What we are most excited about is that the course follows scenic country roads the entire race. We will be running through North Carolina’s High Country all the way to the finish in Asheville, NC. When we looked at the course we saw that we will have the chance to see some really spectacular scenery. According to the race description some of the highlights will include the balds of Grayson Highlands State Park, the New River, the Blue Ridge Parkway, Grandfather Mountain (5964′) and the Toe and Cane Rivers. What more could you ask for in a 208 mile race.
We were looking for a fall relay since we had such a beautiful race in Michigan last year in the fall. We felt that the BRR would give us the opportunity to run a very scenic race and on some roads less travelled. What we didn't realize at the time was how difficult this course will be for us. All of my team are recreational runners now that we are all mostly in our 40s+. Our fastest days are mostly behind us. Some of us even ran in college. Many of us have run multiple marathons. We will need all of that mental and physical training to conquer this course. It is definitely not going to be one for the faint of heart.
The race course crosses back and forth across the spine of the Blue Ridge Mountains with a cumulative elevation gain of 27,000 vertical feet. Some relay veterans say that this is the toughest relay road race in the nation. 27,000 vertical feet is almost like climbing Mount Everest. But Mount Everest climbers actually start at 17,000 feet on their way to the summit at 29,029 feet. Luckily no one runner has to take on the entire vertical climb. But in looking at the course map, there is not one runner who will not be conquering some serious hills. So no one will be able to complain that their legs are any harder than the rest of the team.
I have not actually run this race so I am having to look at the legs only on maps to see what I am in for. What I have determined is that the course runs between 1500’ and 4000’ vertical feet every three or four legs. Like all of the other relays we have participated in the legs are easy, moderate, hard and very hard. But this race has rating I have never seen before mountain goat hard (MGH). It looks like there is a reason for this rating as the MGH legs have climbs exceeding 6% along the way and one of them even peaks out at 13%.
I am planning to be runner #3. This means that I will be running 24.8 miles in total which is the most miles of all of the runners on my team. My first leg will be Leg 3 which will cover 5.2 miles and is rated moderate. There is 400 feet of climb and 479 feet of descent on this leg. My second leg will be Leg 15 which will be 10.5 miles and is rated very hard. There will be 1,222 feet of climb and only 493 feet of descent. The one consolation is that I will be running along the base of Grandfather Mountain which is supposed to be beautiful. They rate it a tough leg because of the distance and most of it is a climb. My last leg will be Leg 27 which covers 9.1 miles and is rated hard. There is only 371 feet of elevation gain with 474 feet of descent. Sounds like a fun challenge that I am totally up for.
Like all of the adventure relays I have participated in over the years, the Blue Ridge Relay will be more about the non-running times than the runs themselves. Every relay has been a great experience for me. I look forward to finding out what is different about this relay than any of the others I have run. The best part of going to relays all over the country is that we never know exactly what to expect. We go into the race with some trepidation as to what will happen and how each of us will do. But we always find that when we gather to run across the finish line together we agree that we have had a grand adventure together.
Apr 2 – 4.50 miles (51:19, 11:24 pace) – Hill Repeats
Apr 3 – 6.40 miles (54:41, 8:33 pace) – Speed work
Apr 5 – 8.30 miles (1:13:12, 8:49 pace) – Tempo Run
Apr 6 – 4.10 miles (38:10, 9:19 pace)
Apr 7 – 2.10 miles (18:48, 8:57 pace)
Apr 8 – 7.10 miles (1:06:10, 9:19 pace)
Apr 9 – 4.60 miles (51:13, 11:09 pace) – Hill Repeats
Apr 10 – 6.30 miles (53:33, 8:30 pace) – Speed work
Apr 12 – 3.10 miles (26:19, 8:29 pace) – Tempo Run
Apr 13 – 4.20 miles (37:20, 8:53 pace)
Apr 14 – 8.20 miles (1:11:55, 8:46 pace)
Apr 15 – 8.30 miles (1:16:17, 9:11 pace)
Total Miles: 67.2 miles
2018 Total Miles: 449.3 miles
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