D’Wife draws the line at running overnight. Doesn’t mean I don’t do it, just that she’s not happy about it LOL
When I was first presented the 4x5x6 format, which became the Black Friday - 4 runs, 5K each, 6 hours apart; which was kinda “WTF” at the time, but now seems pretty weak by Laz’s standards - the idea was to run at 6AM, Noon, 6PM, and Midnight
The Midnight leg was met with deep consternation
Then there was a race called “Midnight Madness” which was part of the Back On My Feet 20in24 Urban Ultra event in Fairmount Park years ago. One lap of the Fairmount Loop, starting at Midnight. Lights and reflective gear was required, but there was also an award for “Most Lit Up”
Leaving the house at 10PM, though, to drive from Jersey to Philly, and run around Kelly Drive and MLK Drive, in the dark
“That just doesn’t make any sense”
‘Ahhhh, you’re trying to find logic here! That’s a fools errand, I’m afraid’
Listening to this week’s Ten Junk Miles podcast, Scotty is considering throwing a wrench into his own Backyard format race, Last Dot Standing
The last runner TO FINISH on the lap is eliminated
Which means, in the way he explained it “if you and another runner are the last two on the loop, noir only you need to beat them to stay in, you need to make sure they make it too, otherwise they get eliminated for missing the cutoff, and YOU get eliminated for being last”
If I calculate it right (always a risky assumption), that means: if 40 runners start, the maximum time would be 40 hours
I was thinking more about helping the other person to finish, so you don’t get bounced, but they will - in practice, though, if you’re at the “tail of the draggin’” what that really means is “you’re probably next”
Strategy would be to keep at least TWO people behind you at all times
“Last Dot Standing” is a different kind of last person standing event. Start at the Belleville Community Park in Belleville WI and you have one hour to run 4.2 miles to Dot’s Tavern (A delightful 70 year old tavern located just off the trail). Then, at the start of the next hour, you have one hour to run back to Belleville (4.2 miles). Not 4.2 mile out and back. 4.2 miles each way!!! You have one hour to get to each location (Belleville to Dots Tavern, Dots Tavern to Belleville), with the race restarting every hour on the hour from each location, alternating. We continue to run 4.2 miles (either to or from Dot’s) until there is a Last Dot (person) standing.
That was a fun race! I was the runner up (last DNF) with the assist after 32 laps. Cracked at 134 miles. Ended like this:
Slowtwitch related part is I did this on pure triathlon training. Nothing specific for the BYU. Pretty low run mileage. Just wanted to see what I could do. Had a lot of fun.
But running through Times Sq, Central Park, World Cup parties, the Knicks in 5, literal riots on the street at 3AM, camp in a packed bar or the sidewalk… not the chill vibe of most of these events too say the least
