A true ultra
Right from the beginning, this felt like a true ultra. I spent the night in a friend’s condo at Wintergreen Resort (thanks to the Cushnie’s). I woke up at 4:15am to buckets’o’fog. Visibility was zero. A chilly morning, in the low 50s, but great running weather. Overcast. Forecast called for rain later in the day.
Going vertical right from the start
I arrived at check-in, got everything ready to go, and last minute decided to ditch the jacket. I was hoping I’d warm up as soon as I started running. After a 1-mile warmup on the entrance road, we climbed a 2-mile section, straight up, on fairly rough terrain. The 8,800 ft. of elevation gain this race advertised… it was no joke. And it started right away.
Road runner turned trail runner
A half hour in, I witnessed a conversion: road runner to trail runner. I heard a man behind me say, “Wow! This is beautiful. I’m never running another road race again.” Sir, welcome to the club. We’re thrilled to have you.
Ridiculous up-and-down
About 10 miles in, we descended this dirt mountain road… for 4.5 miles. At the bottom, we turned around and ran straight back up. Correction: we walked back up. No hill work can prepare you for something like this. It was ridiculously awesome. I must have passed at least a dozen people with my patented power hike.
We ran along the Blue Ridge Parkway for a mile or two before heading back onto the trails. Stopped at a few more aid stations. I met a nice couple from Illinois. We ascended Bald Mountain, reached 3,500 ft., and I turned around and ran straight back down toward the finish. I ran almost the entire last 5 miles (which is unusual for me), but that’s just how fresh I felt. It just started to rain too, but at that point, it wasn’t a factor.
One of my favorites
This was one of the best races I’ve done, in terms of both performance & fun. I’m looking forward to doing more trail ultras, especially difficult ones with technical terrain & lots of ups and downs.
Course description
It’s challenging. Compared to other 50ks out there, the 8,800 ft. of elevation gain is amongst the most I’ve seen. There are a few 1-2 mile stretches of pretty technical terrain, most of which are on ascents & descents. A majority of the race is on dirt single track, with 5-6 miles on paved road, and ~9 miles on dirt road. There are several beautiful views from the mountainside (if the fog dies down).
What I Learned
- 8,800 ft. of elevation gain in a 50k is no joke. It’s also a lot of fun.
- I’ll always get passed on the flat, road sections.
- I’m slow. And will probably always be slow. (see previous bullet)
- I love uphills & downhills, basically all the more difficult sections. They’re just more fun.
- Running downhill on rocky terrain is awesome. Short, quick steps, almost hopping from rock to rock, hips turned one way, then the other, focusing on every step, letting gravity do the work. Ah, it’s paradise.
- The longer the race, the better I place.
- Mountains are a) beautiful b) humbling c) a bit scary at times d) my second home
The result
6:24:35
23/82 – overall