Heck yeah!  I'm going back to do the 50k again.  Now that I truly know what to expect, I hope I can kick some arse

Definetly in my plans but don't know when I'll sign up. It will be for the 50k as long as I can use one of last years times for qualifying. If for some reason I can't do the 50k, I'll wait to see how fast I feel early next year or if DS is able to sign up for the 25k. I will only run the 25k if I'm able to start at the front and go strong. Traffic jams suck.

I ran 3:40 (156th place) for my first Hyner 25K this spring, but I feel like the bottleneck and passing traffic through out the first half of the race probably accounted for a good extra 20 minutes. In retrospect I started way too conservatively. I’d never been on the course prior to race day so the conservative start was part of the plan. The 50k though should alleviate traffic issues.

There was some back-up for the first climb (Humble Hill), even in the 50k this year, but after that section, it really did open up.

For the 25k the bottleneck before Humble Hill was the worst of it, but I found myself needing to get around people for the entire first 8 miles also. At least with the 50k it won't be more than 200 people total.

The bottleneck for the 25k is why I will never do that event again (unless someday one of my kids wants to and then it will be worth it).  The bottle neck on the 50k is tolerable and actually a good thing - forcing you to take it easy up the first climb.  Although comparing the two conga lines, they do not compare.  I remember plenty of opportunity to pass on humble hill - but wisely chose not to.

I am mentally committed to Hyner 50k indefinitely.  I will keep doing it until I conquer it.  What does it mean to conquer it? I have no clue but I am not there yet.  Having said that, I won't sign up until later this year or early next year simply because I don't want to lose the money if I get injured.  It's capped at 200 and did not sell out last year.  (a side note - they have allowed 50kers to drop down to the 25k the day of the race if they do not feel prepared - while I agree with this on some level, people may get smart and sign up fo rthe 50k if they don't get in the 25k and then just drop down)

Oh and regarding the qualifying times for the 50k - the wording does NOT indicate that the qualifying time has to be within the last year or two like many races state.  I interpret it as long as you have run Hyner 25k under 4:30 at any time, you qualify for the 50k.  But I could be wrong.

Like boyjame said, the bottleneck in the 50k is not an issue. In the 25k, it's probably going out very aggressively, and then keeping it up for at least the first half of the climb, which is hard to do unless you've trained for such a scenario. I have never run the 25k, just the 50k.

The RD's are appropriately generous with qualifying races for the 50k, as long as it's a race of comparable difficulty and a 25k distance or longer. If you can't find your race in the list of qualifyers, you can certainly e-mail them and ask.

..... If you can't find your race in the list of qualifyers, you can certainly e-mail them and ask.

Its not really a set list of qualifiers as with a race like Boston. One of the options on the list, along with "Hyner 25k in 4.5 hours or less" is "Other 50k in 9 hours or less."

And as I said, when you register online they don't even ask you for a qualifier..

I'm kind of in the same boat with the training. I put in miles, just not quality miles on the trails. I don't know how I'll make out but I'm still doing the 50k. It may take me 10 hours but I'll get across the finish line sooner or later.  Just leave a little chicken for me!!