And he's off!

Ryan, his dad and I woke at 4 am to get ready for the race. We got to the start at 5:15am and were greeted by a recording of razorbacks grunting and squealing over the loudspeakers. As lovely as it sounded, we went inside where it was quieter and sat down to go over the game plan for the day. Ryan's dad and I will provide support for him at the crew stations along the way. I think I feel some of what Ryan must have felt before I gave birth to our first child - you just don't know what the perfect thing to say or do is for that person at any given time. I think I'll know when I see him, but none of us really knows what to expect after 50 miles, which is the longest he's run before this. As we were sitting there hearing the count down to the start, there wasn't much to say. It's like the moment before a big test. You've done what you can to prepare, and there's nothing left to do but wait for the start. They finally called us to the road and started it with a shout over a loudspeaker. The Arkansas Traveller has begun, and he's off!