Josh Ross's Staging Area

This is a fun course in a beautiful area! The other participants always add to the fun. This year the weather was nice. This is my third year running it.

I decided to fit this in during a quick trip to GA with the wife since she planned to shop with her bestie all day.

My goal was to do 50k which I easily did. I clocked 33 miles in 7:08 and called it a day. I could’ve done more but don’t want to derail my current schedule for an upcoming 100.

The course is all on paved pathway with little elevation gain. I ran 4 minutes and walked 2 throughout since the terrain wasn’t steep enough to dictate run/walk cycles.

The RD was cool and had jokes! The volunteers were super nice. I asked for chocolate early on thinking they would since this race had a Halloween vibe, but they had ZERO chocolate. One of the volunteers tracked down a Reece cup when I was deep in and gave it to me!! So nice of her!! Of course it motivated me.

They had all the typical food and tailwind, which I love. They also has decor, skeletons, scary things, which was fun.

This would be good for a first timer. I also opted for the 12 hour since I’ma huge fan of the 10am start. It did get hot up into the low 80’s I believe. Keep eating and pushing fluids. I had no issues as far as that goes. They provided hot quesadillas, soups, etc. that were great!

If I were local I’d probably do this one again. The lake is beautiful along with the forested scenery.

This is my second time running this one. Last year I did the 12 hour option and this year opted for the 24 hour.

I didn’t do as well as expected, stopping at 50 miles but that is my fault.

A new team ran it this year and did great. The food spread was top notch, the music was loud, and the team was very friendly and motivating. They are active ultras runners too.

The course itself is moderately difficult. In my 50 miles I saw around 4500 feet in elevation gain. Some rocks and roots were present, enough to make the feet get a little beat up but no major issues.

All in all not a bad course. I live nearby so will probably be doing it again. Oh, the food spread deserves mentioning. It was great!

Townsend is so pretty!

My wife and I ran the 5k Friday and the half on Saturday. Beautiful area but I think the half marathon shows more of the beauty.

This is the fastest 5k I’ve done in a few years so I’m happy with that considering the couple of hills to get through.

Vacation Races always puts on a great race. This year it rained most of the time and conditions were really wet. Still has a great time!

This is a 1.1 mile loop course, very flat. If you like seeing people who are outgoing and friendly then this is the race for you. It is indeed hot.

My performance wasn’t great for my first attempt at the 8 hour. I think I got food poisoning (from dinner the previous night, not at the race). I’ve finished much longer races.

I want to try this one again when I’m feeling 100%. The RD was great and answered all emails timely. GPS was wonky getting me there so I had to stop and ask for directions. It’s past Cherokee HS and then you take a right turn on a small road right before the bridge (and after the HS).

There was a good turnout too for this one. Lot’s of abilities of all ages. I think the local high school cross country team came out, or maybe they were from the local college. Anyhow, they were FAST and fun to watch. There were also those who walked most of it.

Snacks were plentiful and varied. They had water and tailwind. Good event overall! Oh, and there is some shade throughout the day due to all the beautiful mature trees!

This race was a great experience!

The scenery was gorgeous with most of the trail in forest with mature growth. Luckily the effects of Hurricane Ian missed us, so the conditions remained dry.

The race volunteers and RD were cool and laid back. Too bad this is the last year of this ultra (unless another RD steps up).

I was shooting for 50 miles but am happy with how I did considering the elevation. I gained over 4200 feet which was a lot for me.

Race swag including a cool medal. Food was great with typical fair, freshly grilled hot dogs and pizza included.

I met some really cool ultra runners!!

Cranked out my longest race distance yesterday. It was brutal. It rained for 3 of the 4 12.5 mile loops. Standing water on top of mud gave way to a slippery snotty mud. There was much slipping around. Waynesville OH is pretty and this run is called Dawg Gone Long Run. I met some really cool and friendly people.

I was beat and in survival mode by mile 45 until some petite woman tried to pass me. Then it was on! I kicked her butt!

Considering my feet were wet continuously after the first mile I think I did great! I have a few blisters, I am extremely sore, but remain injury free!

Great race!

This was both my first time doing this race and my first time visiting WV. The state and race are beautiful! So many trees!

I enjoyed the run overall and am very happy with my performance, despite sweltering conditions. I kept up on electrolytes, fuel, and water which was key. Aide stations were adequately stocked though I would have like salt for the watermelon.

Conditions were somewhat muddy and wet although not too bad. What was super annoying were all the darned horse flies. Persistent little buggers. My arms and shoulders got the better workout from all the swatting !! haha.

The other runners were cool and the RD obviously cared a great deal about putting on a great event! Also, his mom handled end of run food and her pancakes were outstanding!

I ran for the first time the Virginia Creeper Marathon this year. It was a true pleasure!! I haven’t done a small event like this in probably two decades and had forgotten how much fun they can be. It’s low key but ran by a great, friendly group of folks! Other participants were super friendly as well. No t-shirt or medal is given out; however, I love the paper weight that I received. It was done really nicely.

The course itself is on the easier side, especially as far as trail running goes. It is easier than many road marathons providing a clear, unobstructed running surface and lacking any major hills.

If my schedule allows, I would like to participate again next year!

My wife and I love Sandia Mountain and have run the half every year that this run has happened. 2021 will be our last one though since we are moving back east.
This year was a good production. There were ample aide stations with porta johns every few miles. They provided Body Armor drink which we both enjoy and feel helps.
I didn’t PR this year but had a strong, injury free run. I’m writing this the following day with extremely sore quads, haha. That is the price to pay for a downhill race!
We did the VIP option this year to be able to stay in a warm bus until it was nearly time to start. I would not pay for this option in the future. Many non-VIP runners were allowed on the bus since they showed up late. The same food was available to all.
One other note worthy observation was that there was a strong police force directing traffic and many volunteers parked along the way. I feel this was a very safe race for my wife and I.
I would continue to participate if we were staying local.

The organizers put on a great show! The swag was average and although the medal was a little small for both the half and full marathons they were nicely designed and very blingy! There was an army of police and volunteers covering the full marathon. I never felt unsafe nor worried about my wife’s safety. Plenty of nutrition was provided along the course as well. The terrain itself was all pavement and concrete with just a very small section of smooth gravel/dirt. The concrete and pavement though changed slightly at many interfaces. It made for sore knees for my wife and my ankles and feet ached. No tripping hazards just felt hard on the joints. This could also be due to thus being my first marathon in 20 years! The bands were all awesome! They really motivated me and sounded good and loud! My wife’s only complaint other than knees for her half marathon was waiting and trying to get through the water stops, due to congestion. I didn’t have this problem on the full. Overall it was a fun town to race in but I probably wouldn’t try to PR here. The full had a lot of turn-arounds a too.

This is my second time running the Sandia Half. Last year was good but this year it was even better considering production, safety, swag, and finish nutrition! I thoroughly enjoyed the downhill race and the challenge of pacing. This one is a little tricky to pace due to the rolling hills with a few bigger hills from miles 5.5-11 (half). In my opinion this is not a course you would shoot for negative splits but instead try to bank some early fast pacing through the steeper downhill sections which I did.

This is an out and back course, for the 1/4 marathon anyway. It wasn’t overly populated, but the logistics in the parking lot (start and finish) felt a little cramped. They did offer hot cocoa at the end, which was nice! My wife was rather enamored of the Rudolph socks you get in your swag bag!

I ran the half marathon which basically starts at the halfway point for the full. This is my first half marathon in 8-10 years with nothing longer than a 10k in that time. I thought the course was easy and fast! There was only one significant hill at about the ten mile mark of the half course. I didn’t think it was bad at all but I do frequent hill training in my day to day running.
The food at the end could have been more varied, the swag was ok but I would prefer synthetic shirts, and a line did develop 10-15 minutes before the start. I think for an inaugural race that things were ok though overall, and plan to give it another go next year with doing the full marathon.
The temp was around 50 degrees and since my wife and I took the first bus up we froze for over an hour. Should have brought the free blankets that came in the swag bag.
It will be colder at the full marathon starting point.
I live in Albuquerque and am thankful to have this opportunity so close! My finish time was blistering fast! This is a fast course with an overall 1400 foot elevation drop in just the half!!