big dog’s backyard start hour 36:
the only stories i see in person
are the stories that play out here
with team usa.
rest assured these same stories are playing out around the globe.
jennifer was in trouble with 4 hours to go on the trail.
she had struggled in right at the whistles
and was having “difficulties”
the trail is already slow,
but this threatened to push her over the cutoff.
it definitely left her with nothing but the quickest turnaround…
team usa was already a man down.
losing her this early would really put us behind the 8 ball.
each hour it was the same.
she did the little road section at the beginning as quickly as she could
because she needed that time cushion on the trail.
at the end of the yard
we all watched anxiously
until she came out of the woods with minutes to spare.
she crossed the finish line after three whistles.
everyone encouraged her
and cheered her on.
but when she left on the next yard
maybe a minute and a half after she got in
we wondered if she could possibly make it again.
and then she did.
at last we got to say;
only two more trail loops, jennifer
only two more.
she made it again by the skin of her teeth.
she didnt say anything
but everyone could see how hard it was.
then it was one more.
just one more time.
she hadnt gotten to rest in hours
to be honest,
she looked kind of grim.
but she went again…
and by the skin of her teeth
she made it.
we just hit the road loop
and we all believe she will be ok now thru the night.
how many crucial yards did she save for team usa?
how much did her grit and determination inspire her teammates?
who can give up
in the face of an example like that?
this is a brutal, beautiful sport.
mid sized teams:
netherlands and iceland are locked in their own battle.
18 yards separate them
each has 8 runners left.
each wants the other to blink first.
slovakia (440) still clings to 3rd with 2 athletes.
norway (439) has 3
portugal (438) has 5
stay tuned!
in the large it is still new zealand and belgium with 525
and clean teams.
US (-5) in 3rd (thanks to jennifer) but still a man down
canada (-6) and two men down
australia (-7) and two men down
spain (-11) and one man down
france (-12) and two men down
hungary (-12) and 3 men down…..
the math is cut and dried.
but this is the backyard
it can turn on a dime
and anything can happen