504 posts and we aren't even halfway through August! Sorry but I have to close this thread.
In future, challenge threads with frequent updates should be done as single posts per participant. The folks will use the edit feature to post updates within their original post. See
This example. This is a sticky in South Beach.
Sorry about the 500 post limit but anything longer inhibits system performance particularly for folks still on dial-up.
For now, I'd continue with the current method but maybe keep extra comments to a minimum so you don't hit the fatal 500 before August ends.