Welcome to the
July 19th, 2003
Dan Blizard
Robert Murray
Ralph Carr
The Damn Wakely Dam Ultra isn't the sort of event you would want to try if you've never run an ultra before. That's why we try to screen each runner to make sure they have what it takes to complete the challenge. So when Dan Blizard's FedX package arrived with the applications of 5 guys with no ultra experience (they had run one marathon between them), we had some serious doubts. Dan's four page letter was written on yellow legal paper and it explained how these long time companions wanted to run Wakely as a way to celebrate their advancing ages. They had a well documented training plan... problem was it was a marathon training plan - Not enough, in our opinion, to push 5 untrained guys to their very limit and prepare them for what could be a very long arduous journey through the wilderness. The fact that Dan is a lawyer didn't help their cause (can you say liability? sure, I knew you could). But the guys agreed to modify their training schedule and that weeded out the weakest two. Bottom line: All's well that ends well.
So was it worth it? With a finishing time of 10:27:42 we're hoping the Middletown three got the challenge they were looking for. Heck - Dan even landed the coveted "Best Blood" award. We're looking forward to seeing these guys next year.
