Complete the mission
Ultramarathons are not new to me. I've crossed both the start and finish lines of many of these long races since 1994. As I have aged, however, the challenge level of making required cutoffs has grown exponentially. It's been frustrating to face the reality of not being able to perform as in yesteryear. Hence, enter the 24-hour race, a different kind of hurt. These races that start one day and end 24 hours later have no cutoffs. If one decides to take a 3-hour nap at 2 AM, that's not a problem. There is no event-generated mileage expectations. Some enter to accomplish a personal goal without a time crunch. For example, complete a 50K or 50 mile with a generous time buffer. It's a beautiful thing. This last weekend, I set off with me, myself, and I for Lillington, NC for the Cape Fear 24-Hour event. The course is a black-topped and lighted 0.6 mile pathway, relatively flat, encircling a couple of recreational fields. The sole aid station is well stocked, a few runners d