For The Record with Sandy Whittlesey

Strasser's average speed is down to 15.17 this morning.  However, he averaged 16.14 for the Cumberland leg, which makes one wonder if he could bring his average back up to the 15.4 record.

For the record, with 216 miles remaining, Strasser will have to average 19.2 mph - probably out of reach considering that Sideling Hill is still in his way.  But it will still be exciting to watch what he does!

After that, it's clearly a race for second place - but what an incredible race that has become!!!  There remain about 32 to 35 hours of racing before second place is claimed, with Baloh, Gulewicz, and Blanco still trading places.  And, then, what about Pattinson?  He needs to average 1.5 mph faster than the other three to take second - and he was slightly better than that across Ohio!  So if Pattinson takes on the Appalachians as he did Ohio, ladies and gentlemen, brace yourselves for a most extraordinary come-from-behind finish!

 

--Sandy Whittlesey is a journalist and statistician