As I made my way back to the main TA to wait for Jon to finish his first lap, I could only imagine what punishment he was enduring. After more than an hour of agonized waiting, I finally caught a glimpse of a lone figure staggering up the last hill to the infamous yellow gate that signifies the start and finish of each lap. As the wavering figure got close enough I recognized it as Jon, and feared the worst. Dehydration had taken its toll on him, and he had been unable to eat or drink much in the last miles of the loop. After getting a chance to lie down and try to re-hydrate, Jon decided his day was over.

It was a disappointing result, but the Barkley is a cruel mistress, and has no mercy. For the complete story of what happened out there, we'll have to wait for Jon to recover and reflect.

-Peter