For those unfamiliar, the Uwharrie Mtn Run is an annual race ran in the Uwharrie National Forest in central North Carolina.  You might be wondering what the heck a guy from Montana is doing going all the way to NC for a race- my brother happens to live in Charleston, SC and I haven't been there to visit him, so....... figured while I was out might as well take in a race.  After much internet surfing it looked like the Uwharrie Mtn Run was really popular and received rave reviews.  It's popularity is also evidenced by it's quick sellout- matter of a minutes!  My brother decided he was up to the challenge and so we got signed up for the 20 mile race (there is a 40 and a 8 mile as well- staggered starts).

We arrived in Asheboro (nearest bigger town) on Friday evening and attended their pre-race pasta dinner.  It was a wonderful feed- they had four or five pasta dishes, salads, garlic bread, some wonderful desserts and plenty of microbrews and wine on tap  They raffled off several prizes and I was lucky enough to win a nice running hat.  We got our pre-race packets and provided drop bag there as well.  USFS won't permit parking near the trailhead so everyone has to be bussed to the trailhead for the start and then upon finishing your drop bag (warm clothes!) is waiting for you.  They then run shuttles from the finish back to your vehicle.  The bus/shuttle system worked flawlessly and no one had to wait more than a couple of minutes either direction.

The weather was unusually cold for this time of year, forecast lows were 17 F and the weather man was spot on with the call- it was cold in the morning, even by Montana standards.  They let us hang onto our drop bags until the very latest minute so we could be in our warm clothing.

my brother and I before the start (my brother looks kind of serious )

The course starts up a very steep and rocky section, with close to 200 entrants in the 20 mile race, it got congested quickly.  I was about a third of the way back and noticed 50-60 folks come to a complete stop, I looked to my right and saw the telltale white paint on a tree and deduced they ran by the turn, so I took off with the lead!  The lead lasted all of 2-3 minutes

Never having run the course, I didn't know exactly what to expect, but was was hoping for a 4 hour-ish finish.  The course proved to be very technical- lots of rock, lots of roots, lots of both hidden by leaf litter.  There were also 12-15 stream crossings scattered throughout.  Elevation changing constantly.  There were some really strong storms that rolled though two nights before the race and high winds brought down a lot of trees that added to the technical nature (my hip flexors were extremely sore from all the jumping I did in the race!).

At the first aid station (5 miles) I was exactly on pace for a 4 hour finish.  Leaving the aid station I wasn't  I made the classic beginners mistake of wearing too much clothing at the start- I ended up wearing a mid -layer that I shouldn't have, so had to shed and pack layers at the aid station.  Not too far off the mark, I headed out of the 5 mile aid station and got in a group of 6-8 folks that were running at pace that would take me to a four hour finish.  The next aid stations were all 3 miles apart.  I stayed w/ this group for 6 miles (two aid stations) and then very slowly, I started fading.  I was still very congested (head/lungs) from the flu and I think it was starting to take it's toll.  It became evident after a bit that a 4 hour finish wasn't in the cards.  So I set my sights on a 4.5 hour finish.  After another aid station (14 mile) I wasn't feeling very chipper and I knew there was a dandy climb coming up at the 16 mile mark.  That climb turned out to be especially tough.  Amazingly after that climb I started to feeling a little better and started to make a little better time.  After what seemed like an eternity, I finally saw the finish line- I finished in 4:43, not overly stellar, but it would have to do.  My brother, who had never run on trails before (or ran more than 12 miles) finished in 5:30-very satisfied.

The race was amazing- the scenery was fabulous, the course challenging, the people very friendly and race run very smoothly.  I'll definitely be doing this race again in the future and highly recommend checking it out.

professional photographer on the course

John- thanks  the pack is Ultimate Directions new AK (Anton Krupricka designed it) pack, posted a short review here

http://www.runningahead.com/groups/Trailer_Trash/forum/eecffe2855f34d56b8dc748f1e95f21c/0

cliff notes- I like it a lot, it's light (6 oz!) and it carries like a dream- I prefer bottles over a bladder as I use for calories, so I've been searching high and low for a suitable two bottle pack and I think I've found it

Congratulations, nice race, well run! Sounds like a real challenge, way to fight through it despite the flu still lingering!

Looks like a fun time with your brother.  Now after he was done, how did he feel about his first trail experience?

So your brother hasn't run trails before? and you introduce him to this? Wow.  Hope he hasn't disowned you.

 

Thanks for sharing.  Sounds like a tough course.  Was the 40 miler just 2x the 20 mile course?

His only trail experience is what he got when he visited me in Sept, all of his training was done on roads near his home- he definitely was a little "shocked" by the very technical aspects of the course, but still enjoyed himself (hasn't disowned me yet )

yes- the 40 mile was an out & back, they started out an hour ahead of us and we start bumping into them a little after the half way mark; lots of respect for those guys/gals!

Looks like a fun time with your brother.  Now after he was done, how did he feel about his first trail experience?

he definitely enjoyed it and I think he he'll try and find some local trails to train on- we tentatively want to plan another get together for next year