The MST 12M & 50K Challenge course will follow beautiful single track of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail (MST) as it winds through the woods around Falls Lake in Raleigh, NC.
The 12-mile course will be a point-to-point run starting at the end of Bayleaf Church Rd. and finishing at the Falls Lake dam. The 50-km course will be an out-and-back run starting and finishing at Blue Jay Point Park and turning around at the Falls Lake dam (same location as 12-mile finish).
The MST, part of the NC State Park system, stretches 1000 miles across North Carolina from Clingmans Dome in the Great Smokies to Jockey’s Ridge State Park on the Outer Banks. More than 500 miles of the official trail are now complete, and with temporary connectors on back roads people can now hike across the state.
Race proceeds will benefit the Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail who, with the help of dedicated volunteers, build and maintain the MST trail throughout the state as well as advocate and educate the importance of maintaining and securing our natural resources.
What to Expect
First, a lot of fun! You can expect that we will setup a great course, provide a well marked course, stocked water stops, and accurate results. We will do our best to make sure you enjoy your experience. If you have a suggestion please email it to us…we love to hear from participants and spectators.
Be Aware…
This is a trail race…very different than a road race. You will be exposed to many obstacles you would not normally see in a road race. The course is a single-track hiking trail, so there are roots, rocks, quick turns, logs, woodland critters, and possibly water to avoid. There are plenty of aid stations and volunteers on the course, but if it’s a hot day or if you think you need more fluids, we highly recommend carrying your own.
The Small Print
We ask that you do not run with your dog, run with an unregistered pacer, run with headphones, run with a jog stroller, and, of course, do not litter on the trail.
LESS
Tough trail with time cutoff
I entered the 50k distance. There was an 8 hour time limit. What they did not tell you was that you had to be at the halfway turnaround in 4 … MORE
I entered the 50k distance. There was an 8 hour time limit. What they did not tell you was that you had to be at the halfway turnaround in 4 hours. I missed this cutoff by less than 10 minutes. If I had known of this cutoff, I would have pushed harder. Being a 50k, I was trying to reserve energy for later in the race. They gave me the choice of catching a car ride back to the start or removing my bib and return on foot (the course was out-and-back). I chose to remove my bib and finish the distance that I paid for. Since I was no longer under a time constraint, I walked a lot of the second half and took pictures of the scenery and wildlife. The race director still gave me a finisher’s medal even though officially I was listed as DNF.
The trail itself was muddy in spots and filled with rocks and roots for the entire distance, with the exception of a few spots where you had to go along a road to reach the next trail section.
Trail markings were almost exclusively those for the Mountains to Sea Trail itself and easy to follow.