The Mount Mitchell Heartbreaker 50M/55K is an extremely scenic tour of “the other Pisgah” in the shadow of Mount Mitchell. Starting at the foot of the mountains in Old Fort, NC at Camp Grier, the race takes runners up and down some of the most stunning, quad-busting, and heart-pounding trails …
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The Mount Mitchell Heartbreaker 50M/55K is an extremely scenic tour of “the other Pisgah” in the shadow of Mount Mitchell. Starting at the foot of the mountains in Old Fort, NC at Camp Grier, the race takes runners up and down some of the most stunning, quad-busting, and heart-pounding trails in all of Western North Carolina, eventually taking the 50 milers over three 6,000 ft+ peaks including Mount Mitchell itself, making this the highest 50 miler east of the Mississippi! Highlights of the course include Snooks Nose, Green Knob, Black Mountain Crest, and Heartbreak Ridge Trails.
Course Description
Each course has a bit of everything, from technical singletrack, grassy double track, gravel, and a short bit of pavement. The 50 miler has three major climbs and descents up Snooks Nose/ down Green Knob, up Mt Mitchell and the Crest Trail/ down Buncombe Horse, and up Bald Knob Ridge/ down Heartbreak Ridge. The 50k has two major climbs/descents, the first and last as described in the 50 miler. The 50k does not include the climb up Mt Mitchell. Although the course has a lot of climbing, there are plenty of sections to make up time with long gentle downhills and a good mix or gravel road sections.
Each course will have a combo of full and fluid only aid stations located approximately every 4-7 miles along the course. Aid stations will have at a minimum: Water and Gatorade. Minimum foods include: bananas, orange slices, potato chips, pretzels, PB&J, and M&Ms.
The Numbers
Start: 50M – 5:00 AM, 55K – 7:00 AM
Distance: ~ 50 M / 55K
Elevation Gain: 50M ~ 12,000 ft, 55k ~ 7,500 ft
Time Limit: 50M – 16 hours, 55K – 12 hours
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