Well, I did manage to finish this God-forsaken race. This was easily the most difficult race I've been in. There were four legs to this race. The first leg was pretty much all asphalt road. It was hot and hilly. It made the Hatfield-McCoy Marathon seem flat by comparison. A steep uphill, hiding a steep downhill and another steep uphill. This seemed to go on ad nauseum.
Finally, the second leg began. It was mostly trail and quite a few challenging hills. Since the fourth leg is just a repeat of the second leg, you could see many of the twenty-something mile markers. It was very discouraging to think you'd be hitting this section again to finish the marathon.
The third leg was a mixture of trail and road and it was EASILY the most difficult leg. There was one hill on a trail section that was unshaded and in hot sun that really stood out. It looked like one of those hills extreme motorcyclists try to climb on ESPN ... you know, the one where most, if not everybody, fail to summit. I think it was around mile 19. The hill was extremely long and extremely steep ... the steepest I've ever faced. The ground was thick sand, which cushioned your steps, but allowed you to slide backwards. It seemed as though for every step forward, you slid back half a step, making the hill even longer. I was getting lightheaded and didn't think I could make it. Great! My first DNF simply because I can't get up this stinkin' hill! Somehow, I persevered and made it up. The rest of the leg was easier, but not by much.
Then, the fourth leg. Those hills on leg two come back to haunt you! You've been beaten and battered for twenty miles and you just want some relief. Too bad! You're not gonna get it!
The finish came about 6:45 after the start, easily my slowest, at least my slowest without extenuating circumstances. No one to blame this one on (other than the race director). I wasn't feeling well and I'm a bit injured, but I don't think that slowed me down much.
Thankfully, I had some great companions ... Sarah for the first half and Elizabeth for the second. This was Elizabeth's first marathon. She's young, so hopefully she won't be scarred for life. She's preparing for Chicago in October. That should be a piece of cake by comparison.
CONCLUSION: Far more difficult than Dances With Dirt - Devil's Lake. I'd rather run it twice back-to-back than try Fallsburg again. If you're a trail junkie or if you just love a horrific hill challenge, this is your race! If you're a crybaby like me, AVOID THIS ONE AT ALL COSTS!!! The website warns you. Heed it. They are not kidding! I figured "Hey! I survived Devil's Lake! How hard could this be?". That was stupid thinking.
The swag for this race was phenomenal! The t-shirt was probably my second-favorite (DWD rules in this category!). And if THAT'S not enough, they also give you a REALLY nice hooded sweatshirt. It's not your typical crappy, low-quality deal. This one is substantial and feels nice. Can't wait for cold weather! Finishers also got a full-sized bath towel. It's a beautiful shade of pink and, in black printing, it says "OLD FARTS RUNNING CLUB" on it. It's thick and feels great. No cheap stuff here! The finisher's medal was nice, but somewhat generic. This puts it head-and-shoulders above DWD, since I STILL HAVE NO FINISHER'S MEDAL! For the $50 entry fee, you definitely get your money's worth! The only real criticism I'd offer is the water at the aid stations needs to be cold, or at least cool ... not lukewarm. At least there were a good number of aid stations for a marathon of this type ... one about every three miles.
- Posted From My iPhone
