Cleveland County - Gateway Trail 10-Miler - March 10, 2018

Cleveland County, North Carolina, just west of Charlotte, must have a good running community, because it supports a good number of races over the course of the year.  It also helps that they have a great greenway and trail system, including the Gateway Trail, which is planned as an eventual access trail from Kings Mountain, North Carolina to Kings Mountain National Battlefield, Kings Mountain State Park, and Crowders Mountain State Park.  This morning, though, the existing five miles of trail was being used as the home of the 9^th annual Gateway Trail 10-Miler (and also a 5k race). 

The Gateway Trail 10-Miler is an out-and-back race from the main trailhead parking lot just off highway 216 to the opposite trailhead at Foote Drive and back.  The race organizers had done a great job setting up for the race on a very cool morning:  there were a couple of different fire pits blazing away to keep the runners warm, a nice pre-race spread of fruit and bread and drinks were ready, and checking and packet pickup were in full swing inside the trail headquarters building.  The organizers had procured some beautiful handmade awards, pottery and metalwork like leaves that were going to go home with the best runners of the day.  All the organizers and volunteers were in a good mood and excited to have a bigger turnout than previous years for both the 10-miler and the associated 5k, which Kathy ended up walking with our boy in the stroller.  (46 runners finished the 10-miler, and 122 runners finished the 5k.)

After welcomes from the town mayor and the race director, the pledge of allegiance, and an invocation, the 10-milers were escorted down adjacent Quarry Road to the starting line, where the timers lined us up and gave us some last-minute instructions.  Meanwhile, the other organizers moved the 5k runners to the side of the main parking lot to give us room to move through (the 5k started a few minutes after the 10-mile runners passed through the headquarters area).  It was great to have the cheers of the 5k runners to spur us on at the start, and then we were off onto the trail, with only the plodding of our feet to encourage us through the race.

The “mountain” in the name of the city should have clued me in that this race was going to have some significant hills to it, but for some reason that possibility didn’t hit me until I was well into the up-up-up first mile.  In fact, we were about 2.5 miles into the race before we got an extended stretch of level or downhill ground.  The paved path at the start changed quickly into a crushed gravel path, and there were still some larger pieces of rock that you had to keep an eye on for fear of rolling an ankle.  The first 10-miler water stop also served as the turnaround point for the 5k, so those of us running safely in the back of the pack got to see the faster 5k runners twice.  There was a lot of up and down in the middle miles of the race, with very few flat places to catch your breath.  We did a very interesting hilly stretch alongside I-85, followed by a nice boardwalk section and then a pedestrian/bike bridge over the interstate where the second water stop was positioned.  After all the ups and downs of the first 3.5 miles, the 1.5 on the opposite side of the interstate was mostly flat with finer crushed gravel – although the last bit before Foote Drive had been replenished with fresh gravel and was like running in sand.  It truly was a relief to hit the turnaround and know I was on the way home.

The return trip including commiserating with the rest of the slower runners as well as thanking the water stop volunteers who had waited so long for the last of us to come through.  Given the difficulty of the race, it was a blessing to have had nice, cool weather so at least we weren’t suffering too much.  With the uphills at the start of the race, I kept reminding myself they would be downhills on the return trip, but even that wasn’t enough to spur me on to a faster pace.  It was a slow, plodding return trip, but I did enjoy the scenery as we circled lakes, crested hills, and enjoyed a big view of the quarry.  Finally I was back on the paved part of the greenway path, and after only a few more turns I could see the parking lot and the finish line, where it was a relief to be done.  I enjoyed a good rest near one of the fire pits with some wonderful fruit and a cold bottle of water.  The race organizers, who hope to add a half-marathon to the event for next year’s 10^th running, acknowledged it was a difficult race, which they took some pride in.  It’s one of those races I’ll say I survived rather than finished.  

They do have a great trail system in Kings Mountain / Cleveland County, and I can see why the runners are proud of it.  But be aware these are the foothills of the Smokies and you’ll see some serious ups and downs on the course.  But the great organizers, wonderful volunteers on the course, and the beauty of the early spring scenery made this a great stop.  Consider including the Gateway Trail 10-Miler on your race schedule!

Mecklenburg County - Winter Classic 8k - January 28, 2018

Yes, it's hard to believe, but even after a decade of collecting North Carolina counties, I had not made it to Mecklenburg County, the home of Charlotte, the state's biggest city, and plenty of great races, including several marathons and half-marathons.  However, I had heard good things about the Charlotte Running Club and their Winter Classic 8k (and 4k) race, so it was time to get another winter race into the countdown -- although this was another example of a North Carolina winter where we had nice temps in the high 50s and low 60s in the end of January.

The drive down to Charlotte was nice and easy the morning of the race, and I had my support crew of wife and child (and one of my wife's friends) along for the event.  The race itself was at McAlpine Creek Park, a local park where some high-school (and college?) cross-country events are held and which has several connections to the local greenway system.  The park also has some softball fields and a dog park, so there was all kinds of room for parking and setup, and the CRC had plenty of signs and volunteers to make sure you could find what you needed.


The pre- and post-race festivities were set up in the main field around the existing cross-country course start, but we used a separate starting line to allow for the crowds.  The 4k was the preliminary event (you could sign up and run both races if you wanted), which was effectively one lap of the course, followed by the 8k which was made up of two laps of the course.  Plenty of 8k runners took place (262 finishers were listed in the results) with teams and clubs competing from all over the state.  It was no problem picking up my packet -- the long-sleeved t-shirts with hoods were a nice feature -- and getting something to drink before headed en masse over to the starting line.

The first half-mile or so was a straight run down the boundary of the park and you could just see the leaders starting to separate in the distance ahead.  From my vantage point safe in the back of the pack, I could pick out a few familiar runners when they made a turn ahead and headed for a switchback along the base of a hill.  (Fortunately, we only skimmed the bottom of the hill and didn't have to do too much climbing along the part of the trail that ascends it.)  The switchbacks led back to the main field and then we passed close by the starting line and the spectators before making a turn to the right and circling a lake.  I held out pretty well for a while, but it was around the lake where the leaders lapped me, already finishing up their second lap while I was still struggling through the first one.

Although I didn't get to take the turn to the finish line yet, I could see some of the top finishers crossing the line as I headed out for my second lap.  The runners in my pack were much more strung along the distance, but a few of us ran in a small group and there was a little bit of passing here and there.  Now that we knew what the loop was like, it was easy to anticipate where the small rises were and where the switchbacks would allow us to see if anyone was gaining on us.  Once again we passed by the spectators and circled the lake, and the second time I knew I would get to take the finish-line turn.  I was happy to cross the line and see my cheering support group, get some water, and walk out a bit to stretch my legs.  For a very flat race, my legs were tired from the pacing, but overall it was a very enjoyable race and there were a lot of festivities going on to keep the runners entertained until awards time.

Lots of awards in this race:  in addition to the usual overall and age group awards, there were team awards, USATF awards, and Road Runners Club of America awards to give out (multiple groups had sanctioned the race as the North Carolina 8k or cross-country championship).  One of the park shelters made for an excellent awards stand.  In addition, funds had been raised for the "Bring It for Braylon" charity benefiting support for families dealing with pediatric cancer.  Even though I didn't bring home any awards, it was great to finally visit Mecklenburg County to run and experience this great 8k race!  The Winter Classic was a great event, and I hope that it won't take me this long to return and compete on the cross-country trail again!

2017 Year in Review

Well, once again we had to submit to family obligations and the running calendar when making attempts to get new counties, and we did pretty good, considering all the family needs to work around.  We also unfortunately discovered a navigation error a few years back that required us to remove Macon County from our "done" list and return it to the "to be done" list.  However, new counties were added to the countdown, and the finish line is in sight!

Brad's new counties in 2017 (4):  Moore, Yancey, Catawba, Henderson
Chad's total counties: 42
Brad's total counties: 95 (Macon, Greene, Mecklenburg, Cleveland, Ashe remaining)
Combined total counties: 98 (Macon, Cleveland remaining)

Believe it or not, the countdown could finally come to a close in 2018!  The calendar looks to be breaking our way, the family is supporting and excited, and we might finally visit those last few counties to get a run in and be able to say we counted down all 100 counties in the Old North State!  Stay tuned to see what happens!

A Missed County Boundary Causes a Correction

So as part of our Labor Day holiday weekend retreat to the mountains, after completing the Pardee Apple Festival 8k in Henderson County, our family spent the rest of the day chasing waterfalls throughout southwestern North Carolina, including the falls along highway 64 on the west side of Highlands, North Carolina in Macon County.  As we passed through Highlands heading east on highway 64, I told my wife Kathy about running the Old Edwards Inn and Spa PAR 5K as my Macon County race several years earlier, and I promised to show her the private golf course, the Old Edwards Club, where they held that race (and where my dad and I played discounted golf after the run as part of the morning).

Unfortunately, as we left Highlands headed east, we crossed the line into Jackson County before reaching the entrance for the Old Edwards Club.  Was it possible I had missed that landmark on the way to the race back in 2010 and had not done a race in Macon County after all?  My guess was that I had tagged that race entry to Macon County because of its tie to the Old Edwards Inn and Spa and that resort's location in Macon County, totally not cluing in that the race itself was far enough from the Inn to not be in the same county with it.  Sure enough, when returning home after the long vacation weekend, a quick session with Google Maps confirmed that the Old Edwards Club which had hosted the race is over the line in Jackson County, far enough from the Old Edwards Inn and Spa as to not be in Macon County after all.

So, with that information in hand, I'm updating the blog counts to reflect that I have not done a race in Macon County after all, and I still have that county as a destination that must be run before we can call the 100-county countdown real and official.  So the numbers have been corrected, and I'll resume my search for an opportunity to run in Macon County.  Sorry for the oversight!

Henderson County - Pardee Apple Festival 8k - September 2, 2017

Although there is one race results aggregation site that insists I did this race back in the early 2000s, I had no memory of it, so for this county countdown, Henderson County was still unexplored running territory.  That's why I was so glad to get back there over Labor Day weekend and take part (again?) in the Pardee Apple Festival 8k.  As mentioned many times before, food festivals in North Carolina are an excellent way to see the state and run in some very nice races.  Plus, our whole family loves apples, loves the mountains, and loves running, so this was a great way to spend the holiday weekend.

With organization and logistics helped along by Pardee Hospital, parking and packet pickup on race morning were no problem.  There was a good crowd assembling for the 8k race and for the Chamber Challenge 5k.  (228 finishers were listed in the 8k results.)  The low-60s temperatures were going to be great for running, and spirits were high as they gave last minute instructions and organized us out into North Oak Street for the start.  As we took off, there were a quick couple of turns and then we had a long, long straightaway down 5th Avenue out of town.  With the large number of runners, there was actually a good bit of talking initially, but as we got closer to the 1-mile mark, the elevation change kicked in with the first series of good hills, and the runners got quieter.  As the course got more challenging, though, the scenery was very pleasant as we skirted the Rhododendron Lake Nature Park and Laurel Park Lake itself, where there were flowers and trees all over the place.  That part of the run turned out to be very nice.

Fortunately the second and third mile gave back some of the elevation change, and our tired legs got some relief as we headed back into town.  The course was something of a crooked figure-eight, and as we got onto the second loop, we had the unusual experience of running through part of the town cemetery and up and down some of its hills.  After leaving the cemetery, we passed by Hendersonville Middle School (Home of the Bearcats) and then did a very pleasant, quiet loop around Lugana Lake to wrap up the fourth mile.  The last mile was through a very nice residential area where some of the residents cheered on the runners, but others were surprised to see all the competitors jogging down their streets.  All along the course, plenty of helpful volunteers were there to direct runners and traffic and hand out water on what tuned out to be a humid morning.

Post-race, they had some very fun activities and game for the kids, as well as getting the race results assembled quickly.  The hospital and organizers provided plenty of food and drink for the participants, and there was enough music and fun to hang out for a while before going to explore the rest of the Apple Festival activities.  It's a very well-organized, challenging but scenic race in the mountains of western North Carolina, and whether it was my first or second time taking part, I hope we will do it again at some point in the future!  Now let's all have some apples!

Catawba County - Conover School 5k Run & Roll - June 17, 2017

The Conover School is a very special place in Catawba County.  The school serves about 150 local students from 3 to 22, all with some degree of cognitive challenge.  Some students also have physical challenges to deal with.  The school has a wonderful adaptive playground that serves all the students, no matter their abilities, and the main funding to keep adapting and updating the playground comes from their summer fundraiser, the Conover School 5k Run & Roll.

I was happy to bring my running team (Kathy and the boy) along for another stroller-approved county run, and it was a lot of fun for the boy to see so many other children taking part in the race on a humid, moderate Saturday morning.  Just about every age group was represented, with some children in strollers, other children and adults in wheelchairs or other assistance, and a happy group of walkers as well.  The event also included a "Maddie's Mile" competition for racers with special needs.

The morning festivities were well underway when we arrived for packet pickup ahead of the race and got Junior packed into his jogging stroller for the morning.  There were lots of strollers that were going to be in the race; they could have had a division just for them!  The volunteers couldn't have been more friendly or nicer to us visitors, and the overall mood was very upbeat and happy for the race.  Eventually Conover's Finest shut down traffic on 1st Avenue and the runners were moved into position for the start, and then we were off!

For a county in the foothills of the mountains, this was a surprisingly flat and fast course.  There was very little elevation change on the lollipop-shaped course, but the humidity and temperatures still gave us plenty to deal with.  The first mile was very fast, straight south on 1st Avenue and then cutting over to College Avenue, where we followed the train tracks.  Fortunately, there was a police car leading the way so no one got lost, and there were plenty of volunteers directing the way on the turns as well.  We also enjoyed some of the encouraging signs folks had put up to perk up the participants.

In the second mile, we looped around Broyhill Park and the ballfields there, and the volunteers had set up a water stop as well to give us some relief from the temps.  Naturally, I got off to too fast of a start with the jogging stroller, so I had some payback in the second and third miles.  But the cold water was much appreciated as we swapped off stroller duties and headed back.  From the park we retraced our steps back along the train tracks and back to 1st Avenue and back to the school, where music was playing as all the finishers passed under the big inflatable arch.  (181 joggers and walkers finished the 5k.)

Post-race, there was a wonderful spread of food and drink for all the participants.  There was plenty to drink along with lots of snacks and a big spread of fresh fruit.  (I have fond memories of the watermelon chunks.)  We met some of the other participants, met some representatives from the school, and the boy got to play on the wonderful playground for a while before we had to pack up all our supplies and get back on the road.  The Conover School 5k Run & Roll was a fantastic and fun event on a flat, fast course, well worth checking out if you're looking to run in Catawba County!

Yancey County - Burnsville Fit Families 5k - May 13, 2017

If you're going to run Yancey County, you're probably going to run the Burnsville Fit Families 5k.  There is also a very tough trail race held in the mountains here, but if you're not a tough trail runner, this is probably going to be your race.  Chad was here back in 2012, and I finally made it all the way up into the mountains above Asheville near the Tennessee border this year.  (I wouldn't recommend the drive up here be made in the fog at night, though.)

The main town square in Burnsville is a perfect location for a race.  Right in the center of the square is the statue of Otley Burns, the privateer, War of 1812 hero, and North Carolina state senator after whom Burnsville is named.  You can look up from the town square in all directions and see mountains (it was still foggy on race morning, so the very tops of the hills were still cloud-shrouded).  And pretty much everything you need in a small town, from lodging to offices, from eats to courthouses, is right there on the square or a short ways away.  There was a farmers' market setting up just off the square selling all kinds of homemade or home-raised treats.  And of course it's Main Street that runs from east to west, so it's pretty much Americana anywhere you look.

The Burnsville Fit Families 5k has been around eight years, so they do a good job of organizing and putting on this race.  The locals know about it, so there are lots of families that come out to run, jog or walk together.  A group from the local Girls on the Run branch was going to take part, as well as a few competitors that looked like they could be getting ready for the fall high school cross-country season.  No matter where the runners, joggers and walkers came from, it was a good turnout well ahead of the race and the crowd was in good spirits, even with just a hint of a threat of a sprinkle.  Packet pickup was held just off the square in the First Baptist Church, and some of the volunteers were curious that I'd come all the way from Raleigh to run their race.  I really liked the gray shirts with the bold coloring and lettering. 

Race organizers did a great job ushering us over to the starting line on the south side of the town square, welcoming everyone and introducing the local dignitaries, and then we were off and running!  Like many races with lots of kids, the kids sprinted right to the front, so that the rest of us could pick them off one at a time as they burned out.  The elevation also drops off on most sides of the town square, so as we took off towards the west, we dropped down a hill, through a commercial area -- note to self: come back and try the Pig and Grits diner -- and then downhill again.  Of course everyone had a great pace the first mile because it was mostly downhill, but I tried to keep something in reserve since I knew we were going to have to come back up the hill in the second mile.

Near the bottom of the hill we made a right turn and started up some smaller hills as we worked through a residential area in a loop back to Main Street.  A few folks had some out to the street or to their front porches to watch the runners come by, and it was great to hear their encouragement.  When we turned back onto Main Street, we had to retrace our steps back up the big hill we had just run down, which would have been a lot tougher if we didn't have the overcast skies keeping the sun from heating us up.  It was a great race for spectators, as we eventually returned right back to the town square, continued around its perimeter, and then took off again to the north.  And kudos go to the folks who were manning the water stations all along the course for keeping us hydrated.

The second mile finished going up another hill, past a couple of churches and the Burnsville Fire Department, which also was out encouraging the runners.  The next turns took us over a creek and up another hill past the Parkway Playhouse and around School Circle, where an older school building had been converted into the local library.  At that point we had mostly a downhill return trip back past all these landmarks and back to the town square, where the finish line was set up on the northeast corner.  At least with the downhill stretches in the last mile, it was easier to keep a near-respectable pace to the finish.  Post-race, there was plenty more to drink and great snacks for us all.  There were 180 finishers listed in the results, and I hope everyone enjoyed the race at least as much as I did.  Lots of kids got rousing ovations when they crossed the finish line, and all the Girls on the Run participants were recognized for their accomplishment.  A small stage had been set up for the awards, and there was even good country music being played on the speakers to entertain folks as we cooled down and recounted our morning.

The town square at Burnsville is a great place to watch or take part in a race, and I am looking forward to when we can come back again to explore more of the town, the Mount Mitchell area, and this beautiful part of the state.  Come run Yancey County and Burnsville; they do a great job up here!