GAFFNEY, SC. — 78 runners competed in the Last Annual Heart of the South Marathon in June and one of those runners was 64 year-old Bob Gingrich of Cullman, who was the second-oldest runner in the race. Gingrich is a math and science teacher at Vinemont Middle School. The race started in Gaffney, South Carolina and ended in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
From there, they only had the supplies they had with them, along with other supplies that they obtained along the way. They had 10 days to get back and Gingrich completed the 332-mile race in eight days, eight hours, 28 minutes, and 12 seconds. This race was on Gingrich’s bucket list for over a year, and he first heard about the race several years ago.
“I first heard about the race several years ago.” Gingrich said. “It is a race that branched off of another race, the Last Annual Vol State Race, a 314-mile race across Tennessee.”
Gingrich had to deal with an awful lot during the race. He walked hours and hours in the open heat, slept behind rocking chairs on the front porch of an insurance business, trekked through the rain of a tropical storm, went up and over a mountain on the Kimsey Mountain Highway, skirted through the streets of East Chattanooga, ate whatever he could find at whatever stop he passed, and he bandaged sore, blistered feet daily. He was determined to finish the race after day three and he had a pretty decent crowd waiting for him when he finished.
“I knew, after day three, I could finish,” Gingrich said. “I wanted to accomplish something I thought was impossible. The two race directors, one of the race director’s wives, two of the runners, and my wife was at the finish. I got a handshake, a t-shirt, and a 332 sticker when I finished. I averaged four hours of sleep for six nights and didn’t sleep the seventh night. I did the last 80 miles without sleep.”
Gingrich gave some serious advice to those people who are working toward achieving goals that they might believe are impossible as well.
“The physical part is something everyone can do.” Gingrich said. “It’s really tough mentally to keep going. Your body can do much more than your brain tells you. Run and walk for hours and hours every chance you get for months.”
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