2017-2018 Race Reports
November 24, 2018 - Oxbow Ultra 6 Hour
I had hoped to run 25 miles during the Oxbow Ultra this year but fell on a slick downhill section about mile 13 and called it quits after 15 miles. I was not in good shape but figured I would make it 5 times around the 5-mile loop this year. No major damage from the fall, just some scrapes and a sore knee. This is one of my favorite races of the year and finish line goodies included pasta, potato soup and many other items. I highly recommend this race and look forward to 2019.
November 25, 2017 - Oxbow Ultra 6 Hour - Honey Hill Loop, St. Paul, Virginia
I got to see an amazing sunrise and spotted 6 Elk as I crossed over Southern Gap on my way to St. Paul, Virginia for the Oxbow Ultra 6 Hour Trail Run. The running conditions were perfect with temps starting in the 40's and working their way into the 50's during the day. The course consists of a 5 mile loop - about a mile of flat along an oxbow lake, then a tough climb up Sugar Hill with some fast single-track downhill back to the Clinch River, then a 2-mile river trail run back to the start. The goal is to complete as many loops as you can in either the 6-hour, 12-hour, or 24-hour events. I managed to get in 6 loops with a finish time of 5:48 - good enough for 2nd place overall. As always, race director Patty Bates put on an amazing race. Finish line goodies included chili, lasagna, and potato soup just to mention a few. I highly recommend this race and look forward to 2018. Here is a link to some pictures I took during the race.
October 7, 2017 - Cloudsplitter 50K Trail Run on High Knob near Norton, Virginia.
This was the first running of the Cloudsplitter on these challenging trails around High Knob. I had been slacking in my training over the past couple months and I decided to drop my distance back to the 50K race a couple weeks before the start date. It turned out to be a good decision as I was completely worn out at about mile 25 and had some cramping issues the last few miles. I finished in 7:27 (15th overall and 3rd Grandmaster). Thanks go out to race director Susan Howell for this well coordinated event. I look forward to running it again next year. Here is a link to some pictures I took during the race.
April 29, 2017 - Big Turtle 50 Miler - Morehead, Kentucky
This was my first 50 miler and with temperatures reaching 90 degrees it pushed me to my limit. I had not been training for this race as I had planned and was was averaging only about 15 miles a week heading into race weekend. The first 25 or so miles went fine but at the turnaround I knew there was going to be quite a bit of hiking on the return journey. I picked up my trekking poles at mile 33 and then basically power hiked the last 17 miles back to Morehead, KY. It was almost dark when I arrived back in town 14 hours later. Here is a link to some pictures I took during the run.
March 19, 2017 - Virginia Creeper Marathon - Abingdon, VA
Dwain Harris and I finished our first marathon of 2017 but it was slower than we had hoped for. I had not been able to train much this spring so I was hoping for anything in the 4 hour range. I did finish in 4:37 which is almost an hour slower than I finished in 2016. I had to start walking on and off at the 14 mile mark and my pace dropped off considerably at that point. I'm hoping for a much better showing in 2018 with more consistent training. Overall though it was a great day and the race itself is well run and on an old railway bed so the elevation changes are slight.