only 72 athletes took the road for the final night loop.

the sun and the trail will be waiting at the end of this yard…

.

rene cunha, the courageous brazilian could go no further.

his legs were strong

his eyes were clear

we did not even realize he was in trouble

but he has been vomiting for the last 4 hours.

.

and when it became impossible to continue

his heart was broken.

this was not just a race.

he had come trained to do 72 hours

he was not running for rene

he was running for his family.

he was running for brazil….

.

he represented them well.

he ran with courage and pride.

but that is not how he feels right now.

.

i could only give him a silver coin.

i cannot mend a broken heart

or restore a lost dream.

.

4 more nights ahead will be hard.

but not as hard as watching 71 more dreams end in tears.