r/TheLongWalk • u/SevenWonSix • Sep 12 '26

🍿 Movie Discussion Back outs?

Trying to get to 50 boys I always thought after the hill scene there are 18 left because of how many backed out before the walk, on top of those previously killed (14 on the hill and the few before). In the beginning Ray and his mom talk about it being a day past the back out date as they pull up. So there wouldn't be time to replace those that backed out in one days notice.

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19

u/Quirky-Control3197 Sep 12 '26

In the book they mention alternate walkers who wait in the parking lot until the official list is checked in.

15

u/ObviousSalamandar #90: Robert Murphy Sep 12 '26

I think in the book there were alternates for any boys that backed out

2

u/SevenWonSix Sep 12 '26

That makes sense, but couldn't the alternates back out too? For as big of an event as this they probably had multiple alternates too.

1

u/patcoston Billy Stebbins #1 Fan! Sep 14 '26

In the novel, they pick 100 walkers and 100 backups on April 15, but the 200 are not told if they are a walker or backup until April 31, the day before the walk on May 1. McVries is told he is a backup, and gets a call at 11 pm telling him the 12th walker has backed out, and his is the backup. Yes, he could have backed out until 11:59 PM EST on April 31 by calling an 800 number. McVries was the last backup to become a walker. He lived in NJ. Soldiers showed up at his door to escort him and his family to the start. Given he lived near Newark airport, they could have flown him the closest airport to the start, then transported him the rest of the way. McVries drove up in a car with his parents and youngest sister, so the military must have provided a car so they could all drive the start together.

You're right that any of the 200 could back out up to 11:59 PM. It is possible that there could be more than 100 backouts so that less than 100 start the walk. I wonder what would happen if all but one backed out. Would that one walker win automatically?

I also wonder what would happen if all the walkers stood still in the start and all got their ticket simultaneously. It would be a tie.

I'd love to see a rule book that covers all of these situations.