Kenney dares to cover Death Race 2010

It took an eclectic mind and persistence for University of Montana School of Journalism intern Hollis Kenney just to break through and cover a sporting event like no other: Death Race 2010.

Kenney’s editor at the Rutland Herald in Vermont wasn’t sure this dramatic endurance event needed to be in the local paper. In the past, the organizer hadn’t been available to the paper’s reporters, and bigger media outlets were lined up to cover it this year.

Still, Kenney was determined to take his readers into the belly of this 10-mile race that somehow took the few contestants who didn’t drop out more than 20 hours to finish.

First, he convinced his editor to let him give it a shot. Then, he found that he had read the book that informed the organizer’s worldview. That common bond – the book, the Edison Gene, explores the advantages people with ADHD might have -- led to a more fruitful interview this year than last.

After all that, Kenney met with the race organizer at 4 a.m., climbed a mountain, and ran with the race leader in order to get an interview. It turns out that the race leader had learned a race-enhancing tidbit from Hollis’s race preview and was especially glad to talk because of that. The tip: Hollis had pointed out that pennies minted after the 1980s are significantly lighter than older coins. This mattered because each racer competed while carrying a sack filled with $50 in pennies.

“It just doesn't seem like work when you get to do stuff like that, and it makes up for all the little brief assignments and office time,” Kenney said.

The 24-hour race consists of tasks and cut-off times. Failure to complete a given task on time results in ejection from the race. Of the 100 races who registered for this year’s race, 19 finished.

Kenney said covering the race “... was pretty great, but I am very glad that I didn't have to do the whole 36 hour race.”

In addition to previewing the race and covering the competition, Kenney, whose primary focus is print journalism, shot his own photos for the story. When he's not chasing those who court death, Kenney has covered other athletes giving their all, including Special Olympians preparing for national competition and the Vermont sheep dog trials.

(Photo: John Illig crawls through mud and under barbed wire during the Death Race in Pittsfield, Vermont, on Saturday, June 26, 2010. PHOTO BY HOLLIS KENNEY)