There were so many great aspects to this race. First, the race director Tim is first rate. He provided enough emails that I felt prepared ahead of time without cluttering … MORE
There were so many great aspects to this race. First, the race director Tim is first rate. He provided enough emails that I felt prepared ahead of time without cluttering my inbox. I went to register 4 months ahead of the race and the 50K was sold out (sign up early!). He granted me an extra spot so I could run. Tim also created an extra age group for my daughter so that she could win a first place medal. She is 6 years old and running her first trail race (she did the 5 miler). Being able to stand on the podium with her medal was such a wonderful experience for my entire family. If my daughter becomes an endurance athlete, this race will be a big reason why!
All the logistics were smooth as could be. The entire race was highly organized. Race packet pickup took one minute. It was a brisk morning the day of the race, but there were plenty of heat lamps to stay warm. The course was so well marked that no reasonable person would get lost. I LOVED the mile markers for every mile. This is the first ultra I have run that did that. The course is 99+% on trails. Most of the course is single track, with some wider stretches interspersed. Most of the trail is smooth, with maybe 10% having roots or rocks. The course is constant undulating hills. Very little of the course is flat, but there were only a half dozen larger hills. The varied terrain was nice because one muscle group doesn’t get overtaxed. I ran 31 miles and had no muscle soreness the next day. The aid stations are plentiful. I brought my own water to cut down on the cups being used. I didn’t even need to fill up at some of the stations because they are so frequent. The food was typical ultra fare. It was more than enough to sustain me for 6 hours of running. I brought no food of my own and was totally fine.
The volunteers embodied southern hospitality. They were high energy and quite friendly. The bibs have personalized names on them which is a nice touch. The finishers medals are made out of clay and are totally unique to anything I’ve earned before. There was pizza at the finish line which is just what my empty stomach needed. The race is entirely within Fort Yargo State Park. The park is beautiful. Since it’s February, you can see much further since there aren’t leaves on the trees. There is not a ton of parking there, so carpooling and getting there as early as possible is recommended. The 2020 race was under clear blue skies. While I didn’t cook in the sun, I recommend sunglasses as there were lots of sunny stretches.
This is my 7th ultra and 17th race of a marathon or further and this is one the best ones. The race somehow managed to provide the intimate feel of a small race, yet have the organization and quality goodies (personalized bib, cool finishers medal, post race food etc.) of a much larger race. My wife and daughter are very fortunate their first trail race was such a good one.
I STRONGLY recommend this race to anyone looking for a quality ultra experience!
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One of the best ultras I've experienced!
There were so many great aspects to this race. First, the race director Tim is first rate. He provided enough emails that I felt prepared ahead of time without cluttering … MORE
There were so many great aspects to this race. First, the race director Tim is first rate. He provided enough emails that I felt prepared ahead of time without cluttering my inbox. I went to register 4 months ahead of the race and the 50K was sold out (sign up early!). He granted me an extra spot so I could run. Tim also created an extra age group for my daughter so that she could win a first place medal. She is 6 years old and running her first trail race (she did the 5 miler). Being able to stand on the podium with her medal was such a wonderful experience for my entire family. If my daughter becomes an endurance athlete, this race will be a big reason why!
All the logistics were smooth as could be. The entire race was highly organized. Race packet pickup took one minute. It was a brisk morning the day of the race, but there were plenty of heat lamps to stay warm. The course was so well marked that no reasonable person would get lost. I LOVED the mile markers for every mile. This is the first ultra I have run that did that. The course is 99+% on trails. Most of the course is single track, with some wider stretches interspersed. Most of the trail is smooth, with maybe 10% having roots or rocks. The course is constant undulating hills. Very little of the course is flat, but there were only a half dozen larger hills. The varied terrain was nice because one muscle group doesn’t get overtaxed. I ran 31 miles and had no muscle soreness the next day. The aid stations are plentiful. I brought my own water to cut down on the cups being used. I didn’t even need to fill up at some of the stations because they are so frequent. The food was typical ultra fare. It was more than enough to sustain me for 6 hours of running. I brought no food of my own and was totally fine.
The volunteers embodied southern hospitality. They were high energy and quite friendly. The bibs have personalized names on them which is a nice touch. The finishers medals are made out of clay and are totally unique to anything I’ve earned before. There was pizza at the finish line which is just what my empty stomach needed. The race is entirely within Fort Yargo State Park. The park is beautiful. Since it’s February, you can see much further since there aren’t leaves on the trees. There is not a ton of parking there, so carpooling and getting there as early as possible is recommended. The 2020 race was under clear blue skies. While I didn’t cook in the sun, I recommend sunglasses as there were lots of sunny stretches.
This is my 7th ultra and 17th race of a marathon or further and this is one the best ones. The race somehow managed to provide the intimate feel of a small race, yet have the organization and quality goodies (personalized bib, cool finishers medal, post race food etc.) of a much larger race. My wife and daughter are very fortunate their first trail race was such a good one.
I STRONGLY recommend this race to anyone looking for a quality ultra experience!