Last Man Standing

Chris prepares and runs 2 big races a year and we are always so excited to watch him do this! This year he did 108 miles at Farm Daze 24 hour and then took the summer easy. Late summer, we both started training for our fall races we wanted to do, and his was a last man standing format. That means every hour, on the hour, a group of crazy folks get in the starting shoot to run a 4 mile loop. They run, the come to the tent and refuel and on the next hour they start again. It was his first time doing this type of race and our first time crewing, but it was fun! So on October 24, we all loaded up the camper, headed to the coast, and crewed daddy for his BIG run!

 After we got him officially "checked in" to the asylum, we went and enjoyed a campfire and beach walk. Yall know this mama and her babies were happy to see the ocean and touch the sand, even if it was high tide. Early the next morning, the two big boys went to set up camp at the race site. 

Grayson went with dad and helped him get going. He was a huge support and helper during this race and I was super proud of him! I made a dollar store run prior to the race for some activities to keep everyone entertained. We spent many hours doing puzzles, slime, stickers, coloring, jumping, cheering, being way too loud and eating way too many snacks! But seriously, who could ask for a better crew at a race than this lovely bunch?!

 After a few hours, we left the big boys at it and took the little one back to the camper for a nap. Bonus activity, the campground had trunk or treat! So the kids dressed up, trick or treated, got more snacks and then we headed back with candy and glow sticks to cheer dad on for a while longer. 

 At bedtime, we gave hugs and kisses and headed back to sleep for a few hours. We left him on his own and he did awesome! The kids were out as soon as we got tucked in and I was stalking the live tracking to keep up with what was going on. Around 5am, I saw that it was down to Chris and one other guy, so we decided to go check in. We got up, grabbed some breakfast on the way, and got settled just in time to see him finish up a loop and help him get going on the next one. It would be just one more and then he would do his victory lap. In this type of race, someone has to do a solo loop at the end, or no one wins. It was such an awesome experience to see him do his thing and do it well. The weather was NOT fall. It was hot and he hung in there for 24  hours and 100 miles to take first place. We are continually amazed by his grit, determination and resiliency. He makes us better and we love being on his crew! 

One of the awards for winning this race, aside from a straight jacket and new running shoes, is a golden ticket to probably the biggest last man standing race in the world. People come from all over the world to run a similar race in Tennessee every year, only normal people like Chris don't get the opportunity to. This is literally a once in a lifetime opportunity and we are here for it!! So excited for him and can't wait to go to Tennessee and soak in all the magic together! This guy will see you at Big Dog's Backyard Ultra...and that is AWESOME!