My first 50 miler under my belt. It hurt good! I drove up on Friday night to pick up my race packet and find the start. After getting my packet and dropping off the "drop bags" Saturday's race, I headed up lookout to find the start. It was a good thing I did; the fog was terrible. From there, I headed to my Uncle John and June's house. This was crucial! Had an amazing dinner and a great sleep!
Morning came early! Headed to the top of Lookout Mountain at Covenant College for the start. I arrived around 0615am which gave me plenty of time stretch and get ready for a long day. It was cool but the clouds had blown out leaving blue skies. I decided last minute to change from shorts to tights and I am glad I did! The race got going at 0730am sharp. Started out steady running along a ridge. It was muddy and slightly up and down with mostly down! Around mile 4, I tripped over a root in the muddiest section thus far and face planted....it was awesome and I was pretty happy about it:) It dried off throughout the next few hours so I was able to brush most of it off. Around mile 14 or so, the trail turned into a stream! It was literally a mid-calf slosh! The next few miles stayed low and then we began to work our way back up the mountain to Covenant College. It was a pretty tiring 4 mile climb up. This completed the 22 loop and we were back to the first "bag drop". I got rid of my trash, refilled my nutrition, and headed out for the 28 mile out and back.
The trail was hit or miss with mud but VERY WELL MARKED! A few miles down there was decent water crossing. The cool water up to my knees was actually pretty refreshing. The trail rolled along up and down to the next aid station at mile 34. There was a large section with downed trees everywhere from where the tornado had passed through. It was a true picture of the destruction they bring....nuts! Just past the aid station was the most outstanding waterfall! It was 500 yards away and you could feel the mist. We then worked our way up to another ridge. This climb was so muddy and steep we had to pull ourselves up with ropes at one point. The top was worth it. The run along the ridge was gorgeous with views on both sides. After hitting the next aid station, we did a quick 4 mile loop before heading back to the finish. Well, quick may not be the best description. This was probably my low point. After the loop, another trash dumb and refill of nutrition got me going.
The run back went well and I felt good all the way to the last aid station. The view of the waterfall was even better on the way back and you could hear it coming and we descended the ridge....via rope. As I left the last aid station, I broke out my light as the night approached. I tried to go as long as I could without it but finally did. It was a slow grind to the finish and I really had to push myself to keep running. There were some great views of the city lights below as we worked our way back to the top of Lookout Mountain and to the college. Hit the finish line at 12 hours 16 minutes. What a day!!! Delicious hamburger and Finisher Pint glass to wrap it up.
Rock/Creek and all the volunteers did an absolutely amazing job! The course was amazing laid out and well marked. The volunteers knew what to expect and filled bottles quickly and were constantly asking what they could do to help! The aid stations had great food was well. The only thing I really got was the gummy bears but they were clutch! The longest I stopped at an aid station was probably 2 minutes; that shows how helpful they were! Great race and if you run Ultras and have not done it; YOU ARE MISSING OUT!
