Ran the inaugural Rockhead Trail Marathon this weekend. Here is a quick report...

Official Time: 5:33:27 (pace 12:43 - Ack! WTF!?!)
5 of 8 in gender
14 of 23 overall

Race was held at the Pontiac Lake State Recreation Area in Pontiac/White Lake, MI. As promised, the course featured miles and miles of steep, rocky, rooty, muddy terrain. And, seeing as it's November, all was blanketed by 6 inches of fallen leaves.

In other words - an ankle buster.

Field was limited to 50 total for both the half and full marathons. So, although the crowd was small, the starting line assemblage was still notable - we were all decked out in hunter orange, enough to blind an entire population of hunters. (And, yes - there were hunters. Shots rang out throughout the race and I spied numerous shells on the ground along the course.)

Fashion:

Weather was forecast to be in the low 60s - a heat wave in a Michigan November. So, Asics Quad Shorts (with pockets for treats and stuff), short-sleeved shirt, and Hulk-sized orange hunting dickey/vest. I was VERY glad I didn't head out dressed like most of the rest - orange knit cap, tights/pants, long-sleeved shirt.

Nutrition / Hydration:

One bottle of double-strength SUCCEED! Amino for the first half; double-strength SUCCEED! Clip2 for the second half. Cliff Shot Bloks - one blok every 20 minutes or so. Water at every aid station - of which there were only 4. One SUCCEED! S-Cap at miles 8 and 16.

On the course:

Life was tough. Much was not quite runnable - the leaves covered unspeakable dangers. And, during the first half, the conga lines made "running" the downhills impracticable - much to my chagrin.

Course markers were often sparse and not according to quoted standards (for marking turns). Many racers got lost. I heard that at least one half marathoner wound up running 18 miles instead of 13 (before they beefed up the signage/marshalls). I don't *think* I got lost; and, if I did, I never noticed that I was off course.

Volunteer support was great (although sparse, see aid stations) - they knew how to take care of runners and the finish line folks were VERY enthusiastic.

Aid stations, although not plentiful, were well stocked and manned. Goodies including sliced bananas and cookies were appreciated.

Results:

I met my goals - have fun and finish before the 6 hour cut-off.

Most of the marathoners (including myself) had run the Detroit Freep Marathon three weeks prior.

By way of assessing course difficulty: Runners took an average of 39% longer to complete this race than the Freep. I took 36% longer. So, I'm in the ballpark and happy to be so!

Nice report! Sounds like you ran a good race! Congrats!

 I think I would have been so nervous knowing there were hunters out there!

Nice job, Liz! By the time I saw this one, it was already sold out. Not that my legs were nearly recovered enough to have run it...I'm very impressed that yours were!

Thanks, Susan!

Wondered whether you might do it - being in your backyard and all. Amazingly, I felt really good going in - after having a fabulous 5 hours (3+2) on the trails the weekend before. Have to say, recovery after this one is going even faster than after the Freep (knock wood).

Looking forward to hitting some hunter-free trails in Midland and at Stony Creek this weekend.

Don't suppose you have any other local trail recommendations? (I'm new to this stuff and still going it alone.)