I managed to make my way around Starr mountain (near Etowah TN) this past Saturday, though it wasn't a pretty sight I'm sure.

The short version: The run was difficult, hot, beautiful and mostly on semi-abandoned dirt roads. My altimeter said 3800 ft of elevation gain and the thermometer said 101 F in the sun when I finished (much later).

The longer version: The race had two strikes against it in my little world from the start. I am an ultrawimp and I was two weeks out from the Berryman 50. It was also really, really freakin' hot.

The course started nearby the popular Gee Creek campground on the Hiawassee
river. The first three miles were very steep gaining nearly 1500ft. After that the general trend continued up, though there were plenty enough short, steep downs for me to ruin my quads which had apparently not recovered from the Berryman. After the first aid station at 8 miles, Iron gap, the road again rose to Hogback Ridge, and one of the most beautiful stretches on the run: Nice views of distant Smoky Mountains above a fog filled valley, and an occasional breeze.

Along this stretch I started to run with Joe Pringle, whom I ended up running with, off and on, for the remainder of the race. We talked away a few miles, descending through a brief section of single-track and through a hot bottom-land. I took some vitamin I to try to keep down the quad pain, now especially bad in one leg. Soon we popped back out onto dirt road.  Whereas earlier the dirt roads felt great on my tired legs, now they were places where the sun could really get at you, and I really began to trudge along. A seemingly never-ending ascent brought me back around Starr mountain and up atop a steep ridge--Joe had pulled ahead and I was resorting to music from my ipod to keep me going. The view of the valley below was gorgeous, though I was frustrated not to get the nice cooling breeze which normally blows across these kind of ridges. There were several nice overlooks, and I started to fantasize about going out to one and taking a nap. Finally, the trail dropped back down to the ridge above the first aid station at Iron gap and the loop was complete.

The less said about the last 8 miles, the better. They were the same as the first 8 though now, of course, we were heading steeply down. My quads were signaling to me that their useful life was drawing to a close. I don't know for sure, but I'd guess that I took longer to descend than it took me to get up them earlier in the day. By now the temp was over 100 in the sun, and most of the road at this point was exposed. When I heard the sound of the finish I was elated--I thought we had another couple miles to go. I was also surprised to learn that though I came in at a slugly 7:20 something, nearly a third of the people were still out on the course. All was made well in the world 15 minutes after finishing when I availed myself of the very nearby, icy-cold Hiawasee river that I'd been dreaming of for the previous couple of hours. Man, did it feel nice.

Allison and I skipped the post-race meal in favor of getting home earlier, so we never heard if everyone made it in alright--we were both worried. I'll be there next year for sure, though I'll probably try to avoid running a 50 two weeks before, and I'll upgrade to some larger water bottles if the weather is looking similar!   © Joe