Witch Dance Trail Run
Houston, MS
- 50K, 25K, 12.5K, 5K
- Trail (Unpaved)
- Official race website
What do you get when you connect almost 40 miles of abandoned rail lines, forgotten roads, and forestry trails? You get the perfect location for an ultra trail run! Located on the mysterious Witch Dance Trails near the midpoint of the Natchez Trace Parkway at Houston, Mississippi, the Witch Dance … MORE
Local Historical Weather (May 21):
| 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | |
| H (°F) | 88 | 85 | 81 | 90 | 87 |
| L (°F) | 70 | 66 | 55 | 68 | 68 |
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What was I thinking
On May 21, 2022, I ran the spring edition of the Witch Dance Trail Run in the Tombigbee National Forest near Houston, MS, but it didn't go the way I … MORE
On May 21, 2022, I ran the spring edition of the Witch Dance Trail Run in the Tombigbee National Forest near Houston, MS, but it didn’t go the way I had planned. I had a couple of problems that messed with my head going into the run which was causing some unnecessary anxiety, the foremost of which was that I hurt my lower back on the Monday before the race while bending over to fill my lawnmower with gas (damn you household chores!). The second and third were the hills for which I hadn’t trained, compounded by not running since I hurt my back, and the heat and humidity which I wasn’t prepared for.
I had signed up for the 50K which had a soft 8-hour cutoff. The race director said that if we were through the last full-service aid station within 8-hours, we could continue to the finish. The course was a 12.5 km loop on an equine trail. The first loop went well, but by the end I knew that I would not be able to keep up the pace because of the heat and humidity. I did the calculations in my head, and figured that it would take me at least 9 + hours to finish, which would have most-likely given me an official finish time. If I did that though, I would be hard-pressed to get my rental car back in time to avoid having to pay for another day’s rental charge, which I didn’t want to do. Besides, if I finished the 4 loops, I would have been so wiped out that I would not be able to drive back to the airport in Memphis safely by myself. Thus, by the end of the first loop, I had already decided to ask the race director if I could drop to the 25K distance, which he agreed to do.
Knowing that I only was going to do one more loop, I admittedly took my time so as not to succumb to the MS heat and humidity. It took me almost 5 hours to finish the 50K, but I was in good shape to do the 2.5 hour drive back to the airport. I know that given enough time, I could have finished the 50K, but I would have been miserable and most likely not have returned my rental car in time. I was, however, not the only runner to drop to the 25K. There were 15 people signed up for the 50K, and only 6 finished. Even the locals who were used to the heat complained that it was too hot.
The race director did give me a medal, which did not have a distance on it like the others. When I looked at it, I was worried that TSA wouldn’t allow it in my carry on bag because it was a cutout of a witches head, and the brim of the had had sharp points on it, so I took it out of my bag before going through security and put it in one of the plastic bins. Apparently, they must have confiscated it because when I picked up my items after they were scanned, it wasn’t there, or else I just missed picking it up because it wasn’t in my bag when I got home. I was still worth it and I’m glad I did it for the experience..
Sorry for the long-winded pity party. I’ll post a picture of a tree that I thought went along with the name of the trail for which the race was named (pun unintended).
P.S. My back didn’t bother me much during the run, but probably slowed me down a little and it is a little sore today.