Endurance 50 Marathon



Pinebelt Pacer Iva Lightsey hams it up with the famous Dean Karnazes

The Mississippi Edition of the Endurance 50 was held on Tuesday, September 19 in Waveland.  The race started at the Visitor's Center off of I-10 and was an out and back on HWY 607 and HWY 90.  The only hill was when we stepped off the curb and into the road.  Seventeen runners participated with Dean Karnazes, including Sam Thompson, the 25 year old phenom from Vicksburg who just completed 51 marathons in 50 days in 50 states (plus DC), and the infamous Ron McBee, a grisley veteran of many ultramarathons. Iva Lightsey did a fine job
representing the Pine Belt Pacers. The race started at 8:00 a.m. Temperatures were high until around 8-9 miles when the clouds rolled in and cooled things down. We all enjoyed skipping work to run and agreed that it was a great day to be alive on planet earth.  As far as I know, only Dean Karnazes was scheduled to run a marathon the next day.  I purposely did not turn my watch on at the start and there was no official clock, so I think I ran somewhere between 3-6 hours!!  Who
knows, maybe I even set a PR.  For more information on the Endurance 50 go to www.endurance50.com You can still catch the Louisianna edition in Baton Rogue on October 11!  Also of interest is http://www.50in50in50.com/
© Dow Ford
Pictures by Renee' Ford







Note Iva wore her beautiful Mississippi 50 Trail Run shirt



Dow Ford


From Dean's Blog:

Tuesday, September 19, 2006 

3 DOWN, 47 TO GO…

Today I saw more spirit from twenty runners than you could ever imagine. Conditions would rightly be described as “brutal.” The temperature on my watch at the finish read 87 degrees, and the humidity was 95 percent. Yet I quite literally did not hear a single complaint from anyone.

Mississippi is still suffering from Katrina, I witnessed this firsthand as we ran by the devastation. Many of the runners I talked with during the run lost homes, had their businesses destroyed, and, most sadly, suffered the losses of loved ones.

Yet through it all, a remarkable resolve to keep the spirit alive and never give up was the sense I got more than anything. Our marathon was symbolic in that regard, a struggle to keep moving forward, to keep pushing onward despite the pain. And push on we did, getting three first-time marathoners across the line with hoots and hollers, and the promise of more ice water at the finish, in some incredibly tough running conditions.

It was an honor to run with such a passionate and committed group. The stories I’m hearing everyday send shivers down my spine: people flying in from others states to run with me, folks driving all night to make the starting line, volunteers coming in to help out, and then running with us. This is so far beyond what I ever could have imagined, and it’s only the third day.

With heartfelt gratitude, I bid farewell to my friends in the South and boarded the Mothership for our next stop, the Little Rock Marathon. The long drive ahead is going to be harsh, but it could never erase the fond memories from today that I’ll cherish for a lifetime.

Best regards,
Dean

Dean, the Ultramarathon man, is attempting to duplicate the feat recently achieved by Mississippi native Sam Thompson (see http://www.50in50in50.com/ )