9 mile trail run - race report

i ran the X-Terra Georgia Battle at Big Creek trail race yesterday morning with my 69 year father, man was this a fun race!  the race was nearly entirely run on mountain bike single track trails in some rolling hills, all of which consisted of twisting/winding switchbacks the entire course.  the race was divided equally between a 4.5 mile and 9.0 mile run with the 9 milers running the same course twice.  with the twisting nature of the course, i didn't notice it was a second loop as you really can't remember much from the first loop.

my father fell 4 times and ended up bruised, battered, and bloody at the end (and broke his garmin to boot)... i fared better and only had one fall, albeit one spectacular fall.  you know, the kind where you trip and lose your balance and then run a half a dozen steps leaning over trying to right yourself before you do a full on superman dive into a mound of rocks...  no major injuries besides the road rash of the fall.  my knee held up for most of the race, but really began to hurt (to a debilitating point) around mile 8.  i finished running and didn't have to resort to walking at the end.  i'm paying for it today, as i'm pretty sore, but overall feel confident on my chances for the 1/2 marathon in a couple of weeks.

times don't really mean much on trail runs because they vary based on the course, but i finished in an hour and 35 minutes w/ a pace of 10:30 or so per mile.

one funny note, around mile 2 a young lady "little person" who couldn't have been taller than 3 feet, went zooming by my father and i... we both were WTF!!  we did catch her a mile later as the hills took its toll on her legs.  we were both really impressed, she was cooking!

Nice race!!! I am sooooo excited to head into trail running.... I ordered a pair of Asics for trail running, they will be in this week, and I will start ramping up for the Rocky Raccoon in February.... 100 Miles of Trail running joy!!!! I need to finish in under 24 hours to get the most bad a$$ belt buckle you have ever seen, if you finish in under 30 hours, you still get a saweet buckle, it just doesnt say "Sub 24" nor is it painted. Anyways, great race... rest your knee bro, you don't need an injury...

Hey congrats on the success!

It sounds like you had a great day.
I hope you and your dad recover speedily.

Sorry to hear about the Garmin, that hurts more than the bruises.

Scott

Great report! Sounds like a lot of fun. Sorry your dad got bruised, battered and bloodied (not to mention breaking his garmin). Hope he feels better soon. The knee sounds painful, but well worth it.

If any race deserved a race report, that was it.  Sorry to hear about all the falls but congrats on the finish.  After that the 1/2 will be no problem.

Awesome job.  I love trail running.  It is a lot of fun!!!!

Congrats, thanks for the play-by-play, I love these!

There's an 8 miler Road Dawg here and I was thinking about trying it, but I need different shoes and everything, right?  And do I have to train on trails?  I am more than nervous but it's the only race between now and my half marathon in April to do some distance.

i didn't do anything special to train for this event, i just ran on the Treadmill for training, and used an old pair of running shoes on the trail in case it was muddy (it wasn't)...  i say go for it, it was really fun and all the twists and turns and watching out for roots and rocks really takes your mind off the monotony of running, it made the whole event fly right by and the next thing i knew i was 5 miles into it.

Very cool, thanks!  I am going to replace my shoes shortly, so I'll just use those.  It's Dirt Dawg not Road, lol.  But it says there are "two Icy Creeks" and I am like WTH?  So I am going to ask questions at the next race.  I'm sure some of the Trotters and organizers will be there who have run it in the past.  At least it's far enough away from my 1/2........... 

I definitely am maxed out at 5.5 as of today, but I felt that way at one time with the 5K so I know it's just a matter of setting up a schedule and doing it.  One long run per week.........for now.

It's great that your Dad was able to do it with you.  My Dad used to race but he is only in his 50's and he's sick.  He was a TRI..........slow, but dedicated.  I'm just a slow dedicated runner, I am not at all financially prepared to do the other right now. 

 Sounds like a pretty cool event.  What a great thing to do with your Father.  Good job!

Duane