Eagle Ridge
Guntersville, AL
- 50K, Half Marathon, 5K
- Trail (Unpaved)
- Official race website
Running Lane is excited to bring back the first ultra to Guntersville State Park! Guntersville is a magnificent 6,000+ acre park with over 30 miles of single track trails! Lake Guntersville State Park is also referred to as the most beautiful place in Alabama and the “Crown Jewel” of the … MORE
Local Historical Weather (Feb 07):
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |
| H (°F) | 53 | 66 | 63 | 68 | 51 |
| L (°F) | 29 | 52 | 35 | 42 | 30 |
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Great volunteers, hard course
This course had the best volunteers of any race I've ever done, in probably 75 races. They were super helpful, asked what we needed when we got to the aid … MORE
This course had the best volunteers of any race I’ve ever done, in probably 75 races. They were super helpful, asked what we needed when we got to the aid station, helped fill bottles, etc. The aid stations were stocked. Plenty of junk food, sports drink (not diluted with water), water, bacon, quesadillas, and even Coke. Hands down the best aid stations and the best volunteers. Full stop. Weirdly, this is in contrast to the race I did last week that was put on by the same company. That race had great aid stations but zero volunteers. Zero. On the entire course, and I and others got lost due to one turn that had unclear trail markings, apparently. That was Frozen Falls. But this Eagle Ridge race was great, in that regard.
The start/finish line was close to the state park lodge and it’s a great lodge with an amazing view over the lake from the top of the mountain. Indoor bathrooms, a fire in the huge fireplace, plenty of space for runners to sit and relax before walking out to the start line 50m away. Parking was aplenty and located between the lodge entrance and the start line.
The course scenery was ho-hum. There were a few middle miles that ran along the lake and were quite nice. There were other miles that were super technical and it was basically walking. There as maybe a half a mile somewhere in there that was through a boulder or rock field and without markers everyone would have gotten lost as the trail itself wasn’t obvious. But the trail was marked really well and you know to keep the hanging orange ribbons to your right. At the end of the few miles on the lake you take a hard left and immediately start a climb up a very steep gravel road. I mean *very* steep. It was maybe three-quarters of a mile to a mile long but no one I could see in front or behind me was running. It was all I could do to walk fast without stopping. This was maybe around mile 10 (for the half marathoners) and so you are already tired. Once you reach the top you take a left and head down a trail again, hit an aid station and then run the last mile or two to the finish line. I was so beat by that time, and tired from the climb, I ate and drank too much (M&M, quesadilla, Coke, and sports drink). I know better! But that made the last mile or two slower and less pleasant with that sloshing around in my tummy. Not a smart move, but man, I was feeling a bit hungry!
This was a hard course. Maybe the hardest I’ve done. And the payoff in scenery was not a solid ROI for the output of effort. I’m glad I did this race, but for this reason I don’t think I’d do this course again. If I did do the race again I would take the wife to the lodge for the weekend and would run the race because of the aid stations and volunteer support. I recommend this race, at least once. But it’s not an easy course. And it is short of 13 miles. My GPS said 11.54, but I typically end up with a mile short on trail runs (Garmin Fenix 5). Not sure why, but whatever. But the trail organizers did indicate that the race was somewhere in the 12+ mile range. So if you are a purist looking for a certified course this probably wouldn’t be it.
The finish line was typical. They had chili and chicken noodle soup. I am generally a plant-based eater and always a vegetarian. Plant-based options are probably a bit much to ask for but it would be nice to see more races offer vegetarian options for post race food, other than the Saltine crackers I munched on at the end of this race. No complaints though. Most races don’t have soup at all and this was a solid race in terms of food, across the board.