Director of Barkley Marathons dreams up longest virtual race of 1,000K ‘across’ Tennessee
From the twisted mind that brought you the Barkley Marathons and the Quarantine Backyard Ultra, race director Laz Lake has created The Great Virtual Road Race Across Tennessee. The virtual race takes place between May 1 and August 31 as participants attempt to run 1,000 kilometers in four months—the distance it takes to cover the entire state of Tennessee. That amounts to a little over 5 miles per day.
The virtual race “begins” near the southwest tip of Tennessee and ends at the northeast border. Runners can upload their daily runs to the race website and track their progress across Tennessee.
As if we didn’t have enough to worry about… murder hornets have arrived in the U.S.
Life in modern times just keeps getting more interesting, doesn’t it? Recently, Asian giant hornets, also known as murder hornets, have arrived in the United States for the first time. Asian giant hornets got their nickname thanks to their ability to wipe out a honeybee hive in just a few hours by decapitating the bees and carrying their thoraxes away to feed their young. The hornet’s venom and stinger are no treat for human targets, either. Those that have been stung describe it as “hot metal driving into their skin,” according to SFGate.
Scientists are desperate to track the hornets on U.S. soil, stressing that now is the time to eradicate the insect. “This is our window to keep it from establishing,” Chris Looney, an entomologist at the Washington State Department of Agriculture, told SFGate. “If we can’t do it in the next couple of years, it probably can’t be done.”
Man rides the Tour de France on a dumpy little stationary bike
Jacob Hill-Gowing, a 28-year-old from London, endeared himself to cycling fans when he decided to ride the length of the Tour de France on an old stationary bike inside his 350-square-foot apartment. “I thought I could do a sponsored cycle ride indoors to raise money, and I was trying to think about a distance and just thought that I’d ride the distance of the Tour de France,” Hill-Gowing told VeloNews. “My friends said, ‘Do you realize that it’s 3,500 kilometers long?’ When I found that out I was pretty surprised.”
Hill-Gowing raised funds for the Big Issue, a newspaper that helps homeless people generate income. Through his efforts, he raised at least $16,000 for his cause.
Photo of view of Chattanooga, Tennessee, from a high point on Lookout Mountain from Getty Images
