Notes
Weather: steady, continuing light rain the past 24 hrs.
Race Surface: 5 mi. asphalt, 4.3 mi. red Georgia clay
Left the house in the rain, driving back-country roads to get to the 8 AM start. Along the way (about 40 mi. total drive) I wondered how muddy the middle part of the race would be. Came to a Sheriffs car blocking the entire road - he said there had been a vehicular homicide and to turn around. Well, I was already running late and this meant about 8 more miles to go out of the way. But I arrived about 15-20 minutes early (late for me).
The race began in a light rain and the rain continued the whole day. Lots of nice, long hills I had not prepared for, but not too bad - just slowed me down. The clay part of the road was very sloppy and trying to avoid it became futile in a very short period of time. While trying not to get splashed with mud by others (and to not splash others), I realized it didn't matter, so I just slogged thru the worst sections. My shoes were soon mostly covered in reddish-looking mud. The ones who ran the 30K came back with mud all over their feet, back of the legs, shorts and pants, and even some on their shirts. You could see where the mud had dripped down their butts and legs, and then sort of dried in long streaks down the legs... I tried to see if I could tell if anyone had fallen (I slipped a few times), but it was really hard to tell. Afterward, I used a water hose to wash the mud off my legs and shoes, then changed in to dry clothes. The race organizers had the usual fare available afterward, as well as homemade chili, chips, crackers, and hot cider. Yummy!
The weather and conditions made this race memorable, even tho I ran a really disappointing time.