“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
Alysia Maschino & Scott Page
We decided that our journey would best be served by a joint race report. While we each had our own thoughts and experiences at Vol State, we started the race as a pair and we committed to finishing it as a pair and we felt that a single report would serve us best. We have tried to note when each of us are explaining our views.
Alysia: Scott and I became friends about 5 years ago when we were on a relay team. We instantly became friends as we are VERY similar yet completely opposite at the same time. Shortly after we met, we began organizing a race together and our skill sets complimented each other perfectly–he does what I don’t know how to do or don’t want to do and I do what he doesn’t really want to do. As of now, we currently organize 4 races together and we typically communicate electronically and rarely speak on the phone but we are always on the same page. All of this to say, we know each other but not like BFF-girlfriend-know each other.
Scott: Since we met, Alysia and I have always had a relationship that’s unusual. We don’t see each other all that often but we communicate frequently and act like we have been best friends forever when we see each other in person. We have very similar personalities in general and she’s not afraid to take on a big challenge. The races we direct usually try to push people out of their comfort zones and we often talk about people being capable of so much more than they believe. Vol State was an opportunity for us to test our own thoughts.
Registration
Alysia: I knew Scott was dying a little inside after not completing LAVS 2020 so listening to him mention 2021 did not surprise me. What did surprise me was the day he texted me that registration was open but there was no announcement. A few minutes later, he called me saying that he did not want me to ignore him! I had not even considered signing up but something made me consider it just enough to not say NO. I hung up and thought to myself that I would go take a shower and then register. I know it sells out quickly so in the back of my head I was thinking that it would be sold out by the time I was done with my shower and I would just be out of luck :). I stood up to head to the shower and a voice in my head said, “the only reason you aren’t doing it is cuz you don‘t think you can.” Needless to say, I registered before the shower….and then was nauseous about it for a few days.
Scott: I knew before I got home from the race in 2020 that I had to have a shot at redemption. Along with some changes that included different shoes and a better training plan, I felt a big asset would be someone else to attempt the race with me. LAVS isn’t for just anyone. Some people are scared of the distance, some don’t want the training, some don’t want to be gone that long. It’s not for everyone. Alysia was the only person I really seriously considered. I knew she could do it if she wanted. How could she argue against doing it? This is the ultimate challenge. Registration opened unexpectedly on August 7 and I immediately registered. I messaged Alysia at 1:59pm. Nine minutes later she replies with just “Unaided?”. Six minutes later she says, “This is by far the dumbest thing I have ever done”. At 2:15pm, the message simply says, “Fuuuuudddgggeee” and she sends a photo of the race confirmation. I had hooked her! From there it was full steam ahead.
Alysia: Once I registered, I told Scott he had to tell me what to do in order to get me trained up to finish this thing. I told him I would do whatever he said. His response was something like, “go until it hurts and go some more. Get out when you are tired and don’t want to.” UMMM…OK. I was looking for a little more than that, but we will go with that.
Basically, for a year, I practiced walking a lot and getting out when I was tired and when I didn’t want to. I also did some hill training that proved to be helpful. We also did some long training walks to figure out potential problem areas for blisters. We did a 24 hour race as well with the purpose of running into problems that we solve on the fly. We did not encounter any major issues that we thought we might but we did learn that a couple hours of sleep does wonders for me.
Scott: Falling out of the race in 2020, I immediately knew of several things that had to change for this year. I wanted to prepare with a lot more walking, and I needed to rethink my shoes. Overall my mileage this year did not increase, but I tried to go slower and do more walking. I also transitioned to Altra Paradigm’s for the larger toe box. I thought those changes, along with having a friend with me would be my biggest assets. We developed an informal training plan. In September I ran a 100 miler in Tulsa. In November, we ran Bad Dawg in Dixon… Alysia did the 50 miler and I did a 100 again. January brought us both to David’s Trail for a 25k.
In April we competed in the Lion’s Roar 24 hour race. We both met our goals. Alysia completed 65 miles and I did 80. We used it as a “time on our feet” benchmark effort. Otherwise, it was just a lot of individual runs. There’s no real way to “train for Vol State”. Just just get comfortable with pain and learn how to deal with issues that may arise.
Alysia: Leading up to the race, gear had to be purchased and tested. I pulled the trigger and purchased a pair of Luna sandals designed for long distances but the first time I put them on my feet, they were screaming after about an hour. I decided to wear them all the time to break them in because it would be good to have another pair of shoes available at the race. I wore them everywhere for months!!! Ultimately, they became SUPER comfy but at the last minute, they did not make the cut due to the additional weight they would bring.
I purchased a camping blanket/towel thing to put on the ground when on grass or needed something to cover up with. Also an inflatable pillow as I knew I needed sleep and having a pillow would help with that. I already had multiple hydration packs but I didn’t like any of them so I bought not 1 new one, but 2. The second one made the cut and worked well. My favorite purchase was my umbrella hat!! I ended up having to get 2 of those as well because the first one just wasn’t what I wanted it to be. It was good that I didn’t wait til the last minute or I would be stuck with what I didn’t really like.
About a week out, I started gathering all my stuff and putting it into a tub so it would be all ready to pack as I had a rather busy few days leading up to departure so I did not want to forget anything.
Scott on the other hand had purchased stuff before so he was having a great time creating spreadsheets and maps. I will let him tell you more about that. I would laugh every time I received a map, list or spreadsheet because they began months before I was mentally prepared to absorb the info so I filed them. My favorite one was only about a week out and it was “the plan” color coded with weather notes included!
With each map or spreadsheet I received, the more doable this thing appeared. Confidence is vital and this really helped with my confidence.
Scott: With my job, I practically live next to the computer, but I have periods of downtime. What better way to spend that time, than by planning? One of Alysia’s texts to me after she registered was, “Now your job is to train me for success”. I know I probably went out too fast in 2020 and that was part of my issue with blisters and swelling. I had to think of a way to build us a cushion of miles so that Oprah wouldn’t be a factor, but not so much that we were doing more harm than good. The plans went through a lot of adaptations, but we settled on a goal of 8.5 days pretty early on. I texted Alysia on August 10 throwing out that finish for the first time. We continued to talk about our decision as time moved forward.
My thought was that if I could break the race up into reasonable chunks it would keep Alysia more at ease. Having the plan gave me something to focus on when I had nervous energy.
I had already decided on what I would take for the most part, but I did make a late change to a smaller vest and went with the Nathan Vaporkrar 12L. I also eliminated anything I didn’t think I would really need, including an extra change of clothes. I figured we could buy clothes to throw away during the race, if needed. My vest ended up being about 4 pounds, without water, a little heavier than I would have liked but not bad.
Below is the plan I came up with broken down into times and mileage during the day and night hours. The most amazing thing about it is that I did not pack a copy to take to the race. Alysia surprised me with a laminated copy she had bought!
Everything Scott packed in his vest:
Scott: The logistics for this race start days ahead of time. We left the Lake of the Ozarks at 6:00am on Tuesday, July 6. The plan was to drive to Kimball, TN and state at Super 8 near the finish line. Runners typically get together that evening for an informal dinner. Wednesday morning, everyone loads up on buses and ride the course backwards, stopping in Union City, TN. There “The Last Supper” is held. It’s a final chance to socialize, as well as a safety and process briefing. Then Thursday is a bus ride from Union City to the start line.
Our Tuesday trip started off with a slight hitch. I had told friends that we would be meeting at the Camdenton High School to leave, but we changed it at the last minute to a coffee shop. We took off for Tennessee, passing the high school on the highway and noticed friends standing in the school parking lot. They had gone to see us at send off and we were about to sneak out of town without acknowledging them! So we had to take the next exit, go back to the school and visit for a bit. It was great for Chris, Gary, Katie and Stacy to see us off. After we were back on the road Alysia turned to me and said, “You considered not turning around to go see them because it would put us behind schedule, didn’t you?” I couldn’t deny it!
Then once we were on the road for a few hours, Alysia made a bigger impression on me:
Alysia: During our drive down, I had a nagging feeling that I should check for my spare socks. I had put everything in a tub before packing so I thought I had everything. I ignored the first urge to check for my socks but when the second prompting came around, I knew I had to look. After a minute of digging and not finding them, everything started coming out of the bag! NO SPARE SOCKS! What?!?! SOCKS?! THAT is what I miss?? I couldn’t miss Buttpaste or something that is not so specific? Sheesh! Luckily, we were early enough in the trip we found a Fleet Feet that carried the socks that I had intended to pack. I don’t think this gave Scott the warm fuzzies about what was ahead of us!
#1 rule when traveling….eat at restaurants we don’t have at home. Ideally, they are locally owned and not chains but either way, never eat at a place we can eat at when home. I thought Freddy’s would be a great choice because of their skinny fries and they were yumm!
Scott: So we made a lunch stop in Jackson, Tennessee for sock and hamburgers! The rest of the trip was without any drama. We primarily just talked about the race, our expectations, and the nervous energy we had. We also found out that the local newspaper had published an article about us that afternoon. Nothing like a little more pressure to finish the race! We arrived in Kimball and checked into the Super 8 right about 4:00pm. When we checked in we already noticed a crowd of runners standing in the parking lot visiting.
Alysia: Interesting thing about this race….it is VERY hard so you would think that there would not be many repeat participants. That is not the case at all at LAVS. I felt like we were at a family reunion and we were very recently discovered cousins who were visiting for the first time. One of the veterans must have noticed us looking awkward because he introduced himself and we started chatting. BJ gave a great piece of advice that I later used: “Just don’t quit today. Maybe tomorrow. But not today.” BJ himself had a tough start but he didn’t quit and ultimately finished so he must have followed his own advice!!
Scott: I went to the pre-race party in 2020 and found myself in the same situation as Alysia. There with a bunch of other runners that were head and shoulders above me and I was intimidated. However, everyone is extremely nice and they really make you feel comfortable. Nevertheless, nerves are high at that point.
Alysia: The walk to the Chinese buffet was where we met the New Jersey crew! They are a fun, crazy and tough group! Vanessa Kline had just completed HOTS 2 weeks prior and was walking like she was totally refreshed! We followed HOTS and I can’t believe she was showing up to LAVS—man, she must be a beast! All 4 of them had beers and were having a blast! I wanted to be like them when I grow up…but at that moment, I was nervous just trying to act like I belonged at this race along with all these people.
Scott: This is the first idea of what the runners of LAVS are like. It’s time for dinner and it’s a half mile away? Let’s walk there. Even though we are going to do 314 miles on foot soon. A group of college kids wouldn’t typically walk that far for anything … including beer. I wanted Alysia to meet Vanessa and Michael. I saw them several times last year at LAVS and they were always having fun. My plan was for Alysia and I to pattern our race after their experiences. I told Michael Tuesday night that he might be most responsible for Alysia registering! I had shown her a picture of him from 2020 sitting in an ice cooler drinking a beer during the race, and told her it was my plan to have the same fun.
After dinner, we made a quick trip to Wal-Mart for last minute supplies and headed back to the hotel. Other runners were heading back to the parking lot to enjoy more beers and socializing.
Alysia: I was a bit intimidated and did not really feel like socializing and pretending I deserved to be there so I was really thankful when Scott agreed that we just go back to the room and hang out. I think he really just wanted to re-organize his pack for the 12th time but I’ll let him tell his side–LOL!
Scott: I only learned that Alysia was intimidated after we returned from the race. I never gave it a second thought when she wanted to stay in. I’m not typically big on small talk so it didn’t bother me to stay in the room. We had beers and, yes, I probably re-packed my vest.
I had a wild dream that night about not finishing the race. It was so realistic! For some reason we had gotten in someone’s car on the second day (even though that’s against the rules) and we didn’t get back to somewhere we needed to be in time and we were forced to quit. I woke up in a sweat and was actually relieved when I realized it was a dream. I don’t seem to dream often. When I do, I rarely remember what they are about. This one scared me. I had spent all that time preparing and we were not going to go out on day two! That didn’t help me with my need to plan everything out, despite the fact that I knew our plan was not likely to work long-term.
We were up by 5:30am on Tuesday, left the hotel at 6:15am, ran through the McDonald’s drive thru and made the drive up Sand Mountain to park our cars in the Castle Rock parking lot. There we ate our breakfast and prepared ourselves for what was to come. Alysia was really studying the final 10 miles of the course as we drove there.
Alysia: I am really glad I got a glimpse of what was our Grand Finale otherwise I would have been in for a HUGE shock. That was the hardest part of the entire course and to be at least aware that it is waiting for us was good.
We were in the parking lot with plenty of time to spare and began our walk up the hill to the waiting buses. Promptly at 7:00am, we left for Union City, TN where we would spend Wednesday night.
We had three stops during the bus ride. There was a snack and bathroom stop in Manchester, lunch in Columbia (BBQ!) and another stop at Parker’s Crossroads. Otherwise it was just a lot of window time, looking over the course and dreaming of what was to come.
Alysia: Again with the family reunion feel…except we were not “in” yet. It was a good time listening to people and grab nuggets of information.
Scott: Going through Hohenwald (mile 144 on the course) several runners noticed an advertisement for mud wrestling at a bar in town on Saturday night. There was a lot of talk about that and semi-serious consideration of trying to make it that far. It didn’t fit into our plan so it was never truly an option, but it was a highlight of the ride. As far as we know, no one was able to make it that far in time.
We got checked into the Quality Inn in Union City by 5:00pm. The first thing we noticed was the smoke detector was beeping due to a low battery. Furthermore there was a spare smoke detector on the desk and another in the closet. We called the front desk to have someone come check on it. A couple women showed up with a ladder, but couldn’t get the new detector installed so I had to do it for them.
We also called for a sewing kit and razor so Alysia could shave her legs before the race. That didn’t go as planned either. What they brought was: a toothbrush, a shower cap, a comb and an empty sewing kit box.
That evening we got back on the buses and drove to the Chinese Buffet for “The Last Supper”. All the runners gather and are given race instructions for safety, timing check in, and anything they need to know.
We were back in the hotel by 8:00pm. Again we celebrated our stupid ideas…with a beer and a margarita. Then we started doing what we would do the rest of the time…helping one another get to the finish line. We took turns applying tape to the bottom of each other’s feet. We decided that it’s tough to see the bottom of your own feet so having someone else apply it well would be most beneficial. That wouldn’t be the last time we were dealing with each others’ feet! You can see the excitement this brought to Alysia in the photo below.
We called it a night fairly quickly. It was going to be an early start to the day.
Alysia: Thankfully, I got a great night’s sleep that night. The night before a race can go either way and I was really hoping to NOT start the race with sleep deprivation. So I was relieved that sleep was good for me that night.
Thursday started with a 5:30am alarm followed by a 6:15am departure to take buses to the start line! We arrived at the ferry just before 7:00am. Everyone boarded a few minutes later and we made the journey over to Missouri.
Everyone got off the ferry, stood behind a pole designated as the start line, Laz lit his cigarette signifying the start of the race at 7:29am and we all got right back on board and rode the ferry back across the river. At 7:48am, our race truly began as we stepped off the ferry as runners.
And now to the race! We have tried to break the race up according to each day. The mileage shown is according to the 7:30am check in.
There is also a theme for each day. Some may be inside jokes!
Day 1: Thursday, July 8. Blisterpalooza. Start – Hickman, Ky – Martin – Dresden – Gleason. Miles 0-49
Scott: The early part of the day was a blast. A lot of walking, a little running, plenty of visiting. Obviously the field is pretty close together at that point so there is a lot of banter back and forth. We were in and out of Hickman, Kentucky pretty quickly and started to settle into a routine. We reached the Tennessee state line, 10 miles in, around 10:00am. As we entered Union City, Tennessee around noon, we decided it was a good time to take our first rest of the race.
Alysia: We all unload from the ferry and a few bolt off in a run but most everyone else started with a brisk walk. During the first day, we did a little running of the flats and downhills. As the day progressed, running only occurred in the shade. During this time of the race, we got the opportunity to talk to several different people as we had not spread out too much yet. Every person I talked with at length had run multiple hundreds or Vol States which further intensified my insecurities about being there since I had completed only two 100Ks before this event. Thankfully, I seemed to control the conversations with all my questions and nobody asked me anything about my race credentials. Had I had to verbalize that, it may have cracked me enough to break me.
As we went along, people were popping off the road to visit the corn (pee) and I noticed I never had to…this was strange because I had spent the 10 days leading up to the race making sure we both drank extra electrolytes….once I finally went to the bathroom (inside), I noticed my urine was almost brown. Needless to say, this was unsettling to me but I tried to not freak out. This discovery was made at the Final Flight Outfitters stop where I also discovered my first blister! WHAT?? I am only 24 miles in and have blisters?!?! I have gone further than this many times with no blisters! It was kind of a double-whammy so I had to focus on not getting discouraged. Thankfully, Vanessa was there and she told me she never gets blisters except at HOTS and LAVS and they happen in the first couple of days. That was a relief to hear because not shortly after that, a man sat down close to us as Scott was treating blister #1 and commented “You have blisters already?” in a somewhat condescending tone. Of course, I had to answer, “yes” but as he took his shoe off, he discovered he too had a blister that early!! HA! Needless to say, he was my LEAST favorite person at the event.
At this point, Vanessa also told me that when I get up to walk, the treated blisters will hurt and hurt bad but keep walking cuz after 10 minutes they will stop hurting and eventually go numb. However, every time you stop walking, you will have to power through the pain. She said “ you can do it.” I said, “for 10 days?” And she said, “yes.” So I chose to believe her. She was right and I don’t think I would have powered through the pain had she not told me it would go away. It hurt REALLY bad for awhile. She was a gift to me.
Scott: I believe Vanessa saved our race right there. I know Alysia trusted the advice I was giving her, but to get information from someone else that had completed the race and was willing to help out really changed Alysia’s outlook there. She realized she wasn’t going through something no one else had experienced.
Also, it’s worth mentioning that outside of Union City, before we got to Final Flight to rest, we passed Stinky Bridge at mile 20. Stinky Bridge is located next to an animal rendering plant and it was working full strength Thursday afternoon. It’s impossible to adequately describe the smell. It’s actually more of a taste! Throughout the race, something would occasionally take me back to that feeling….usually when we were near a dead animal alongside the road.
Anyway, we moved on to Martin. After initially considering a Mexican restaurant and margaritas, we decided to move on another mile down the road for dinner.
Alysia: We stopped for dinner at Sammies (I chose this place cuz my youngest boys’ name is Sam). It was a fantastic sandwich place!! Not only was the food delish and made with fresh ingredients, the entire staff was AMAZING!!! They appeared to be college students and they were all very aware, eager to serve and seemed happy to be there!! It was such a breath of fresh air! Another blister treatment was had on the patio here. More blister juice–ick. Thankfully, we were the only ones on the patio so we could doctor up all we needed to!
Scott: We checked in at hour 12 with 30 miles, exactly the mileage the plan called for!
Alysia: We kept trucking along and to be honest, I was very surprised at how NOT tired I was. I normally require some sleep every 24 hours but I guess all things considered, I kept going along happily. We decided to take a lesson from NJ and grab some beers to go….they were the big ones so we didn’t finish them but we got our carbs nonetheless 🙂
Scott: Walking down highway 22 outside of Martin as the sun set and the clouds rolled in with each of us carrying a 25oz can of beer in a brown paper sack was one of the first true “Vol State moments”.
Alysia: As we were trucking along, lightning began in the distance. There was no thunder so we didn’t bother to pay much attention but as time went on, more lightning and then thunder began. Scott kept checking the radar and when we were about 2 miles out from the Farmer’s Market aid station that we were headed for, the skies started to open up. We ran off course hoping to find some shelter and luckily we found a building with an awning not far off course just before the downpour really picked up! We hung out there and had to hop onto a table they had out front to avoid our feet from being drowned in the pooling water. I think we were there for about an hour or so. We left to finally get to the Farmer’s Market and got caught in the rain again! It wasn’t bad, but we got wet.
When we got to the Farmer’s Market aid station, I knew I wanted to rest so we decided to lay down for 45 minutes. Scott wasn’t ready but he was good with letting me rest. Thankfully, they had blankets because it was chilly and that helped my rest. I did not sleep. Then off we went, headed to the Gleason Fire Station 8 miles away where there were cots, mats, etc….apparently a good set up for sleep! I was so excited! I think we hit the firestation about 4:30am and I was SO ready to crash! I landed on an air mattress (like a pool raft) and while I was happy to rest, my hip was grinding into the floor so I could not get comfy enough to actually sleep. Rest was still good though.
Day 2. Friday, July 9. Paste my butt. McKenzie – Huntington – Parkers Crossroads. Miles 50-85
Scott: We left the Dresden Farmer’s Market just after 1:00am and made it to Gleason around 4:00am. That was a dark stretch of road, but there was very little road traffic, and light fog and frogs made for an enjoyable walk.
The Gleason Fire Station and air mattresses made for a great opportunity to rest. I think I may even have dozed off for a while.
We left there just before 7:00am and checked in after the first day with 49 miles complete….9 miles ahead of the plan. That was exactly where I wanted to be! I had hoped we would get that far on the first day, but didn’t want to put it in the plan for fear that Alysia might think that was too much to start with.
It warmed up pretty quickly that morning and there was a good bit of sun, but the wind kept things tolerable. We marched our way into McKenzie where there was an aid station inside the Farmer’s Market. We stayed about an hour to charge phones, have a snack, and use indoor plumbing.
With lunch time approaching we found a place called Prater’s Taters online and only a block off the course so we decided to go there. It hit the spot. We each had water and a big, old baked potato with toppings. Good carbs for the rest of the day.
We left town and continued down highway 22 toward Huntingdon. Early in the afternoon a cemetery appeared on a hill ahead of us and we decided it would be a good place for a stop. Another “Vol State experience”. We threw down our towel and laid under a tree for about an hour. The shade and breeze were wonderful. I don’t think either of us napped, but at least we rested more.
We had a few brief stops and another road angel station just outside of Huntingdon before we entered town.
Dinner was at the Cornerstone Eatery, right on the course. I had a lasagna that was wonderful and Alysia had pizza. Filled up, we moved down to the Huntingdon Police Department (Mile 66), charged phones again, rubbed each other’s feet and cooled down. There was nothing to lay on there other than a cold tile floor so that didn’t allow any rest.
We left the Police Station about 6:30pm….Next destination: Parker’s Crossroads.
We checked at 7:30pm with 71 miles in 36 hours.
Alysia: Like I said earlier, I was surprised at how NOT tired I was, until I was! Things can change quickly and they did! Unfortunately, when things went South and we decided to get a hotel for quality rest, we were like 14 miles out. UGH…., it was a death march. I was SO tired and my body hurt SO bad. This was probably the lowest of lows. It was a physical challenge as well as mental…this is where I really had to fight the voices in my head. I kept hearing Vanessa tell me to get through Day 3 so I committed to getting through Day 3 somehow and then reassessing. I also was hoping if necessary we could send out an SOS to friends at home to see if they would come crew me/us. I was thinking trying to get a crew was the next step before quitting. We got to the hotel about 11:30pm giving us time to shower before getting to bed at midnight. We decided 6 hours of sleep and we would head out. Scott woke me up at 5:57 (I was basically awake anyway) so I commented that he woke me up 3 minutes early. He looked at me with the most serious look and said “You went to bed 5 minutes early.” That was pretty funny!
When I put my feet on the ground, I was shocked at how good they felt! My legs felt like new and my feet didn’t hurt!! Those six hours worked wonders!! Crisis averted.
That only bad thing about this stop was it was a few miles short of the Party Station. One of the Road Angels basically had a roadside party as runners went through. They even had beer and bratwursts. We later spoke with him down the road and he said he LOVES Vol State! It’s his Halloween! That was fun to hear because those stations are SO helpful to us.
Scott: We left Huntingdon around 6:30pm and it was quickly becoming obvious that Alysia was struggling with the lack of quality sleep over the previous 36 hours and she said we really needed to get a hotel so she could get some rest. So I booked a room at America’s Best Value Inn in Parkers Crossroads. The problem is that she was already on fumes and the hotel was about 12 miles away and it was getting dark. It was a long, slog to get there and we didn’t arrive until almost midnight. During that walk, I think we both had our lowest point of the race. She was really questioning what she was doing and I was afraid I had pushed her too hard too early. We had made it this far, but it was really early for problems to develop. At this point, we also weren’t in tune with one another so I was not the best companion. I could only focus on getting to the hotel. As we got closer, she was fighting serious fatigue. With a couple miles to go I even started carrying her vest so she could only think about walking. Of course, after a while it started to bother me that I was carrying two vests, but I didn’t want to show it for fear that she would feel bad about making me struggle so much. 🙂
Finally we made it to the hotel about midnight (Mile 81). We each took time to shower and then she crashed almost immediately. She slept about 5 hours and woke up like a new person, with a new outlook on life and ready to tackle another day. It was an amazing turnaround and I think it signaled to both of us that we could roll with things and overcome obstacles. Alysia felt good enough that she was cleaning mud off the floor in the hotel.
We left the hotel at 6:30am to start the trek to Lexington, TN (Mile 91).
Day 3. Saturday, July 10. Eat Mexican, poop in a puddle. Lexington – Darden – Parsons – Linden. Miles 86-125
At 7:30am, we checked in with 85 miles complete in 2 days. We were two days ahead of the plan!
Alysia: We got some good miles in early thanks to great rest! By late morning, we came up to a Road Angel station at a church that provided shade, a cot and some drinks/snacks. It was at a busy intersection but somehow it was so peaceful at the same time. We laid down on the blanket, put our feet on the cot and I dozed off for a few minutes. There was a slight breeze that made it perfect.
As we were about to leave, we heard that the diner down the road was giving free lunch to Vol Staters! Although we had just rested, we decided to take advantage of that! My opinion is that if someone goes through the effort to help, take advantage of it if for no other reason that their efforts are not in vain. We walked in and it was full of regulars and Vol Staters sharing tables with each other. It was full and the AC was out!! I felt so bad for the girls working! We were set at a table with some locals as well with a couple VS people so that was fun. We got to chat with a couple nice Southern ladies and learned a new phrase, “Hotter than the brass hinges of hell!!”. They love their Tennessee River there! It was lovely to see them love what they have in their area so much. Across from us was a couple that had just celebrated 65 years of marriage the day before and someone had purchased their lunch for them. There was so much kindness in TN! We ended up paying half for our lunch and didn’t ask why. Although it was an hour break that we did not intend to make, I feel it was worth it. It was truly taking the opportunity to say yes even though it was not in the schedule. I have fond memories of this stop because of the people we were able to visit with.
Down the road we finally got to have our first Dollar General stop! I think this was very exciting for Scott! There are DGs all along the way but we had not needed one yet at the right time! It was the heat of the day and we needed more Buttpaste. I laugh at myself because we started with 2 tubes and I asked Scott if he thought we really needed 2 tubes. HA!! I think we went through 4.5 tubes!! While there, the cashier told us that the elderly in the area were coming in gathering supplies for the storm shelters…um, excuse me?? What are we missing here? We don’t have severe storms on the schedule for today. Also while waiting to check out, a gentleman asked several questions about what we were doing. He was very interested and said that he has one kid left and when they are gone, he wants to do something like that.
Scott: The Dollar General stop was another “Vol State experience” I needed! More Butt Paste and ponchos. The perfect combination!
Alysia: We kept heading down the road and it was getting hot. A car pulled over onto the shoulder and we were wondering what was up when out gets THE PEACHES GUY!! Scott has been talking about him all year! He had cold peaches and water!! I was so happy to have experienced the Peaches Guy that I had heard so much about! There was a school ahead that was open for us so we decided to duck in there from about 2:00-4:00 to get out of the heat of the day. Lucky for us, they had mats to lay on and the lights dim so it was a good rest stop. No sleep was had but it was good to be quiet and cool. I left with beef sticks, a sandwich and I think an orange to eat along the way.
Scott: Oh the Peaches Guy! Up until that point I don’t believe we had a true road angel stop their car alongside the road to offer us anything. This was another experience I wanted Alysia to have. I was excited for myself because I love peaches, but excited for her to have the feeling of gratitude when someone takes time to assist us.
The school stop was also welcomed. I got homemade pasta salad that was the best thing ever! The rest didn’t hurt either.
We moved on into Parson and checked in at the 60 hour mark with 107 miles done.
Alysia: We stopped for dinner at a Mexican restaurant and I can’t believe they let us in. We looked awful and we assumed we smelled awful too but they seated us. Before we even received our food, our server had told us that our bill had been paid!!! I LOVE TN people!
The night sounds in Tennessee are amazing. It was dark when we crossed the Tennessee river so the bullfrogs and all the other night critters were out singing to us. The fireflies were putting on quite a show as well. Since we were elevated, we were able to see the fire flies from above instead of ground level. It really was magical with the sights and sounds in the dark of the night.
We were resting at Fat Man’s Convenience store (Mile 13) when Jan, the meatwagon driver came up. She told us to be very careful as we were on probably the most dangerous stretch of the course on a Saturday night and to watch out for drunks! There ended up not being much traffic and being night, we were able to see them coming much sooner than we would have in the day, so all was well.
There was a storm approaching and I was again in need of quality rest (aka sleep in a hotel) so once again, we were pushing to beat a storm. There is only one hotel in Linden and we had decided it would be best to just walk up to see if they have a room. Based on check-ins, we knew it would be unlikely to get a room as it appeared that many had stopped and were probably going to wait out the storm.
Once again, we missed getting into town before the skies opened up. We took cover under a tractor trailer but it was a little leaky and at that point, I would rather get wet than waste any time that I could be sleeping.
Scott was convinced we would not get a room. I refused to believe him. He was correct. No room for us!! Luckily, the Chamber of Commerce opened up for LAVS so we went there…as did everyone else who couldn’t get in the hotel. We were far enough into the race that we were all spread out but it appeared that everyone had holed up in Linden so we were all back together for a while.
Scott: I just didn’t have the heart to tell her but I never truly thought we had a chance to get a room. Storms were moving in, the hotel is not that large, it’s 4:00am. All that was working against us. We did find out later that the hotel allowed some runners to go in and rest on couches and chairs in the restaurant, but I’m not sure that would have been much better than the Chamber building.
Alysia: I laid down and suddenly couldn’t breathe. It was rather warm there which I found peculiar but I was ok with it!! I guess the AC might have been on a timer or something because it wasn’t running for a while. It wasn’t long before I realized my inflatable pillow was not holding air! Good lord I am about to break down. Scott had said there were no hotels for 50 miles so I was feeling my opportunity for good rest slipping away fast. I was trying not to panic. To top it off, the song going through my head was Everything is Awesome from the Lego movie. Not exactly a goodnight lullaby. AND then……the AC kicks on and I am directly under the vent! Direct breeze of cold air….no thank you! So I relocated under the table and hoped for the best. After a while Scott told me he had been working on figuring something out and he found out there was a hotel 20 miles down the road and he had a room booked. He was my hero at that moment.
Day 4: Sunday, July 11. Heartbreak Hotel/Walking 9 to 5. Linden – Hohenwald. Miles 126-155
Scott: This was another critical point in the race. Alysia needed good rest, or at least believed she needed good rest. We needed a plan! Due to the storms, about 15 runners checked in at mile 125. We had a backlog of runners in town. That certainly wasn’t going to allow us to get into the hotel. Hohenwald was the next town up, about 19 miles ahead, but they had a hotel. I thought we could get there if she had something to look forward to. So while she rested (or tried to), I called the Regency Inn in Hohenwald to see if they had any rooms.
They guy answered the phone and said, “I think so, can you call back later?” Well…that didn’t give me much confidence! I waited about 15 minutes and called back. Yes, they could get us a room! I told him we would be there mid-to-late-afternoon.
I woke Alysia up and told her I had a plan! I could tell that she was a bit relieved. With a hotel available, we got up and out of there for the walk to Hohenwald.
What started out as rainy eventually turned into a pretty nice walk into Hohenwald. It only got a bit warm toward the end.
Alysia: We headed out from the Chamber on a mission to get to Hohenwald, it was “only” 20 miles! Twenty miles and we get to sleep in a bed! We got to hang out with some people again because we had all hung out in Linden due to the storm so that was a treat. This is also where we got our first caffeine of the trip–Starbucks Double and Triple shots along with some yummy muffins. We purchased these at a convenience store that was about to close for a few hours so they could go to church! I thought that was awesome (and even more awesome that we got there before they closed).
At each check-in, Scott would assess where everyone is and who has dropped. I didn’t like hearing that people were dropping because it made me wonder what they had encountered that we had not encountered yet that is so unbeatable that they have to quit. At this particular check-in, I was astonished at the drops and asked Scott “Why would they drop?!?” I was serious and Scott looked at me like I had 3 heads. Clearly, we were coming from different thought processes.
Scott: She caught me completely off guard! We had just gone through a period where she had questioned her ability to stay in the race, at least as a screwed runner and had just gone through the disappointment of expecting a hotel and not getting one. Plue her feet were still screaming. I didn’t know why she couldn’t figure out why people were dropping. However, once she explained, I understood it fully. It was another way we were each looking at things the same but from a different direction.
Alysia: A very strange thing seemed to happen….every time we would close in on our next destination, my feet would start screaming and it would be hard to walk! So Scott would go ahead and get the room so I didn’t have to wait (another hero cape here).
While he went ahead to get to the hotel, I stopped at Family Dollar to buy clothes we could wear in the hotel room. This was the first time with disposable clothes and it was SO nice to not put wet, dirty clothes onto a semi-clean body.
After eating, we crunched some numbers–for like, an hour! So much math! We came to a conclusion and I was hoping Scott could leave it alone for at least an hour the next day before mathing again. I think that is about all I got before his wheels started turning in the morning.
Scott: Day four…the inhibitions are coming down. It’s all about survival. I got to the Regency Inn in Hohenwald about 4:30pm to check in while Alysia was shopping for the clothes for us to wear in the hotel (I ended up with camo basketball shirts) and I took off to get dinner. I was going to walk downhill to the Hardee’s, about a quarter mile away. I got there and it was closed! I believe it was staffing issues. I look up the street and there’s a convenience store sign. I get there and it’s closed for construction. So another quarter mile up the road I get to McDonalds. I ordered a couple quarter pounders and fries and headed back to the hotel. Only a mile out of the way! And that was also the furthest we were away from each other during the entire race.
I had left the hotel room door ajar when I left since there was only one key and I didn’t know if I would beat her back to the room or not. When I arrived, I noticed the door was still open. I walked in…she’s already in there and she’s in the shower. She didn’t even bother to shut the outside door. Her priority was the shower and she didn’t want anything to delay that.
I showered, we ate dinner, and then did some calculations on where we were and what we might be able to do over the next day. I was constantly calculating and re-calculating our mileage and plans. Alysia generally humored me in my efforts.
We checked in for the evening from the hotel with 144 miles complete in 84 hours.
We slept until about 2:30am, quickly got ready, and headed out to start the next day at 3:00am.
Day 5: Monday, July 12. Hotel Heaven. Hampshire – Columbia. Miles 156-187
Alysia: Starting the day at 3am served both of us well. It was cooler, dark but we had just come off of a good rest so we clicked off miles easily. We had just left the hotel and were talking about being hungry and at that moment, to the right was a road angel set up! We got a snack and went on our way! During this leg was the first major descent. It was very long and gradual so it was a nice change.
We took a little break at a campground and then headed back out and we encountered our first major ascent. Again, it was long and gradual so it was enjoyable and not hard. There were some waterfalls along this stretch so that was fun to see.
I enjoyed this stretch, we had big shoulders, the area seemed more interesting than what we had been through previously….bluffs at some spots and wide open spaces in other spots. It was a very good morning.
Scott: Again, early morning was serving us well as the sun came up. We kept a good pace and felt well refreshed. The early miles always ticked off quickly.
We passed the Natchez Trace Parkway and rested on picnic tables at the nearby campground for a brief period of time.
A couple miles down the road we came across a wonderful road angel station where we stayed about an hour, did a Facebook Live, got some food and drinks and checked in with 155 miles in 4 days.
The next section got a little goofy. This was one of our first and best encounters with sleep deprivation. As usual, I was trying to do math in my head. None of it made sense. Alysia took video of me and posted it. I’m still not sure what I was doing.
We also spent a number of miles trying to figure out how to take a picture to signify that we were halfway done when we hit mile 157. None of the ideas worked that well.
At some point everything became funny. Our pace really bogged down for 10-15 minutes as we found everything funny. It was a wonderful distraction for a while! It was the kind of fun I was looking for during the race.
Next up was a wonderful road angel station in Hampshire. A family had a great setup on a porch at their house. Couches, pillow, blankets, fool and drink, even the wifi-fi password! We stayed about an hour and even slept for 30 minutes or so.
Heading out of Hampshire we got another cemetery rest break in for a while, then headed on to Columbia.
As we entered Columbia we stopped at the first convenience store for drinks and to buy new sunglasses. We each had to throw away our old ones back in Linden. They had become stretched and were nearly impossible to see out of.
Out on the road we were excited to see a car pull off in front of us. It was the winner of the race, Bob Hearn, and Paul Heckert. They were driving back through the field visiting runners still on course. That’s a great thing that happens at Vol State. When a lot of runners complete their race, they go back to offer encouragement to others that are still on course. It’s quite an uplifting moment!
A couple more miles up it was time for another Dollar General stop for Butt Paste and for dinner. We went to the Glory Road Restaurant. I had meat loaf and Alysia had chicken fried steak.
Then, deciding it was time for more rest we went across the street from the restaurant to the Elementary School and found a couple picnic tables to rest on for a couple hours.
We checked in with 174 miles complete in 108 hours.
Then it was up and on the road to get out of Columbia.
On the way out of town, we decided to rest for a few minutes near the front of a church. About the time we go ready to leave, it began to sprinkle lightly. The radar looked decent, like the heavier stuff was moving away, so we headed out. It didn’t take long for that to be a bad idea. The rain picked up, we put on our ponchos and started looking for cover. We had to hang out in front of a building for about a half hour until the rain subsided.
Once it finally moved out, we made our way out of town, headed for the Bench of Despair. We stopped outside one of the final convenience stores in town so I could change socks. I needed a dry pair for the overnight walk. Roughly 10 minutes after doing that, I proceeded to step in a puddle of water that was at least 2 inches deep. My feet were soaked and would stay that way the rest of the evening. I think that was probably the start of many of my blister problems I encountered the rest of the race.
Nevertheless, we plugged away the rest of the night.
Day 6: Tuesday, July 13. Hold my Gatorade/Water. Culleoka – Lewisburg. Miles 188-230.
We arrived at the Bench of Despair at 1:20am. The Bench of Despair, at mile 184, is the point in the race where most runners really believe they can finish. Each runner signs the bench and spends a little time thinking about how far they have come.
Alysia was getting tired and decided that the Bench of Despair was aptly named. We stayed for a short rest and decided to push on to The Nutt House, a legendary road angel station. We had high hopes for some quality rest. We arrived at 2:45am, settled in, and tried to get some sleep. I found a reclining lawn chair to camp out in. She headed for the hammock. I will let her tell her story…..
Alysia: I was in need of some good sleep and we had decided that the Nutt house was where it was going to happen. They have the best set up and several places to lay down. I knew they had hammocks and that sounded amazing so I was pushing towards a hammock where I could sleep for 4 hours. The Nutt House was only about 3 miles from Bench of Despair so it wasn’t a huge haul but it was long enough! All I could think about was getting off my feet and getting sleep! We got there and there was a hammock available! I was super happy about this and so I went over, dropped all my stuff (I had to pull everything out of my pack to get to my blanket-thing). I didn’t pick anything up because I just wanted to lay down! Shoes and socks came off and in the hammock I went. It was not a graceful entry and I was trying to not disturb the person next to me so it took a little time to get settled. Once I got in there, I felt a cool breeze on my back.
UGH, why am I cold? I tried ignoring the cold but after a little time, I knew I wasn’t going to get any sleep being cold so I wrestled around trying to get a towel under me and my blanket over me. Pretty sure I disturbed the person next to me but it was not on purpose! I get semi-settled and it begins to lightly rain. This is a camping hammock so it wraps around you so I was covered in a sense. There was an opening where the sides overlapped so it was ok for a minute. When the rain began, I was not happy! Seriously, rain?? I just laid still hoping that it would stop before the water puddled and came falling down on me. I was optimistic that it would be very light and very short lived….I was wrong. It started raining harder and then the spoosh of water came down on me! I was soaked! At this point, I got up and gathered up much of my scattered stuff and stomped over to the canopy where Scott was laying. I threw my stuff on the ground like a 2 year old pitching a fit and whined “I just want sleep!” and then the tears came. Poor Scott didn’t know what to do with me. He got up, gave me a hug and then told me to lay down and stay warm. I was shivering and shaking as I laid there but finally got it under control. There was a breeze that would have been amazing in the afternoon but it was damp and cool so I was not loving it. I laid there for a while and realized there was not going to be any sleep so I decided we should just head out. I look up and Scott is sleeping! He never sleeps and he is sleeping now! I don’t know if he sensed me or what but he sat up shortly after I pouted in my head that he was sleeping! We got up and headed out without sleep for me. I had recovered from my fit and was not being a total baby anymore.
Scott: Once again with plans not developing as we had hoped, we decided it was time for a change. We left the Nutt House at 6:00…having gotten very little sleep, and walked to Culleoka to develop a plan. We each had coffee and a sausage sandwich and decided to get to Lewisburg where we could grab another hotel room at the Celebration Inn.
Despite the trauma she had, once again endured, Alysia was back in great spirits. She may have negative thoughts from time to time, but she always showed that she can overcome them.
A couple miles outside of Culleoka we checked in with 5 days complete and 187 miles.
Then, up ahead a couple miles, our race changed again..and for the better. We were catching Ray Krolewicz. We first noticed him as he was walking across the road and explaining something to a horse in the field!
We caught him and stayed with him for the first of the trip into Lewisburg. Ray, as those who have met him are aware, has never met a stranger! He was a pure joy to talk to! He walks with purpose and the conversation helped keep us distracted. At some point I became aware that Alysia might be going faster than she wanted, but she didn’t seem to be complaining or falling back so I didn’t want to bring attention to it.
As we entered Lewisburg, the discussion between Alysia and Ray turned to feet and how to deal with the pain during these types of events. Outside a convenience store, Ray and Alysia sat down on the curb and Ray showed her how he massages his feet to help them feel better.
Again, this was another piece of advice, like that from Vanessa on the first day, that changed the trajectory of the race. She could recognize an immediate benefit from the massage and it was another trick to make things more tolerable as the miles went on.
As we neared the hotel in Lewisburg it was just after noon and was starting to warm up a bit. We stopped in a convenience store just before the hotel and ordered chicken tenders, potato wedges and bought a couple beers. Alysia was so tired she just sat down right in front of the food counter and waited for it to be ready.
We were in the hotel by 12:30pm, did a quick Facebook Live, ate our food and gave each other foot massages. We made a decision then and there that rather than self-foot massages, we agreed we would massage each other’s feet. Someone else will do a better job that you do yourself and it’s even more relaxing during down time. From that point forward, there was a lot of rubbing dirty feet…with socks…without socks…while eating food, whatever. It didn’t matter. We were trying to survive after all. There were more fun foot rub stories as the race went on.
We didn’t have any throwaway clothes for this stay so we didn’t even bother taking showers. We just collapsed into bed in dirty, sweaty clothes…and slept until 5:00pm.
We left the hotel around 6:00pm, made a convenience store stop for energy drinks(!) and continued down the road.
Word on the course was that the upcoming aid station had beer! We were again looking forward to that, but when we arrived, there was no beer. However, they had it stocked with plenty of food, drink, medical supplies, and even fresh socks! I got a new pair of socks that I wore for a day, until I decided to go back to what I had been wearing.
Alysia: I really enjoyed this aid station. It was very peaceful and there was a perfect breeze. It was a great place to relax for a while. It was a little hard to leave it.
We checked in with 210 miles complete at the 132 hour mark while at the aid station.
For miles down the road as darkness had just fallen, another milestone. We passed mile 214 and had just 100 to go. We were officially in the homestretch.
Just before midnight, while on our way to Shelbyville, it was obvious that we were going to need a longer rest. The sky was dark, there was a limited shoulder and we were getting sleepy. We decided that the best option was to find the Dollar General just outside of town and try to find a place to lay down. At 11:30pm, we got there and proceeded to the front of the store, to the right of the entryway, next to the ice machine. We laid down our ground cover and propped our feet up on the wall. Over the next three hours, rest was hard to come by. Laying on your side is tough because the concrete digs into your hip. The poncho helps provide some cushion but not enough. If I could get my hip comfortable, then my knee was digging into the concrete. Laying on my back worked some but with the cool damp temperatures seemed to pull the heat out of my body. We tried getting under an emergency blanket but the breeze was just enough that it was tough to stay warm. I think Alysia got an hour or two of sleep. I may have gotten an hour, if I was lucky.
Day 7: Wednesday, July 14. It’s Sunday, isn’t it? Shelbyville – Wartrace – Manchester. Miles 231-264.
Scott: Finally at 2:30am, we had enough of Dollar General and decided to move on.
We walked on into Shelbyville and stopped at the first 24 hour convenience store we found. Convenience store breakfast again! We thought we would also use the indoor bathrooms for a change…but they were locked. We assume they don’t let people use them overnight due to drug use. That’s ok. They had a side of the building that worked just fine for me!
We made our way through Shelbyville and passed Ray sleeping on a couch marked “free”. He apparently slept there a couple hours. I shared the image to the race Whats App channel and it popped back up from time to time the remainder of the race.
Before we left town we rested near the side of a business for a few minutes. Just as we started to relax…rain drops! I checked the radar, and sure enough there was more rain coming. Nothing heavy, but enough to get us wet. We got up and started looking for cover. Eventually we stopped under the front of a horse trailer and waited out the heaviest stuff. We also took the opportunity to brush our teeth there.
With the rain complete, we headed toward Wartrace and checked in at mile 230 with 6 days complete. We did a quick Facebook live and made our way to town. Alysia was once again getting pretty tired. We made it to a convenience store on the way into Wartrace and decided we would have a second breakfast since there wouldn’t be a lot of options for a while. We walked in, she went straight to a table and chairs inside and fell asleep almost immediately! By the time I bought a sandwich and a Body Armor and came back to sit down she was snoozing. She woke up about 30 minutes later and ate the extra sandwich I bought.
We left about an hour after we arrived. She told me it didn’t seem like we were there that long and I told her that was because she slept most of the time!
On through Wartrace we thought our next road angel stop would be at Whispering Oaks campground about 12 miles away. This was a tough stretch for both of us. It was warm, there wasn’t much air stirring, the shoulders were almost non-existent. We took frequent breaks when we could.
Then a couple miles away from the campground, an unexpected road angle station appeared! There was a blanket on the ground, chairs, food, drink, medical supplies and just about anything you would want! We knew the campground would be busy so we decided to rest in the quiet there while no one else was around. We didn’t see anyone for quite a while. About an hour after we arrived Jan came by and got a picture of us resting. We stayed about another hour before going on ahead.
Alysia: Another favorite station of mine: Quiet, peaceful and nice breeze. The grass was soft enough to get really relaxed.
Scott: After leaving the campground, we realized Manchester was going to be our best, final opportunity at an extended hotel rest. I did some quick research and found a room at the Quality Inn, just past I-24 and at mile 252, 100k from the finish. We set a goal to get there as quickly as we could and rest as much as possible.
We moved at a decent pace into town, but it was there that I made my only navigation error on the course. In each town we go through that has a courthouse, the race runs by it. Coming into Manchester I missed the turn the first time, but luckily we only went about 50 feet before I realized my error. We turned around and went back to the correct stop and turned.
We briefly discussed having dinner on our way through town but realized we didn’t even want to spend the time doing that. We decided to make a stop at Walgreens for a few supplies and get to the hotel to order pizza.
At Walgreens I got some new shoe inserts in hopes they would provide my feet with some more cushion. We also needed KT Tape for our feet. With both of us battling blisters, we had been going through tape like crazy. Alysia also found a “disposable” dress she could change into in the hotel. There were no mens clothes available. Looking back, I should have gotten a dress for myself. That would have been a Vol State experience!
Outside Walgreens we rested a few minutes and checked in with 250 miles in 156 hours.
From there, it was a 2 mile walk to the hotel. We got in there about 9:00pm and I made a run to the convenience store next door for beers while Alysia ordered pizza. We showered, cleaned our clothes as best as we could, ate pizza, drank beer, and once again planned what the next day would bring.
We agreed to leave the hotel by 3:00am. Alysia wanted up at 2:30am, so I set my alarm for 2:00am….or so I thought. I initially set it but noticed it was for 2:00pm! Bullet dodged! So I went back to change it to 2:00am…and apparently forgot to turn the alarm on.
The next thing I know, it’s 2:30am and Alysia is standing over me telling me it was time to get up! I overslept!
Alysia: This may be my shining moment of the race! I typically have an internal alarm clock and it seems it was on that day!
Scott: I felt terrible to have screwed that up. I could have probably slept for hours more. When she woke me up I was in the exact same position as when I went to bed. It didn’t not appear I had moved at all!
We were out of the hotel by 3:00am and on our way down the road.
Day 8: Thursday, July 15. Break Bank. Pelham – Monteagle – Tracy City. Miles 264-301
Outside of the hotel we hit a 24 hour convenience store for “breakfast”… coffee and sausage, egg, and cheese biscuits.
It was this morning that the sunrise was the most beautiful of the week. We did a Facebook live and took quite a few photos. We knew we were getting closer to the finish and we were being rewarded with awesome views.
We found that early morning was our favorite time of the day and this one didn’t disappoint.
We checked in at mile 264 with 7 days complete.
Somewhere about this time, the break bank developed! It was some goofy idea that came along at some point. With us still aiming for a 8.5 day finish, I consistently was worried that we were losing time, even though we rarely were!
I started doing calculations on how much time we needed to spend walking, how much we could rest, etc. I determined that we had about 36 hours remaining in the race to finish on time and we needed to be moving for 15 hours at a decent pace. Therefore we had 11 hours in the “break bank”. It’s like a bank account. You can withdraw from it at any time but you only have some much in the bank. You can get time added to the bank, but only by walking faster.
It seemed like a great idea to me! Alysia humored me. I’m not sure why.
At 8:00am we came upon the famous Brown road angel station. Bobby Brown and his daughter have hosted it for several years and it keeps getting better. This year they even had a porta-potty! Not to mention drinks, food, supplies, beer, chairs, homemade cake, power outlets, everything you could need.
We decided it was 5:00 somewhere and made the choice to each have a beer. They went down easy and we split another.
We had decided to stay only an hour because that uses up 1 hour in the 11 hour break bank. We didn’t want to withdraw everything from the bank all at once! There was still a long way to go.
While the break bank was a fun way to keep track of time, it was difficult to make practical use of it. On the way to Monteagle we decided that we would just make a bet between us depending on when we finished. So we negotiated back and forth to come to agreement on what happened depending on finish time. The goals were noon, 3:30pm and 6:00pm Friday. It was a sliding scale wager with a number of different payouts including dinner, beers, etc. It seemed to give us a new focus for the rest of the race.
Walking up the three mile climb to Monteagle, Alysia began to complain more about chafing and it was not getting any better. Boy, was it not getting any better….
Alysia: Had I not been dealing with chafing I would have LOVE this climb up Monteagle. It was steep but not too steep and the camber wasn’t bad. It was awesome to see some of the hill training I had done to be paying off. We really took care of Monteagle like a boss and then headed right for CVS to talk to a pharmacist about how to take care of the chafing! She set me up with some medicine and directions and so we doctored ourselves up (Scott iced his feet) outside CVS, we left the remainder of the meds outside for others to use and off we went. We had Lunch down the road at Mountain Goat Market and it was a quirky, cool place with delicious wraps!
Scott: After lunch we left Monteagle and continued on into Tracy City. Another convenience store stop to fill our water bladders and to split a big can of beer!
Then, as we exited Tracy City, it began to rain again, seemingly out of nowhere. It was just heavy enough that it was going to get us soaked even if it didn’t last long. We were passing by Hank’s Corner Grille so we stepped under the awning where there were a couple benches and decided to wait it out. It was just before 5:00pm so we kicked off our shoes and decided a foot rub was in order. Just as that process started, it was apparently time for Hank’s to open. People are steadily pulling into the parking lot, getting out of their cars and walking past us to go eat dinner. Meanwhile, here are a couple homeless-looking, stinky people sitting right outside the front door rubbing each other’s feet. Some people spoke to us, some looked the other way. It must have been a sight to behold. However, at that point it didn’t matter to us. The foot rubs were so beneficial that we continued doing them while visiting with people and never thought anything about it.
Once the rain let up we were off and on our way toward Jasper.
We checked in at 7:30pm with 285 miles in 180 hours.
From Tracy City down into Jasper there are not a lot of services. We had planned to push down to the road angel station at lap 295. However, we were made aware of another one about halfway along the way.
Just before 9:00pm, we reached it. A wonderful couple had set up a slanted tarp, a couple chairs, a ground tarp and coolers with drinks and snacks. After seeing nothing for quite a while, it was a welcomed stop. When we first arrived, the plan was to stay a couple hours, then walk the remaining nine miles to the next station. We had a drink and snack and settled in for a short rest. Alysia picked the ground to lay on. I thought I was getting the better end of the deal by sitting in the lounge chair. However, I quickly realized that it was just long enough that I couldn’t quite stretch out right. I either was sitting up too high or my blisters were rubbing at the end of it. In addition, there was just enough of a breeze blowing under me that I felt chilled. It was obvious I was not going to be able to get any sleep.
At 10:00pm Alysia said she wasn’t yet prepared to tackle the additional nine miles, so we decided to remain there for a couple more hours. I finally came to my senses and laid on the ground as well. There was still a bit of a breeze but not nearly as bad. I didn’t get any sleep but I was surprisingly relaxed.
Alysia: Something else that I had learned along the way was how my legs felt. I could feel that my legs did not have 9 miles in them so we needed to wait. It was kind of cool to be that aware of my body.
Finally at 1:00am we headed out for the long walk to Jasper. It was non-eventful, except that a portion of it …. probably 4 miles or more…. is downhill. Downhill was not our friend at that point. It hurt more than uphill. So we took frequent rests on the guardrails.
Day 9: Friday, July 16. Camber Hell. Kimball – Finish. Miles 302-Finish.
The end was near! Walking into Jasper we were just about 20 miles from the finish and the sun was getting ready to come up. Every other day, the sun would give us a second wind and wake us up. That wasn’t quite the case this time. I think the end of the race was starting to weigh on us. Alysia was really sleepy. We were going to try to make it to the Super 8 in Kimball and try to get a room for the night and drop off unneeded supplies, but just over 2 miles from there she said she needed a nap. We stepped off the course and plopped down under a tree in someone’s yard and decided to rest for 20 minutes. She was asleep in a matter of moments. Was I? Nope. My mind was still wondering. Rest would not come. I watched people drive by us and slow down and look, wondering if someone would call the cops on us.
Twenty minutes passed, I woke Alysia up and that was just enough rest to get her going again. Just after 7:00am we returned to where we started, at the Super 8 in Kimball. They had a room available for us Friday night and were willing to let us go ahead and have access to it! We went in for 20-30 minutes, unloaded anything we didn’t want to carry further, rested a bit and headed out for the final 14 mile push.
We checked in with 8 days complete at mile 301.
On the way out of Kimball we stopped at a convenience store for breakfast…. a muffin and drink.
Next up was one of the most widely anticipated points of the race…the Blue Bridge. The bridge crosses the Tennessee River some 100 miles away from where we had crossed it Saturday night. It’s there that you call the race directors to let them know that you are 11 miles away from the finish and you begin your final push.
After years of running, 11 miles should be nothing but we were both running on fumes. The first 6 were tolerable, but it was warm in spots. We hit the base of Sand Mountain and Alysia hit the wall….
Alysia: The camber of the road was killing my feet! As if the basic pain of covering 300 miles wasn’t enough, walking on a tilted road really added insult to injury. I had drank a Coke from the convenience store hoping it would get me to The Rock. I was so tired but we chose not to rest due to the time of the day. We would either have to wait until evening and finish after 8.5 days or just suck it up and get there. We chose the latter. My feet felt like the skin was being twisted and pinched, especially where my blisters had been. Little did I know, new ones had developed in the same places that they developed at the beginning. That would explain some of the pain.
Scott: Despite the sun, the heat, and the overall fatigue, we kept pushing. I was getting anxious to get done, but also worrying that Alysia could pass out. She just wasn’t quite herself. At some point I finally let myself relax and she asked me to stay closer to her in case she fell down. From that point on (probably over the last 3 miles) we were side by side the rest of the way.
At this point it’s important to note that there are no ties at Vol State. If two people show up at the same time, they determine who will get credit for the faster finish. A few days before the finish, I had told Alysia that she had to overcome more to get to the end, so she should be the one to cross the line first. She agreed to do that.
Official Finish Times:
Alysia: 8 days, 5 hours, 9 minutes, 6 seconds
Scott: 8 days, 5 hours, 9 minutes, 22 seconds
We had both discussed how emotional the finish would be. We expected it to be much more than it was. We were all business once we got there. We finished, got a picture, recorded our time, and sat down in the thrown (it’s called the thrown and not the throne because it needs to be thrown away after all the runners sit in it) and took it all in.
We had already been emotional before the finish so maybe we got it out of our system? Back on Wednesday, sitting outside the convenience store in Shelbyville eating breakfast, I read Laz’s latest update and began to tear up. It was mostly sleep deprivation, but the emotions were flowing. For Alysia, there were other moments like nearing the Blue Bridge that bought emotions to the forefront.
We were so distracted at the finish that we didn’t even get a picture of us together. We didn’t give one another a hug after that accomplishment. We just…sat down.
Once we had some time off our feet, we got a ride to the car and drove back to the hotel Kimball. Alysia got in the car and was asleep before we left the parking lot. Once at the hotel, we had long showers and put on clean clothes for the first time in a week and a half. It felt so good! Then it was nap time. We were not sure we would even wake up in time to get some dinner, but we did. A quick trip to Stevearino’s in South Pittsburg was just the trick. We ordered an appetizer and each got a large meal and a large beer. However, our stomachs were still out of whack and we didn’t eat half of what we got.
On the way back to the hotel we spotted Vanessa Kline and John Swanson nearing the Blue Bridge and stopped briefly to offer them words of encouragement and to thank them for their help during the race.
Back in the hotel, we did a 45 minute Facebook Live just to decompress and let everyone know our thoughts before any more of them slipped away.
Bedtime came early. Our party didn’t last much past 9:00pm. Sleep deprivation and a couple beers will do that.
Sunday we thought about getting an early start but decided to wait until 8:00am to leave. It was still a long drive home. At least one of us got a couple hours of sleep on the way back!
Final Thoughts
Scott: Vol State was … fun! Better than I expected it could be. The pain, the heat, the sleep deprivation, the pressure, while almost overwhelming in the moment, quickly faded once the race was over. I definitely want to run it again. Runners that have completed more than one say they are all different and I would like to experience that for myself.
The strange thing is how great my body has felt since we finished. I’m still dealing with the after effects of blisters and my feet tingle some from time to time, and my sleeping and eating schedule are still messed up. However, there’s no more muscle fatigue than there is after a really long run. In some ways it’s almost disappointing that I’m not suffering more physically.
Vol State is a great way to check out from life. There are probably easier ways to do that, but Vol State forces a new outlook. Each day consists of just trying to move forward. There’s not really time to worry about what’s going on at home, if something is coming up at work, or what news is developing in the world.
Alysia was better than I could have asked for in this race. I’ve always had a great respect for her and her abilities, but she’s taken that to a whole new level. There’s something to be said for someone that’s not afraid to step out of their comfort zone and try something with a real risk. Not enough people are that way anymore.
To steal her thunder from below: Worth every second!
Alysia: This was an amazing experience–it was the most physically and mentally tasking thing I have ever done. I was pushed beyond my limits more than once and lived to do it again the next day! This event is special because of the people–all of them. We are all working against the clock and living in our own misery that we not only willingly agreed to but paid to do! Doing it alone does not sound appealing to me. Scott was the perfect partner for this and we complimented each other perfectly. I am very thankful for his planning, patience and help.
It is a true check out from real life because after a couple of days, it is all about survival and getting from A to B (over and over again). Sleep is messed up, eating is messed up yet we still move forward! I would do it again if it wasn’t such a time commitment. But the length of the event is what makes it what it is…it is long enough to break you down from your every day life and experience life in a way we don’t get to experience it otherwise. Returning to real life is a slower process than I had expected but it took about 5 days to adapt to life on the road, it will probably take 5 days to adapt to real life again. Worth every second.
If Jim Glickert reads this, we want him to know that we decided he is responsible for this experience. Alysia said he was the person that recommended to her that I join in being the race director for Bridge and Dam Half marathon a number of years ago. The rest, as they say, is history. Alysia and I have continued to work together over the years and continue to expand our relationship so that it has reached this goofy point of completing Vol State.
Thanks Jim, we wouldn’t have it any other way!
In addition, we used Vol State to raise money for Lake of the Ozarks’ Wonderland Camp. (https://www.wonderlandcamp.org/). We were able to raise more than $5000 for the camp and truly appreciate everyone that made a contribution.
Also, a big thanks to Laz, Sandra, Carl, and Jan. They make the race what it is. If you ever get the chance to participate in a Laz race…take it!
And thanks to all the fellow runners we met out there. Runners are a great bunch of people, but these are the best of the best. We made some great friends out on the road.
Now let’s see where life takes us next!
P.S. If you made it this far, we took nearly 1000 photos, along with quite a few videos. They are all available in a iCloud shared photo album located here – https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B0S52plgja42lZ