Busy Weekend

Great weather and a lot of stuff went on the weekend of September 19-20.  Events included: Youngstown Ultra Trail 50k (Results) | Alex and Scott's 12 Hour | Iroquios 100 miler (results)  | Delaware 100 | the North Face® Endurance Challenge

Comments

The results are in for the 12 Hour Adventure Run at Prince William Forest Park. David Snipes was  the 2nd male solo finisher.He ran 9 ,6.5 mile loops.I came in 8th place for the mens solo with 8 loops. Holly Franz came in 2nd for the solo females with 8 loops.There may have been more Happy Trails runners out there but these are the ones I know of.Patrick Mcglade the VCU student won the mens race with 11 loops.He also stepped on a snake.Unlike some Happy Trail folks he did not pick it up and let it bite him.

  This race is Awesome!  and not just because I helped create it, or grew up running on the finger lakes trail.  It really was a fine event.  Super location with a great restaurant with indoor/outdoor seating with open fields for camping and rent (able) cabins behind it.  This served as start & finish for the 50, 100 and 100 mile relay races.  We had amazing weather with no clouds the entire weekend and with it being so remote...amazing stars.  The race had only 3 miles of blacktop and has single track that is slightly more technical than bull run.  What got me was all the STEEP but short hills.  They will blow out the quads if you only train on the C&O canal like I do.  Why this race only attracted 30 runners when others like oil creek and grindstone have filled and are equally as new I don't know.

So I weakened once and decided to participate in an "event " or  "festival" .  Call it a mini mid life crisis. I was expecting Woodstock and got a Hannah Montana concert.  Never knew there were so many 20 year old ultrarunners.  Not many "seasoned" runners apparent and a young fellow like me was the third oldest in the 50 miler! 

But despite the goofy DJ-like announcer at the start/finish, the repetition of the 3 seven mile loops midway through the 50 miler, and the NPS nanny state prohibitions on non-packaged food at the aid stations within Great Falls park  - it was a good race.  Superb weather, a well marked trail, and great volunteers made for a fun day.  The course was fast with several good hills to break things up, the views of the river and the falls were breathtaking, and the civilians sharing the trails were very accommodating and supportive. Useful North Face swag too - shirt, socks, and water bottle. I particularly liked the 0500 start which allowed some night running while still fresh and good separation from the 50K runners who stared at 0700 .

While the North Face Endurance Challenge 50 miler isn't BRR, it wasn't a bad way to spend a Saturday and meet a whole bunch of young runners who don't know Gary and think YooHoo an odd way to hydrate.

Actually, the link for the North Face thing is rather outdated. They fairly promptly posted results at www.challenge.thenorthface.com

Paul pointed out this problem earlier but I didn't get around to changing it. I will change it now.

 

I would say that North Face made the same mistake that a lot of events do. They change the Web place you need to go to find out stuff. There should be one link that is good before, during, and after the event.