My Heart of the South story:
My goal was a sample one, to race the 200 miles self supported.That my not seem like that big an accompliashemnt, but I have never ridden anything longer then a 100k route solo. I have ridden  a lot of Randounuining K's , none of which was I self supported. Meaning that I rode most of it, not all the them with my loving husband Steve or any number other menbers of our Lone Star randouners group.Never having to be soley responsable for navagtigating.  
 
I had trained pretty hard and thought I would be able to complete the 200 miles in 13 to 14 hours. I had the course record in the back of my mind. The day statrted out great I was not pushing to hard but kept a good steady pace. I came into the first stop with 3 other riders, then off we went, we all make nature breaks this sparated our group. I then was ridding alone, I should have been making my way to Rte 204, onto Jacksonville ,but somewere along the way I went off couse, I had come down this very hilly counrty road. After asking a local resident, he told me the only way back to the course was to go back the way I came.
 
That was my first of two costly navigation mistakes. This was about 11 miles of hilly roads. I was back on couse, but I found that I was riding to hard to try and get back with the group, I had lost too much time, I slowed down and got back on my pace.I came into the 99 mile stopped, filled my bottles and went on my way to Cheaha climb.
 
During the climb,  I missed the turn, more bonus miles 5.5. The climb to Cheaha was very hard, I rode slow but i got it done. Even with the bonus miles and the tough clibming I never got down. I was having a great day on the bike. My nutrition was great, the bike was great , weather was precty and the route was beatful. I pushed to the last stop before the finish. When I arrived at the stop ,2 of the guy's I had ridden with earlier in the day were there waiting to DNF and sag in.  
 
I tried to talk then into riding in with me. But that were done. Tom (the race director ) and I talked about how much time I had left. I still wanted to get the record, I was going to have to push hard the last 53 miles. So off I went ,kept it at around 20 and leaving nothing on the climbs.  
 
I was about 3 or 4 miles from the finish when, I saw a deer grazing on the side of the road, I slowed to see what it was going to do. If it was going to go back into the woods or come acroosed the road. The deer broadsided me as I was going down, I stiffed armed it, the deer went back into the woods.
 
I jumped back on the bike, so I raced to the finish crossing the line at 8:22pm, a total time of 15:22 with 17.1 bonus miles and a deer attack. I could not have been happier with my ride,and yes I got the womens course record by on 2 mintues. I did it all by myself. This was as a freind of my would say an accomplishment ride.  
 
  Peggy Petty

Quote from shellbear on Apr 4^th, 2011, 10:26pm:

 
Not only her persistence, but did you see the time she put in *despite* everything that happened? And the HOTS course is absolutely **NOT** easy.  It is a very challenging one. Not only that, when we talked to her after we finished the 500, she looked like she was ready to do the 200 again. I suspect she's strong enough to go even faster but when you don't know a course that is as challenging as the HOTS, you figure you need to reign it in a bit.
 
Go Peggy!!!

That's my gal! That course is not easy & then to ride it solo, & get run over by a deer is a testament to her  
persistence. She never gets down when things go wrong.  

Imagine what the deer told its buddies when it got back into the herd