood on the highway

one word keeps surfacing at the vol state…

 

 

brutal.

 

today was a truly brutal day.

another escalation in the heat index

battered the weary footwarriors,

 

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

 

one by one they capitulated.

all day long.

65 of the original 80 remain,

and many of them are hanging by a thread….

 

tomorrow promises to be the hottest day yet.

 

and we knew it would happen.

the relentless oprah has overtaken a runner.

sentimental favorites terrie wurzbacher and diane taylor

find their backs to the wall tonight.

 

they must run down oprah in the darkness

to keep their dreams of reaching the rock alive.

 

of course they are only trying to buy a day.

oprah never lets up.

 

at the front,

greg armstrong has begun his push to the finish

and is running very strong.

johan steene still refuses to go away

having, unbelievably, cut the lead to 8 miles

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

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

 

fegy is now totally alone in third.

 

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

 

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

 

Jeremy ebel and jay dobrawalski have taken very different routes

to fall out of contention.

 

Jeremy ran 10 miles off course

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

jay has simply crashed and burned…

 

his corpse stumbles on,

refusing to quit.

 

the first half of day 4 has been a nightmare.

now we will see what the night itself will bring.

 

laz

_____________

Day-by-Day Vol State 5ooK Recaps

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

Vintage Vol State 500K Race Reports

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

Historical Vol State 500K Results

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

– Run It Fast®

Asphalt in My Blood

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

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