I don't know if this run was just really, really difficult or if I was out of running shape. Maybe both. I had done shorter runs in the few weeks … MORE
I don’t know if this run was just really, really difficult or if I was out of running shape. Maybe both. I had done shorter runs in the few weeks prior to this one but nothing that approached 18 miles. It was hot, so very hot and humid.
Did I say it was hot? Or humid? It was. The finish line is at the put-in for the lake and I basically just kept running through the finish line, to the pizza tent to grab a slice, and then straight into the water. I stayed in the water cooling off for probably 20 minutes, and I was not the only runner who was doing this. Clearly runners had been thinking about this during the last few miles of the race.
For a trail run it was so-so. That’s not a knock on the race organizers or the state park. I’m from the Southeast and currently live in Chattanooga. I generally find trail courses to be not a great ROI. You work really hard and don’t get a lot of payoff in terms of views or waterfalls, etc. Still, I do the trail runs here because… well, because I live here. I wuld say that the trail itself was decent. There were rocky and rooty places but there were also plenty of places that weren’t rooty and rocky.
There were port-a-potties on site, parking was easy enough, and although I didn’t camp in the park I do believe there was camping available, or lodging close to the park.
I’d recommend this one for runners who live within a couple hours drive, but probably not further than that. I am not itching to do it again but would if I were looking for a nearby race and this was the only one that fit my calendar.
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Hard run, and very hot
I don't know if this run was just really, really difficult or if I was out of running shape. Maybe both. I had done shorter runs in the few weeks … MORE
I don’t know if this run was just really, really difficult or if I was out of running shape. Maybe both. I had done shorter runs in the few weeks prior to this one but nothing that approached 18 miles. It was hot, so very hot and humid.
Did I say it was hot? Or humid? It was. The finish line is at the put-in for the lake and I basically just kept running through the finish line, to the pizza tent to grab a slice, and then straight into the water. I stayed in the water cooling off for probably 20 minutes, and I was not the only runner who was doing this. Clearly runners had been thinking about this during the last few miles of the race.
For a trail run it was so-so. That’s not a knock on the race organizers or the state park. I’m from the Southeast and currently live in Chattanooga. I generally find trail courses to be not a great ROI. You work really hard and don’t get a lot of payoff in terms of views or waterfalls, etc. Still, I do the trail runs here because… well, because I live here. I wuld say that the trail itself was decent. There were rocky and rooty places but there were also plenty of places that weren’t rooty and rocky.
There were port-a-potties on site, parking was easy enough, and although I didn’t camp in the park I do believe there was camping available, or lodging close to the park.
I’d recommend this one for runners who live within a couple hours drive, but probably not further than that. I am not itching to do it again but would if I were looking for a nearby race and this was the only one that fit my calendar.