Roots and rocks; hills and creeks; views and memories… We offer them all and more at Table Rock Ultras. Your goal is, the finish line, but lying between you and that goal is a lot of climbing, creek crossing, rock-hopping, gel-taking, and limit-pushing. The panoramic view from the summit of …
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Roots and rocks; hills and creeks; views and memories… We offer them all and more at Table Rock Ultras. Your goal is, the finish line, but lying between you and that goal is a lot of climbing, creek crossing, rock-hopping, gel-taking, and limit-pushing. The panoramic view from the summit of Table Rock is a perfect reward for all your hard work, until you realize you aren’t done…
What better way to spend a day than running through the beautiful Pisgah National and up to the summit of Table Rock Mountain? Our start/finish host is the family-friendly Steele Creek Park and Campground, which makes for an awesome base camp. Proceeds benefit the Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail, a 1,000+ mile trail that connects western and eastern North Carolina, and scenic places in between, including part of both courses! This race is permitted through the US Forest Service – Grandfather Ranger District.
If you are returning from last year, you have an idea of what to expect. If you are considering it for the first time, know that we are working hard to make this a memorable experience. We want you to laugh, cry, and maybe even swear a little bit and we hope to see a smile of either relief or accomplishment (or both) on your face when we see you at the finish line.
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Broken ankle and bees
This is the second time I've run this course. I planned to run the 50k this year, and registered as soon as 2024 registration opened. But then my dad happened … MORE
This is the second time I’ve run this course. I planned to run the 50k this year, and registered as soon as 2024 registration opened. But then my dad happened to pick this weekend for his wedding. So I dropped down from the 50k to the 30k and I thought, yeah, okay, the race is at 8am, the wedding is at 4pm, I can do this. And I did, but barely. It is actually about a 33k run, about 21 miles+. About 13 miles in I broke my ankle. I heard the loud snap and fell to the ground, and I sat on the ground and immediately felt for protruding bones. And then I thought, crapola!, I have to get to my dad’s wedding, and it’s already a tight window. The runner behind me saw me fall and heard the ankle and stopped and helped me up. I assured her I was okay and after a couple of minutes she and another runner who stopped to help were on their way. I thought I was okay. I started hobbling along and managed to run the next nine miles, but not before plowing through a hive of bees. It must have been a comedic scene if anyone was watching me run with a broken ankle while swatting away the bees.
Anyway, I made the wedding, didn’t tell me dad I’d busted my ankle, and my wife assured me I wouldn’t be able to walk on it if it was broken. So I limped up to the front and stood there as best man, wishing I could just sit back down with my family, lol. Luckily, the wedding wasn’t a weekend later. We had the rehearsal dinner at White Duck Taco in the River Arts District in Asheville, an area that was wiped off the map a week later, sadly, when Hurricane Helene hit.
I went to the doctor two days later and he confirmed the ankle was broken, and a visit to an ortho a few days after that confirmed it also had partially ruptured ligaments. Six weeks later the doc told me I could start running again, but only .25 miles a day for a few days. Hahaaa… right!
Anyway!!! Back to the race! The race was great. I don’t particularly care for the first / last 2 miles through a meadow and an old logging road, but the rest of the course is nice. The 50k is supposed to have some killer views. The 30k does not have these views. It is a pretty course, but the pics you see of sweeping views of the mountains below are all from the 50k.
Post-race food is great, and they have stuff for vegetarians, which I am. They have beer, plenty of NA drinks, and it’s just a pretty place to have a race. I was coming from Asheville, where my dad lives, and so I didn’t stay at the campground, but if you did stay at the campground you’d be just steps from the start / finish line.
Not a bucket list race, but if you are in the region, is it absolutely worth a weekend away.
Decently hard course but doable
I ran the 33k, not the 50k. The course is advertised as being very difficult and the pictures on the website suggest a course with spectacular views. This is part … MORE
I ran the 33k, not the 50k. The course is advertised as being very difficult and the pictures on the website suggest a course with spectacular views. This is part of the reason I registered for this race (the views, not the difficulty). But the course was not nearly as difficult as I anticipated. It was plenty hard, but it was also manageable. But there were no views. None. It was either on a gravel or overgrown back road, or in the green tunnel. With that said, the course was still pretty. There were a LOT of water crossings, and none of them were the type you can cross by hopping rocks to keep your feet dry. After mile 3 or 4 you’ll have wet feet for the entire run. This didn’t bother me though and I think if you just wear the right socks and lace your shoes up tightly you’ll be fine.
The race organizers were great, parking was easy, aid stations were well appointed and the volunteers at these stations were super friendly and helpful. There could be a few more porta-johns… well, there could be a few. The only toilets I saw were the campground bathrooms, which had only two stalls in the mens restroom. So plan to arrive early if visiting the john is part of your pre-race ritual.
The post-race food was great, and they had homemade corn salsa, black beans, and pulled chicken on a tortilla. Plus some veggies at the end of the line to add to the tortilla. Plenty of sodas, water, beer, etc., was on hand as well.
Overall, I’d do this race again but probably not the 33k (they call it a 30k but they tell you it’s actually 33k). If I’m going to work that hard I’d probably just like to do the 50k and see the incredible views in the pictures on the registration website.
Worth the trip if you are looking for a well-organized race in a great location.