March 16, 2013
5:07:53
I had only done one trail marathon until this one. That was a race outside Laramie, Wyoming. That race was really hard and I've avoided trail races ever since. I only signed up for this one in Virginia because I was going to be able to make a double weekend out of it.
I didn't do a lot of research about the race. When I did, I found this elevation map. Although altitude wouldn't be an issue, the dozens and dozens of climbs might be.
I was pretty nervous going into this. The weather forecast didn't help. It was supposed to rain the night before the race and all day Saturday. When I woke up Saturday I looked outside and it was still dry. I put on my trail shoes and headed to the race. A few minutes before the start, it began to rain. There were maybe 100 runners at the start, and nobody was fazed by it. The race started at 7:45, and we all dashed into the trails of Pochohontas State Park.
As far as trail races go, this was pretty easy, I think. There were some creeks to cross, tree roots to hurdle, and rocks to avoid, but it wasn't too bad. As the map shows, there were tons of hills. You were either running up one or down one. There were very few straight, flat stretches.
The race ended up being a lot of fun. The trail was pretty sandy, so it absorbed a lot of the rain. There was certainly some muddy areas, but nothing like I had feared. After 30 or 40 minutes the rain stopped, and by the end of the race the sun actually came out. It never got too hot. The scenery was great and the course was challenging, but not terrible. There were no spectators, basically, only volunteers every 3 miles or so at the aid stations. These were stocked with skittles, M&Ms, pretzels, water, and gatorade. I walked up the steepest hills in order to try and conserve energy for the marathon in North Carolina the following day. I finished at 5:07:53. I grabbed some water and gatorade, fruit, and a burger. I walked to my car and changed into some dry clothes and hit the road.
This was a no-frills race in just it's second year of existence. Packet pick up was at the local running store, with no expo. There were no timing chips. There was no music or spectators on the course. Volunteers grilled burgers and brats at the finish for runners. As somebody who has up until now preferred large urban marathons (NYC is still my favorite), this small, low-key trail marathon in Virginia was a real treat. When the race organizers decided to call it the "Instant Classic," I think they were on to something.
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