View Full Version : Mountain Masters 16 mile trail run
I ran my 2nd trail race yesterday - the 16 mile Mountain Masters trail run in Harlan, KY. I finished in 2:51, which was 30 minutes faster than I ran the Iron Mt. 16 mile run in Damascus a few months ago. There was only 30-35 people in the race and I finished somewhere in the bottom 50% (but not in the bottom third :) )
The Mountain Masters run was all hills - I bet there wasn't 100' of level trail over the entire 16 mile course.
I think I could knock 15 minutes off my race times just by running the course before the race... Not knowing the trail conditions and the topography is a definite liabilty.
In the past 30 days I've ran 2 half marathons and this 16 mile run. In 2 weeks I'm running the Kiawah Island Marathon and in 6 weeks I'm going to run my first 50km race.
Then I'm going to take a break and do some hiking......
My wife won the Grand Master's award. Her time was 3:15. She loves that race more than any she's ever done.
Yeah, the person who finished in front of me and the person that finished after me both won an award. :)
Great race, I'll run it again next year if all goes well.
Cabin Fever
11-28-2010, 21:12
You should come down to Chattanooga and check out some of the races that Rock/Creek (http://www.rockcreek.com/trailseries/) puts on. Guy I work with does all of them. They are well organized events. I plan on doing some of the shorter ones. I have no intention of doing the 50k races unless it's on a mountain bike.
Lone Wolf
11-28-2010, 21:52
I ran my 2nd trail race yesterday - the 16 mile Mountain Masters trail run in Harlan, KY. I finished in 2:51, which was 30 minutes faster than I ran the Iron Mt. 16 mile run in Damascus a few months ago. There was only 30-35 people in the race and I finished somewhere in the bottom 50% (but not in the bottom third :) )
The Mountain Masters run was all hills - I bet there wasn't 100' of level trail over the entire 16 mile course.
I think I could knock 15 minutes off my race times just by running the course before the race... Not knowing the trail conditions and the topography is a definite liabilty.
In the past 30 days I've ran 2 half marathons and this 16 mile run. In 2 weeks I'm running the Kiawah Island Marathon and in 6 weeks I'm going to run my first 50km race.
Then I'm going to take a break and do some hiking......
you done good. it's a fun race. i missed it this year. maybe see you next year
Good Job. 10-K
Sorry, I didn't make it. I'd planned to, but couldn't get a quorum for carpooling.
It is a good course, very runnable for the most part.
Which 50k, Sasquatch, Frosty Feet, or Frosty 50?
Don't forget Holiday Lake in Appomattox mid February, Black Mt late Feb, Terrapin Mt late March.
But le piece de la resistance is Promise Land late April, beautiful course, wicket hard, up near the Cornelius Creek Shelter close to the Parkway.
max patch
11-29-2010, 09:30
Then I'm going to take a break and do some hiking......
I think you should hike all of GA in 24 hours and then tell us how easy it was.
Yeah, the person who finished in front of me and the person that finished after me both won an award. :)
Great race, I'll run it again next year if all goes well.
It's like the Special Olympics -- pretty much everyone gets a prize. :)
On a serious note, I hope the race survives. It used to draw lots more runners but now it seems to be on the decline. She guessed about 50-60 runners this year. She likes it because the trail is beautiful (notwithstanding the less than 100 feet of level ground), everyone is friendly, and the organizer, Chris, tries his best to make it a great experience for everyone. And let's face it, that's a damned nice trophy!
It's like the Special Olympics -- pretty much everyone gets a prize. :)
On a serious note, I hope the race survives. It used to draw lots more runners but now it seems to be on the decline. She guessed about 50-60 runners this year. She likes it because the trail is beautiful (notwithstanding the less than 100 feet of level ground), everyone is friendly, and the organizer, Chris, tries his best to make it a great experience for everyone. And let's face it, that's a damned nice trophy!
I think I was the only person not to win an award because all the other geezers in my age group were faster. :) I'll go into another age group next year so maybe that'll help....
I'm pretty sure there was less than 35 people - probably closer to 30. We drove to the start in a school bus and there were some empty seats and plenty of people sitting 1 person to a seat.
It's an outstanding run with the exception of the logisitics of getting back in a timely manner from the finish. I got pretty cold standing around after the race waiting on transportation back to my car ~25ish miles away. I wouldn't let that stop me from running it again though - it's worth it just for the scenary.
Good Job. 10-K
Sorry, I didn't make it. I'd planned to, but couldn't get a quorum for carpooling.
It is a good course, very runnable for the most part.
Which 50k, Sasquatch, Frosty Feet, or Frosty 50?
Don't forget Holiday Lake in Appomattox mid February, Black Mt late Feb, Terrapin Mt late March.
But le piece de la resistance is Promise Land late April, beautiful course, wicket hard, up near the Cornelius Creek Shelter close to the Parkway.
I looked for you and figured you couldn't make it. It is a good course but it's pretty hard with all those bloody hills. I can't really do an apples-to-apples comparison with the Iron Mt. run because they're so different. Both were harder in different ways.
The 50k I'm running is the Harbison 50k http://www.carolinaultras.com/. I looked at the Frosty 50k too but I'll be driving right through Columbia, SC the day before the Harbison so it just makes sense to run that one. The Frosty looks easier though...
It's a pretty addicting sport - it doesn't require nearly the amount of planning that a hike does but you get to spend all day in the woods, get a good workout, and come home to a nice hot meal and your bed when it's over.
10-K. just ran across ur post. hope ya liked the run. trail is awesome. sorry did not get a chance to welcome you to Harlan. have walked it many time but never in a run lol. did not know any WB members knew it wuz here. congrats and take care... jim
mweinstone
11-30-2010, 07:37
my favorite run i ever had was the 15.8 from the shelter that far from davenport gap(cosby? )with no food in pack, cause it was commin out of the smokeys on a thru attempt,.on an inch of snow that filled the spaces between the rocks on that glorios decent ,and the 6 mile downhill at the end.the snow gave perfect traction and carefree foot placement. my pack was about 15lbs and my friends were ahead. i caught them 30 min befor the gap after starting a shelter rearward of them, an hour after them. it was a dream. stopped twice to stand and eat and drink and pee for maby 2 minutes. ran the uphills and arrived with strength to spare. best run of my life. sept maby the 22 i did in purto rico. on the beach with no pack.
Andy Sutton
12-01-2010, 08:29
Hey 10-K, I was at the MM run this year too. It's a nice race but like you said it would suck standin around waiting for a ride back to the mall. My only complaint would be the park closed the bathrooms for the winter! Congratulations.