Ultrarunning - for all of its intensively introspective requirements - possesses a profound sense of community and camraderie. When, on Sept 6th 2008, The North Face was forced to cancel their Endurance Challenge, 20 intrepid atheletes, unable to stomach the thought of all those wasted training miles, came together in the face of Tropical Storm Hanna with almost as many volunteer support people to do what we'd come to Washington DC to do.

We came to run. And run we did - through ankle deep, knee deep, waist deep water, on a course that was constantly being shortened as it washed into the Potomac. Yet, the miles kept adding up.