hour 17
.
2/3 of the way to 24 hours.
experienced ultrarunners will tell you;
“100 miles is never easy”
.
and doing it under 24 hours is harder still.
.
451 runners remain,
and the dream of seeing 400 people break 24 hours for 100 miles in the same event are starting to look like a long shot.
.
if we can count on one thing,
it is that there has never been a wilder array of conditions.
from ferocious storms in south africa
to torrential rain in malaysia
a heat wave in lahore
and the runners in canada having to run in groups
because there is a bear on the course!
.
and it looks like we might have the coldest conditions of the whole world here in tennessee
where it is supposed to get down to 20 (-6 C) tomorrow night!
.
no matter what happens,
the runners just keep answering the bell.
hour after hour.
.
13 intact teams remain
(we think, australia has lagged on reporting)
and iceland is still one of them.
.
they are extending their lead in the small division every hour
(up to a 7 yard lead at this point)
on fading malta and switzerland,
with ukraine and surprising singapore closing on those two.
vietnam is next, but also losing ground to a charging finland.
.
the small country division,
as expected
has turned into a wild melee,
with every hour seeing wild swings in the tide of battle..
