piejones
Cool Runner |
 posted May-23-2007 10:41 AM
   
Twisted Ankle Trail Marathon & Half
May 19, 2007
Summerville, GeorgiaShort Version for ADD afflicted boomers: This one is FUN......thanks for reading. Standard Version for Trail Runnrs and Funaholics: For all you trail lovers, this one is well organized, and plenty challenging. The RD did a great job and was so very nice. The volunteers and park rangers were great, the aid stations well stocked, and the watermelon was ripe and juicy. The volunteers that climbed one particular bluff to stage an aid station were saints. Truly. It’s a small event, but it’s filled with enthusiasm all the way around. The field is limited to 150 for the half and 150 for the full and it fills up early (months early) with runners from near and far. In 2006, there were 91 finishers in the full and 90 in the half, so either a big number of participants didn't show up or the dropout rate was alarmingly high. After running it, my guess is that everybody probably did make the starting line. The full field seemed to be present at the starting line this year as well, and rumor had it that the RD had doled out a few extra spots after the race filled and registration was closed. However, once again, a grand total of only 91 marathon runners managed to find their way to the lonely time clock at the end. Luckily, I was one of them, A whopping 101 did finish the half this year, so it must have been a better trained group. The race is tough, but doable, and the enjoyment factor is extremely high. I finished with no twisted ankles and a big smile from a fun day in the woods. I even got to run a little extra chunk of hilly real estate when I missed a clearly placed trail marking and kept on zigging when I should have been zagging. I eventually had to retrace my route to find that missed marking and the golden path. But, what’s a little extra mileage, and a few finishing places, on such a beautiful day? I got my money’s worth on this one for sure. The race is run mostly along Taylor's Ridge in the Chattahoochee National Forest. The staging area is in Sloppy Floyd State Park, in Summerville, Georgia, about 50 miles or so south of Chattanooga. The park is lovely, with 2 lakes, a nice campground and some cabins available. The entire area is really quite picturesque and the weather for the race was absolutely perfect. The course is mostly runnable, using “mostly” in a very generic sense. However, when you pass signs along the trail that say, “caution, extreme grades ahead”, you can rest assured they are not overstating the situation. They probably need a few more signs. Georgia can be warm in May. Fortunately, there was a gentle breeze and plenty of shade in the forest. The temps are a factor though, especially when you are running for a number of hours in the afternoon. You can read "number of hours" to mean many in this case. And yes, it is a morning race. It starts at 9 a.m. But, only 3 elite trailblazers in last year's race were able to squeeze in under the 4-hour mark. This year, with a bit cooler temps, the number of sub-4’s soared to a whopping 4. The top female last year came in at 4:22, which was good for 5th overall, and this year a female breezed in at 4:12. She was flying when she passed me, and 4 hours for her looked possible. Flying takes on new meaning on this terrain. Long story short, runners are out there for a good while. Some don’t finish in 8 hours and the final brave finisher this year fell through the tape at a hair under 9 hours. So, it’s also an afternoon race. A late afternoon race in some cases. I said the course was mostly runnable. I didn’t say you could run it very fast. There are some areas with primarily dirt trails, and some stretches of jeep road with a bit of gravel tossed on top, and both are pretty easy running. The rest is standard mountain type trail, with plenty of rocks, roots, stumps and such, and it just goes up and down the slopes to make it interesting. There is the occasional fallen tree to negotiate as well, just for good measure, The race ends back along a lake with a really nice sprint (hah) across a long wooden walk-bridge that spans the lovely quiet cove. A big number of runners stayed on through the day to cheer in the late finishers. A nice ending to a fun run. It’s probably not a top marathon choice for those looking for a PR. But, as trail races go, it’s a blast. Below is an elevation graph for the half marathon course. The route for the full just adds the other end of the ridgeline (and down...and back up...pretty much like doing miles 9-11 again....twice more....and add on a few more miles of the rollers). So, just picture this graph twice and you pretty much get the idea. Warning: Standing on flat ground after the race may result in slight dizziness. And, heart rate monitors are not recommended. It’s dry in Georgia this time of year and an overheating or exploding monitor could spark a forest fire.  This was my first trail marathon. The only real goals were to enjoy myself, finish, and preferably not finish last. Not that I am too proud to accept the last finishing spot, but I didn't want to be the one holding up those poor volunteers. As it turned out, there was never any fear of being the last car on the train when it made the station. Even though I started out VERY conservatively, I still had a good number of runners behind me in the early going. Just for security, I eased by at least 50 more runners on the first serious climb. Some were half runners and would soon split away, and I"m pretty sure a number of people QUIT on that first climb. It was an eye opener. But, of the ones running the full, none ever passed me back. At least not until I got myself lost nearly 20 miles in, and I didn't have to see them go by. Of course, most of the ones I passed never made the train station anyway. As for enjoying myself....I met that goal in spades. Plenty of rookie errors kept me out much longer than I should have been. I made some hydration/nutritional mistakes and suffered some cramping issues which slowed the final miles. I got lost, like an idiot, because I let my mind wander, and that cost me a good bit of time. I ran at least half the race with nobody in sight either ahead of me or behind. The forest was beautiful, but I should have found somebody to push me along or to push along. And, I lost time getting in and out of aid stations just by not being organized. I'll do better next time, and I'll definitely cover the distance a lot faster. I don't know if I can have a better experience. I like this trail stuff and I picked a good one for my first.
As the Short Version says......this one was FUN.
IP: Logged |
I really enjoy trail races as well. It's good to get off the roads once in a while and try something new. The first trail race can sometimes be intimidating not knowing for sure what to expect. Looks like you did well and now know what you need to improve on next time.
