Just Seconds in Front is a mythic retelling of the Kanawha Trace, the Appalachian trail where ordinary people become legends and the land itself remembers every footstep. Blending folklore, history, and the lived experiences of runners and volunteers, this book reveals the quiet magic that has shaped the KT for generations. From the early days of the trail’s creation in the 1950s to the rise of modern races, storms, traditions, and unforgettable moments, the KT becomes more than a path through the woods—it becomes a living character with memory, heart, and ancient magic woven into its soil.

The stories begin with the origins of the trail, when the first tools struck the earth and woke something old beneath the roots. Gnomes carved by Scouts absorbed the land’s dormant magic, terrapins signaled chosen runners, and the trail learned to breathe again. As decades passed, the KT grew into a place where love, effort, and community left lasting marks. Every volunteer who hauled water, every runner who collapsed at the finish, and every family who waited beneath the pines added to the trail’s living memory.

Through storms like the 2012 derecho, traditions like the roses at Laurel Branch, and night races lit by glow sticks, fireflies, and reflective eyes in the trees, the KT became a place where the boundary between the real and the mythic blurred. Children became runners. Runners became believers. Believers became part of the legend.

At the heart of the book is the idea that the KT chooses its people. Some are transformed into blurs of color and speed. Others become quiet guardians who keep the trail alive. Many leave pieces of themselves behind—magic the trail holds until they return.

Just Seconds in Front is a celebration of community, endurance, and the Appalachian spirit. It is a tribute to everyone who has ever run, volunteered, built, repaired, or simply loved the KT. Their stories live here. Their magic endures.

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We first started out as ?The Paperback Exchange,? a chain of physical bookstores where we would part exchange your beloved books for new stories to transport you to faraway places. However, as shopping started to evolve to online shops and marketplaces, we bid our stores goodbye to become ?PBShop.? This transition has only allowed us to blossom as we now ship thousands of titles to book lovers across the globe. We pride ourselves in being a community of local book lovers which allows our passion and devotion to shine in everything we do. In 2020 we not only celebrated our 20th birthday but our 1st birthday as being completely employee owned after becoming an E.O.T in September 2019. We are proud to be different and embrace standing apart on a book mountain by working from a virtual inventory which allows us to provide thousands of books that may be difficult to get for your bookshelf or your studies. Working with a number of different suppliers allows us to explore other avenues such as puzzles, sheet music and even stationery so we really do have something for everyone. Life is about being versatile in all realms of existence. If this is your first visit or you are a returning customer, we would like to welcome you to the PBShop family, for there is no friend as loyal as a book. We are a company who put our customers at the centre of everything we do as we understand the importance of reading because once you learn to read, you will forever be free. There are a whole lot of things in this world of ours that we are yet to explore, which is why we will forever inspire curious minds.

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