Just Seconds in Front

By Daniel Austin Jarvis

Just Seconds in Front is a mythic, heartfelt tribute to the Kanawha Trace-the trail where ordinary people become legends, where magic wakes beneath the leaves, and where every runner, volunteer, and wanderer leaves something of themselves behind. Blending Appalachian folklore with the lived traditions of the KT community, this book reveals how a simple footpath carved in the 1950s grew into a living story carried forward by generations.

From the early days of bright orange race shirts and rough, unpolished miles to the rise of the nameless blur who moved through the woods like a creature of the land, the KT has always chosen its own heroes. Gnomes carved into stumps, terrapins with ancient markings, and the quiet guardians who build bridges and haul water all play their part in the trail's awakening. Magic settles into the soil through footsteps, sweat, laughter, and love-the oldest magic there is.

Across ridges, hollows, and river corridors, the KT teaches its lessons. Adams Hollow becomes the place where runners rise or fall, leaving behind the weight they can no longer carry. The Wishing Well becomes the make-or-break moment where every runner whispers the same hope: enough to finish. And on summer nights, glow sticks, fireflies, and reflective eyes in the trees turn the woods into a living constellation, guiding runners through darkness toward warmth, community, and light.

This is not a story about the fastest or the strongest. It is a story about the people who show up-those who run, those who volunteer, those who believe in the trail even when they don't realize they're part of something bigger. Every footstep adds to the legend. Every act of care strengthens the magic. Every person becomes part of the KT's memory.

Just Seconds in Front is a celebration of endurance, community, and the quiet, powerful magic of a place that holds the hearts of everyone who touches it. It is a reminder that the legends are not the chosen few-they are all of us.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0GRV3CDJH
• ISBN13: 9798995268208
• Release Date: March 2026
• Publisher: Daniel Jarvis
• Length: 100 Pages
• Weight: 0.32 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.2" x 6.0" x 9.0"