hour 26.
.
the backyard is without mercy.
the clock stops for no one.
.
the number of perfect teams is down to 6.
denmark lost 2 after the 25th yard.
.
here in tennessee
under rainy skies
we have one in trouble.
he finished 25 just seconds before the final whistle
and went straight back in the starting corral,
standing there bent over with his hands on his knees.
.
his crew asked what he wanted
he answered;
“i dont think there is enough time.”
.
then his team-mates were there.
in a scene that has been repeated many times
in many countries around the world
one came with an extra water bottle
one got food from his crew
they gathered round him
encouraging him
asking what he needed
taking the stuff he would have had during his break
to carry for him out on the trail.
.
they told him to hold on until the bad time passed
that it would get better.
.
“just one more loop”
.
he had no quit.
he was in it until the last.
but the support of his team-mates
physical
and for his soul
that means everything.
all the time they have invested to get to know each other
to grow from 15 individuals
to 15 components of a single unit…
.
today it paid off.
.
will it keep him on the trail for another 24 yards,
or just one?
does it matter?
who would trade that moment of brotherhood for anything?
(and sisterhood)
.
things keep happening in the small division.
iceland is down to 7.
but finland is down to 10,
and norway 11.
iceland’s lead over finland is now 11
and over norway 14….
.
austria crashed
losing 5 runners at once.
.
right now it looks like iceland, finland, and norway
in a battle of pure attrition.
with the margin growing tighter every hour.
.
3 teams
fighting with everything they have left.
.
i wonder what stories the next update will tell?
.
oh yes, and i should mention the live broadcast
the link is on backyardultra.com
(not the spammer link that tries to steal your money)
there have been a lot of interviews at all the venues
many with runners telling their own firsthand stories.
.
sometimes it is at the mercy of the internet
(we are out in the woods, after all)
but usually only briefly
but there has been a lot of good stuff on there.