Ribbon of Asphalt and Sand: 2013 Graveyard 100 Race Report
"The sea was angry that day, my friend; like an old man trying to send back soup at a deli" -- George Costanza Friday evening before race day, I pulled up to the pier house behind the Hilton in Kitty Hawk to turn over my drop bags and catch the mandatory prerace briefing. The sky had been clear on the drive over and the weather forecast for the weekend looked promising. So it was a bit of a shock to step out on to the beach into the full force of the wind. A chaotic surf pounded away at the pier. Whitecaps were visible miles from the shore. Gathered with other runners inside the pier house, I could feel the wooden framework rocking and swaying underfoot like a tethered boat about to snap free. Although the weather system behind all this activity had struck far to the north, its back-end produced coastal surges that flooded and reshaped roads along the 100-mile route. Race Director Brandon Wilson informed us that there was about a 50/50 chance ...