slowly the hours slip past.

the road is now only 6 hours away.

but today it is hotter than yesterday

and the runners more tired.

every hour is a separate struggle for survival,

.

.

sports are no respecter of age

the backyard is more forgiving than most

but out here on the third day

there is little respect being paid to the senior athletes.

.

the dnf list is littered with runners over 50

and those on the active list are concentrated near the cutoff.

in particular jennifer russo and tokimasa hirata have been playing a deadly game of hide and seek with the time limits.

every houir we think they wont make it

every hour they sneak in under the wire.

how many times can they cheat death?