They give you 7 1/2 hours to finsih, but say no walkers allowed. Could it possible take that long if you ran and didn't walk? That would have to be a very, very, very slow runner.

My old college roommate who wins some of the marathons here with a PR of 2:40 something told me he gets his butt kicked here, finishing 4 hrs +. The terrain and the heat will get you. Imagine 80+ temps with additional heat from the sun reflecting of black basalts underneath you. Most of the course runs along pahoehoe lava, which is fairly smooth but undulating with lots of cracks and crevices and its surface is mostly comprised of glassy rinds so if you fall you cut yourself pretty bad. Then you run along loose cinder, probably quite an adventure in itself. Then you run into a'a lava flows which is a really rough surface. All and all it should be a fun race...you get to run within the caldera of an active volcano...

wow that really is a rock and a hard place. it's all about Susan and Rachel puttin' it down since 1997!!! Go on' girl! That sounds awful. I think I'll just watch Joe Vs. the Volcano while running on a treadmill.

must be the tar thing.