hour 16 is underway.
the 33 all look really strong.

you might think the second night would be harder than the first.
and the third night harder still.
but, the truth is,
the first night is the hardest.

the runners,
many of them who have run 100 miles in far less than 24 hours
have to fight a sense of having gotten nowhere yet.
so many hours… hell, days… left to go.
they are still having to fight the instinct to let go and run for a finish line,
because there is no finish line.
at the same time, they are feeling the strain of having been going for so long.
it is still another hour after this one to reach midnight.
then there are all those midnight to sunup demons to face down.

it is tough to run for a whole day
when reaching it only puts you within a day of being a contender.
you have to stay in the moment.
just do the yard you are on.
keep yourself physically out of trouble
and your mind strong.

the race begins at 48.
just getting there is no easy task.