2010 Iron Mountain Trail Run
Race Director’s Report
September 4, 2010, turned out to be a great day for running in the National Forests around Damascus, VA. The day started with temperatures in the mid 50s and they climbed to the mid 70’s during the day. However, due to the breezy conditions and the mostly shaded course it was great for running (though aid station workers got pretty chilly at times).
103 runners toed the line for the 7 AM start, the largest start in the race’s 5 year history. The initial 5 miles on the Virginia Creeper allowed the runners to settle into their respective paces and spread out before hitting the single track. By the time runners made it to the first aid station (Straight Branch), IMTR newcomer David Cheromei had established his lead. Greg Kotzbauer tried to keep the pressure up, but David led into the 16 mile finish setting a new 16 mile course record of 1:52:06. Aurlie Crytzer and Emily Wood made a close race of it for the women’s 16 mile race, but Aurlie Crytzer made it to the finish first, setting a new 16 mile women’s course record of 2:51:51. All of the 16 mile runners finished, along with one 50 mile runner who accidently turned around with the 16 milers.
The 30 mile race also had some impressive runners. Jonathan Allen set a 30 mile course record of 4:04:04. Since the 16 milers were still coming in, Jonathan had to convince me that he was a 30 miler and not a 16 miler! Lew McGrath, the 50 mile winner in 2008 came in second for the men, but was not able to push Jonathan at the end. For the ladies, Malinda Honkus set a new 30 mile course record of 5:30:37. Sally Evenden was not far behind, but unable to make up the time she needed. All of the 30 mile starters finished with time to spare.
The 50 mile course also saw two records set. Shaun Pope lowered the record by 20 minutes, setting a new record of 7:28:08. Sandi Nypaver dropped the women’s record by almost 40 minutes, to 8:14:05. Both runners held sizable leads over their respective competition.
The good temperatures certainly contributed to 6 records being set on race day (and the fact that the race is young, with the 5th running of the 50 mile race and the 2nd running of the 16 & 30 mile races). However, everything was not easy out on the trails. There were still plenty of miles to cover, with plenty of rocks for everyone. The 50 milers saw 1 runner go off course (running one section backwards), 3 runners make it through the last aid station on time only to finish over the time limit (therefore, not “officially” finishing), and 11 runners not make it to the last aid station on time (a few dropped earlier). Several of those runners decided to continue on the course even though their race was over*, and they would have no race support. A few ended up making it to the finish in the dark!
[*Continuing after missing a cutoff will be strongly discouraged in the future, with course markings being removed immediately after the course closes.]
There were a few problems. Some trail vandalism was noted; however, all the tricky turns were remarked and most runners said they had no navigation problems. I also mixed up a few shirt orders and underestimated the amount of soda some stations needed. Last year we certainly needed a few more volunteers, and we had them this year! When I did need a few extra hands at the finish this year, runners who had finished their races stepped up to help out, thanks! Overall, I thought the 2010 race went extremely well!
I would like to thank all the runners for coming out and helping to make this a great event and thanks to our sponsors for their support: SunDog Outfitters (and Adventure Damascus), Succeed! Sportsdrink and S!Caps, and Bristol Signs. And I would especially like to thank all the volunteers for giving up their Labor Day Saturday to make this a fun safe weekend for more than a 100 runners!
The tentative date for the 2011 IMTR will be Saturday, September 3, 7 AM start. Registration should open in May. I’ll see you out on the trails!
kevin townsend
Race Director,
Iron Mountain Trail Run