The Last Annual Heart of the South Road Race
About the race
The HOTS is an adventure for only the most daring.
There is no greater freedom than being totally alone on the open road, relying only on your wits, your skill, and your physical ability to cover ground in order to reach the finish line.
Wait list and entry replacement
You will be placed on a wait list. Withdrawals are vigorously replaced from the wait list, and the replacement pace picks up as the race date nears, ending with the Month of Fear the month before the event. Last year everyone on the wait list was eventually offered a place in the race.
A wait list will be maintained after the race has filled. Withdrawals replaced from the wait list receive a refund at the rate listed above.
Parking and lodging
Athletes park their vehicles at the parking area at Castle Rock Ranch and ride tour buses backwards on the course to the start. There they are lodged in double occupancy motel rooms overnight, then provided bus transportation to the start.
Check-ins
- All entrants must report their location by phone at 0730 and 1930 each day.
- Runners planning to be on break at check-in time may report early.
- Failure to check in will result in a search for your body.
Dropping out
Runners may drop from the race at any time by calling in and requesting a ride to the car park. Transportation will be furnished at the earliest feasible time.
Cancellation policy
Until December 24: 90% refund. After December 24: refunds depend on replacing the withdrawing entrant from the wait list. January and February: 80% refund. March and April: 70% refund. May: 50% refund.
The course
Runners assemble on Wednesday morning and park their vehicles in a cornfield atop Sand Mountain in North Georgia, then board tour buses. They do not know their destination in advance, only that it is between 350 and 400 miles away. After an overnight hotel stay, the field is bused to the start the following morning. From there, with only the supplies they can carry or obtain along the way, runners have 10.5 days to get back to their vehicles.
Course and format
Once they arrive, they will be able to access maps of the course they will take to get them back to their vehicles.
Twice daily tracking will be maintained, and runners wishing to drop will be transported back to their vehicles. Finishers will be shuttled with their vehicles to motels near the finish for a safe sleep before getting behind the wheel.
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