Mountain Mist 50k -- a little snow and a lot of mud

January 24



Now living in Huntsville gives me the perfect opportunity to explore a new set of regional races that I would never have traveled to from Virginia.  The race I have heard the most about in Huntsville is the Mountain Mist 50k.  Rick Gray highly encouraged me to run this race when I saw him at the Barkley Fall Classic, so I signed up as soon as possible.  I am not sure how many runners started, but the race entries were capped at 500.

Darin before the start



My daughter, Amy, has volunteered to come out and crew for me.  As we reach the top of Monte Sano, there is a covering of snow in the woods.  It looks like a half inch or so, and it is very beautiful!  I think the temperature at the start is around 30.  I decide to wear tights with a couple of shirts, hat, and gloves.  I see Rick Gray and Clark Zealand before the start.  It is good to see them, and I never see them after the gun goes off.

Mile 6.7      1:04:33 (9:38 avg./mile) O’Shaughnessy Point

These first few miles are on clean surfaces (roads, smooth trails) without much change in elevation.  This feels a little quick for me, but I want to push things a little to find out my true fitness level.  My hands were cold for the first mile, and then I warmed up nicely.  The early road portion allowed everyone to spread out well.  I feel good at this point.

Mile 11.9    1:01:05 (11:45 avg./mile) Aid Station #2

Nearing this second aid station, Charlie Taylor is close by me.  I hear him talk about beating cancer in the past year.  He seems to be a determined and lucky individual.  He has also completed the Volunteer State 300 a few times.  Right after the aid station, I talk with him briefly asking if he knows Rita Barnes.  Of course he does as she has also run the Volunteer State 300 a few times.  He also knows John Price from Virginia.  At this aid station, I grab a cup of water and a handful of potato chips.  My pace feels comfortable, and I think I am moving well at this point.

Mile 17.3    1:07:41 (12:32 avg./mile) Fearn Road

The course becomes more interesting as we traverse through the stone cuts and up and down several small climbs.  The trail has become muddier in many places.  My feet are doing okay, but my shoes are completely caked with mud.  Near the end of this section, I chat with Chris Redman, who is Rick’s brother-in-law.  We swap a few Rick stories before the aid station.   Amy is at this aid station so I trade out my Camelbak for a full one.  Then I drink a pint of chocolate milk, and drop off my hat and gloves.  In place of the hat, I put on a Buff.  It is still cool, but the temperature has warmed to the high 30s.  While this is more than halfway, most people consider it the halfway point for this race as the second half is apparently more challenging than the first half.  I hope I am able to maintain my effort.

Mile 21.0    57:36 (15:34 avg./mile) Old Railroad Bed

Challenging begins with a descent into an old railroad bed.  The trail is either a quagmire of mud or pointy medium size rocks.  It has my complete focus!  And, despite this section being mostly downhill, I am not able to keep up a quick pace.  Although part of this section is on the “Old Railroad Bed,” at no point could I image there being a railroad through here.  Apparently, old means it ceased operation in 1896!  Most of it is just a pile of rocks that we are forced to endure.  This type of trail is not conducive for making good time, and my pace suffers because of it.

Mile 25.0    1:09:10 (17:18 avg./mile) Hiker’s Parking Lot

I get into a better rhythm after the last aid station, but the trail is no better, and it is still slow going.  After a couple of miles though, things change, for the worse.  The course starts climbing up waterline trail.  It is a good hearty climb, very steep.  Then we continue up, climbing hand over hand up a waterfall.  It is a good, fun challenge, especially after 23+ miles.  Finally, I arrive at the road crossing just before the aid station.  Amy is at this one, but I don’t need much at this point.  I drink about half a pint of chocolate milk, and then wash it down with a cup of Coke.  I also eat another handful of potato chips.  The chips at this race are very good, kettle cooked, and well-salted.

Mile 29.5    1:15:39 (16:49 avg./mile) High Bluff

I leave the last aid station expecting to pick my pace back up.  The trail is nicely rolling for the first mile, but I am not moving very well, and the Coke hasn’t kicked in yet.  Then the course descends down a very muddy and steep trail.  I get passed by a couple of people before things started clicking for me.  I literally slide by the last person that passed me, managing to keep myself upright.  Then I pass the other person that passed me at the start of the downhill.  When the trail finally bottoms out, I am determined to stay ahead of them.  I push hard up the first part of the ensuing climb.  Then I run hard along a rolling section until the final climb starts in earnest.  I pass four guys powering up this final climb, almost catching a lady that I had seen about 10 miles ago.  At the aid station, I grab only a cup of Coke and have my eyes locked onto the two runners just ahead of me.

Mile 31.1    16:34 (10:21 avg./mile) FINISH – Lodge

The course is now back on top of the bluff, and it is mostly flat to the finish.  I always think that we must look like a bunch of geriatrics at this point—shuffling, huffing, and puffing—trying to finish strong and beat the other runners.  Despite my efforts, I am unable to catch the two runners in front of me until the finish line is almost in sight.  With a final effort, I push on past them, and run to the finish line.

Official Finishing Time          6:52:18

After the finish

162^nd out of 327 finishers

I am pleased with my overall effort today.  My time is not as fast as I would have liked, but given the mud on the course and my first time running this race, I guess it will have to do.  The best parts of today are that this was an interesting and challenging course that gave me an excellent workout.  My right ankle also held up very well despite the mud and technical trail.

At this point, I am not sure what my next race will be, although I have my eye on Cheaha 50k on February 28.  It is run on part of the Pinhoti Trail in central Alabama.

Never stop running,

Darin

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