The Last Annual Heart of the South, HOTS, is a 327-mile (526 km) running race: a solo and unsupported multi-day ultramarathon from Frankfort, Kentucky to Castle Rock, Georgia.
Training for it, I got shin splints. Shin splints are no fun. I took a couple of days off from running and picked up the bike instead, to rest up my tired legs from all the running while training for HOTS, and hoped to recover soon before the big race.
The bus to the start
82 runners parked their cars at the finish line in Castle Rock, Georgia and boarded the bus. Everyone was left to speculate the starting point of the race: only Laz and Carl knew. I was at the finish line and ready to roll towards the start, 300+ miles away somewhere. Who knows.
We headed to Kentucky, and it was hot. After 300+ miles of bus ride, we knew the start was going to be in Frankfort, Kentucky. We had our last meal, infamously called The Last Supper, and the race director, Lazarus Lake, released the course map: 327 miles from Frankfort, Kentucky to Castle Rock, Georgia.
Conditions were terribly hot, standing up to the race name, with heat wave warnings issued that made the headlines of the national news.
Kentucky
On day 2, a thunderstorm came out of nowhere and got me holed up in a gas station for 2 hrs. Then a totally exposed section. That heat sucks everything out of you. The sun returned with full vengeance. It felt like running in a sauna!
I’d been craving real food after eating fast food and junk for the last 92 miles, and ran so fast to get to it on time.
Tennessee
At the end of day 3, I had completed 150 miles of HOTS, and that afternoon I crossed into Tennessee. Blisters and shin splints had slowed me down big time, but I was doing everything possible to keep moving and stay in the game.
It kept getting hotter. A road angel stopped by a Subway and gave us 25 dollars for food and drinks during the race. Meeting kindest souls like these is what makes the journey run a life-changing experience.
Finally the distance left was in double digits: 98 miles to go.
It’s difficult to find an establishment open at night, and if they are, most of them are drive-thru only. No problem for these boys. The manager made an exception, and we sat on the grass in Chattanooga enjoying some calories.
The finish
It is done! 7:07:15:00.
Run, eat, maybe sleep, and repeat. Blisters, shin splints, dehydration and long desert sections with no resources made it a real challenge. I met so many road angels, without whose help this race wouldn’t have been possible to complete.
Tired, sleep deprived, blister-infested feet, yet extremely happy to have completed the race in 7 days 07 hrs and 15 min.
After
I had insane cravings for rava dosa during HOTS. Two weeks after my finish, I finally got my hands on some: punugulu for appetizers, parotta chicken curry and onion rava dosa, flushed down with hot and steamy masala chai. I’m happy.
Even though I heel locked, all the heat, inflammation and downhill pounding during training and while running HOTS got me black toenails. I started running again 4 days after completing HOTS, and the black toenails haven’t been bothering me much.
During my 327-mile solo and unsupported road race from Kentucky to Georgia, I really got to experience the stunning hospitality and kindness of random strangers. I got to see and experience the best of America and Americans in the Heart of the South.
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