27 Feb, 2016
The Mount Mitchell Challenge, the focus of my
training for about 5 months, was a mixed bag. First, I had a great time and a
solid race performance. I congratulate the organizers and the little town of
Black Mountain on an iconic mountain race.
The problem was that, for the first time ever, the Mount
Mitchell Challenge was cancelled. Owing to ice and snow (and possibly tighter safety
policies than in the past – I’m not certain about this), Mount Mitchell State
Park and/or the National Park Service would not allow access to the course
above the Blue Ridge Parkway. Therefore, all participants simply ran the Black
Mountain Marathon (~26.2 miles), which follows the Mount Mitchell Challenge
course up to the Blue Ridge Parkway, then turns around there at about 5340 feet
above sea level.
Despite having to accommodate arthroscopic knee surgery on
24 Dec, 2015, my training was solid and I came to Black Mountain feeling great.
I was less prepared than I wanted to be for the descent, but possibly better
prepared for climbing owing to substantial time on an inclined treadmill during
my knee recovery. I had a final long run of about 30 miles in the Smokies about
three weeks before race day, then I tapered and rested patiently.
I arrived in Black Mountain mid afternoon the day before the
race. I drove the paved part of the race course from downtown to the Rainbow
Trailhead in Montreat. There, the trail was dry and pleasant, though dusted
with very small amount of snow in the shady and out-of-way bits. I also drove
to the spot where the descent emerges from the trail at the top of Appalachian
Way and hiked up the steep fire road for a few minutes to ponder my choice of
shoes and have a little reality check on the steepness of this section of the
course. One of the volunteers (local search and rescue) was there and he said
there was about 10 inches of fresh powder above the Parkway, about 3 inches for
a few miles below the Parkway, and not a huge amount of solid ice to contend
with … although it would get well below freezing that night.
At the 7pm briefing that night, the announcement was made
that we not be going to the summit. I was disappointed, for sure, but resolved
to give the marathon a solid effort. I looked up last year’s results, and
guessed that I could complete it in 3:30 to 4:00 and possibly be among the top
5 masters (over 40).
I slept well at my friends’ house after a tasty, easy to
digest meal of gingery chicken breast, white rice, and stir-fried broccoli. I
figured since I was only running 26.2 instead of 40, I could have two Greybeard
IPAs from the local Pisgah Brewing Co. Yummy.
Breakfast was two Larabars, one fried egg, and one cup of
coffee with cream (and a pint or two of water). I topped off with a few squares
of dark chocolate about 15 min before the start.
After taping my nipples and smearing a generous amount of
coconut oil on my taint, I also coated my exposed skin (face and calves) with
coconut oil for a little protection from the cold (~30F at the start). This
worked really well, try it!
The Race
The first ~3 miles was consistent but very slight incline on
paved roads through town to Montreat College. Local elite, Morgan Elliot
(eventual winner and course record setter) took off at a blazing pace. I ran
with pack of about 15 solid runners averaging about 7-8 minute miles. The first
steep section is the last ~1/2 mile of pavement before the Rainbow Trail. I
passed a few people who were taking that conservatively. I think I do better
running somewhat consistently rather than power-hiking; others preferred to
yo-yo between power-hiking and running faster on the easier inclines.
The next ~5 miles was mostly gradual ascent, easy to moderately technical, no ice or mud to speak of. I averaged just under 9 minutes/mile and
moved up into the top ten or so. It was cold enough that I was drinking very
little and felt no need to refill my water bottle at any aid stations. I just
chugged along, enjoying the trail.
The section between 8 and 10 miles had several icy bits that
slowed me down as I carefully avoided slipping. I was passed by a tall guy wearing
Yak Tracks (or something similar), and was definitely impressed by his ability
to charge across ice. Something to put on my birthday wish list.
After about 10 miles the trail was covered in an inch or two
of powder, making much better footing. I was able to increase my pace and make
it to the Parkway (~13.5 miles) in just under two hours. In the last mile or
so, I started seeing the leaders descending. Morgan Elliot was gleefully
bounding through the snow several minutes in front of second place finisher
Gabe McGowan (Tucson, Az).
I took a shot of Coca Cola and exchanged pleasantries with
the volunteers at the Parkway aid station (the view was awesome!). I was in 7th
position and hoped I could move up by one or two on the technical descent (I
was trying not to think ahead to the last few miles of pounding downhill on
pavement). As I took off down the mountain, I saw that several strong-looking
runners were not far behind me.
I am really proud of my descent. My pace hovered just above
7 min/mile for most of it. I bounded down snowy rocks and across muddy seeps. I
kept my cadence high and a grin on my face, exchanging many encouraging words
with the people still coming up the trail. I had one, very gentle fall on a
broad frozen stream. No damage except to a mocha-flavored energy gel in my back
pocket … there is an embarrassing stain on my white undershorts!
I managed to re-pass the guy who had motored past me on the
icy part of the climb. Could I find the top 5? No. In fact I was passed by a
different runner within the last ¼ mile of trail. This guy was descending like
a beast! Apparently his feet and quads did not hurt as much as mine!
As expected, I really struggled on the steeply descending
pavement of Appalachian Way. My quads screemed. My toes were mashed against
front of my shoes. Coming through town was nicer and the spectators gave me a
little boost. Still, 3+ miles of pavement was definitely not what my tired feet wanted
to see. There were a couple of very slight uphills that slowed me down a lot in
the final two miles. They were probably no more than 10 meters in length and a
few feet of climbing, but at this stage of the race, switching those climbing
muscles back on was a tall order. I did not have much of a finishing kick
coming around Lake Tomahawk to the finish line, but no one was threatening my 7th
place finish, and the 6th place guy was already kicking back eating
chili. My official time was 3:28:24 (2nd masters!). Strava says I
climbed and descended about 3600 feet.
Thanks, again, to Race Director Jay Curwen, the other organizers, and other participants
for making this a fun and challenging day in the mountains!
 |
| Black Mountain Marathon elevation profile (from Strava): Look at that final descent! The blue line is my pace (I forgot to turn off my watch for a few minutes after the finish). |
Final technical notes
- I wore Altra Superior 2.0 shoes, and was totally happy with the comfort and traction.
- Swiftwick trail socks were just about perfect – my feet were not too cold and did not remain soggy after splashing across streams.
- I consumed two packages of Clif Bloks (at roughly 15 min intervals) and two caffeinated gels (one at about mile 9 and the second at about mile 18)
- I consumed less than 500mL of water, draining my bottle only after crossing the finish line.
- I stopped to pee once at about mile 9.
- I felt that steep (rather than technical) descending was my biggest challenge and performance limiter.
Final thoughts
The Black Mountain Marathon was great fun, though I would prefer less pavement. I did not get a chance to accomplish my goal of the Mount Mitchell Challenge, so I will probably try to come back in 2017. I hope the race organizers will give the disappointed 2016 Challengers preference in the entrance lottery...
