Full disclosure: I started this post in Aug-2015 and never finished it. Now in 2018 upon the resurrection of this blog I found this report & have decided to fill in what I remember & post it. -Tim
Race Name: Holston River Endurance Challenge (100, 6, 12, 24, 36)
Venue: Holston River Brewing Co & Thunder Mtn Campground
Facebook: Event & Page
Distance/Type: 100 Mile or Timed
Race Location: Bristol, TN
Climate Data: 83-85 Deg With Lower Humidity
Race Date: 8/1/2015 12:01:00 AM Start Through 8/2/2015 12:00 PM (Noon) Finish
Finish Time: N/A
Finish Place: 63 Miles
Race Stats: Garmin
Photo Gallery: Holston River Endurance Challenge – Photos
Race in 1 paragraph:
I went into this race with the hopes of 100 miles in sub-24 but settled with a learning 100k. Nothing went terribly wrong and I was able to work through some issues while battling heat and a midnight start. Amazing 1st time event, great venue & Better people.
Pre-Race
Work 1/2 Day.
Worked until 12:PM then went home & loaded up the Ultra-Van with the car topper for everyone’s stuff and the club essentials. Shortly after I got all my stuff ready the others showed up. We got all the gear loaded and hit the road. 4+ hours we finally arrived in Bristol, TN.
We drove the campground and picked out a spot to setup our base camp. The 10X10 & folding camp chairs came out and we were set on go……. time to EAT!
Lucky for us the brewery (Holston River Brewing Co) had arranged for a food truck to be onsite that night. We hung out & listened to some live music, had some drinks & feasted on the best food-truck food I have ever had.
As the night went on we wrapped it up at the Brewery and decided to go back to the van to get ready for the race, remember it started at midnight. I was tired so I changed into my shorts, singlet and proceeded to climb in the back of the van with my USB Fan & to take a nap. Before I knew it Shaw & Pat were in a panic trying to wake me up…. I had crashed and the race was about 5Min from starting. I rolled out of the van, put on my shoes & socks and made my way to the start. GO !!!
Race
About the course ….
Dr. Enff …. Best stuff in the world !
Heat ….. dang it was hot. So hot the RD made a special trip to the store and got everyone popcicles & walked to the course in the reverse direction to make sure that everyone who wanted one got one.
Resting .. this was funny. since the race started so late we were VERY tired come mid afternoon. I convinced Shawn to stop for a little bit and rest. He said he refused to sleep, however I caught him sound asleep sitting straight up.
Shawn Mad … after we woke up from our little nap,it really wasn’t but 5 min or so, Shawn was so angry with me that I slept for 1-2 hours before the race that he refused to speak or run with me for the rest of the race.
Pat continuing …. once I threw in the towel to get some sleep Pat & Lauri kept going. Pat was moving really slow & Laurie’s feet hurt so bad she ended up do somewhere around 30+ miles in flip-flops.
Post-Race
What Went Right
What Went Wrong
Conclusion
Well…..today is the 1 week mark from the start of Tarheel Ultra. With no running in my schedule until Tuesday I have been on a 3 day cleaning spree. I spent Friday morning in a tree stand hunting white tail deer, then when the wind kicked up I saw no reason to go out on the evening hunt. With my afternoon hunting plans now not in play I turned my built up “Taper” energy to the inside of my house. Every wall, chair-rail, base board & floor in my foyer, dining room, kitchen & living room have been scrubbed down AND all the floors have been scrubbed & mopped. NOW, we are ready for the holidays! My parents are here for Thanksgiving & to crew me for TU plus we will have other guests for Thanksgiving dinner. Thanksgiving will mark the start to a wonderful season, at my hose for a change, of get togethers with friends & loved ones.
