My Vol State 500K Adventure: 314 Miles of Madness

On July 18, 2025, I finished what was likely the most ridiculous thing I have ever done. I ran (well, walked and ran) the Last Annual Vol State 500K. This year was the 22nd running of the "Last Annual" event, or as it's known, LAVS. It took me 8 days, 2 hours, 42 minutes and 48 seconds to finish 314 miles. I was a rookie, and the learning curve isn't really a curve—it's more like running into a concrete wall! I made several serious mistakes that made the run harder than it otherwise would have been.

But First, what is LAVS?

Some of you reading this will have no idea what LAVS is. Let me tell you about this "race." It's organized by Lazarus Lake, affectionately known as ‘Laz” whose most infamous race is the Barkley Marathons—five 20-mile loops for a total of 100 miles. Barkley is so difficult that in the 30 years since its inception in 1996, exactly 20 runners have finished the race. No one finished in 2025.

The Start

With that context of what a "Laz" race is about, here's how the event begins. Tuesday night, July 8th, those riding the bus to the start, about 90, meet at the "China Buffet" near the race headquarters hotel in Kimberley, TN, for dinner and instructions. We must drive to Castle Rock Farms and park in the middle of a huge corn field by 6:30 AM Wednesday morning. The gate to the property sits on the Alabama/Georgia line.

Arriving at Castle Rock Farm to catch the bus to the race start.

The finish and parking area is in Georgia. After parking, we walk about 400 yards back to the gate, enter Alabama, and board a charter bus for the 300-mile ride to Union City, Tennessee. The bus drives the course backward, so everyone is following our location on navigation devices to get some idea of what we're going to encounter. We stop about halfway through the bus ride at a city park for BBQ, then continue to Union City, KY.

We check into our hotels in Union City and get back on the bus to ride to the pre-race dinner at another Chinese Buffet! After the pre-race briefing, we return to our hotels and are told to be on the bus at 6:30 AM.

Race Morning - On the way to the busses.

Now is when it really gets weird. The buses take us to the Mississippi riverbank in Hickman, Kentucky. We board a ferry and cross the Mississippi to Dorena Landing in Missouri, where we receive final instructions. Then, Laz starts the race as he does at Barkley—by lighting a cigarette (I'm not kidding). We get back on the ferry and cross back over the river to Hickman, where the running (well, mostly walking) begins.

Loading the ferry for the ride over to Dorena Landing in Missouri

Laz preparing to ”Light the Cigarette” to start the 2025 Vol State 500K.