Idiot Biathlon 11.21.09

A couple of weeks ago Peter from Vac&Dash sent out an email about a group run in Albemarle. This was not your average group run rather it is a run for only the brave at heart.

Peter calls this group run the Idiot 19.7 miler run. Why is called Idiot run? Well, they start this run at 5 or 5:30 AM in the morning and run from the Y in Albemarle to the top of Morrow Mt. and back. If you have never been to Morrow Mt., the drive up is hard on your car so you can just image what it is like heading up on foot.

This was not my first endeavor for the Idiot run. I had first attempted it in January of ’08 so I knew what I to expect. But there are always a few new brave souls willing to take up this challenge.


After a few days of thinking about this run, I thought I was recovered enough from OBX that I could do it. So finally, I worked up the courage and sent Peter an email. I was coming back to run the Idiot Run for a 2nd time.

That was about a week and ½ before the run. Then this week, for some stupid reason, the idea of taking my bike over and riding afterward seemed like a good idea.
I emailed Peter again. This time I asked if he could circulate an email to see if any of the other Idiot runners were interested in riding back to the top of Morrow Mt. after we finished our run.


Peter couldn’t find any takers from the other Idiot runners but he did find a cyclist willing to ride with me.


Saturday morning, I was up early 3:30 am and packing up everything that I would need for the day.

By 4:30 I was on the road to Albemarle.

By 5:30 I was changing into my running cloths and shoes and making ready for a run to the top of Morrow Mt.

Before the start we took a few pictures and soon we were off. I immediately hooked up with three other guys and we ran together most of the way over to Morrow Mt. Only once we hit the steep section of the mountain climb did we start to separate.

Knowing that I was going to double up today, I took along 4 Power Gels. Definitely, I didn’t want to take any chances on letting my energy levels drop to low.

On the way down from the top, a couple of guys caught back up with me and we ran to the together on the road back to the Albemarle. Two of us did get a little gap when the pace started to drop into the 6:30s for the last 5 miles.

Once back at the Y it was time to change over to my cycling gear and make ready for the ride back to Morrow Mt.

Peter hooked me up with Curt . Curt was a former Triathlete who is now a cyclist. Curt is 60 years old and is trying to ride to the top of Morrow Mt. 60 times this year.

He is good cyclist and I was having trouble keeping up on the flats and down hills. But then my strength is on the up hills. Fortunately, the course is rolling which afforded me many opportunities to catch up.

The climb to the top of Morrow Mt. was tough. My quads were really burning and the burning only increased as I neared the top.

But then the fun would start on the decent. Before leaving the top, I checked both the front and rear brakes.

Everything was a okay, and I headed off on the decent.


I checked my Garmin and the speed flashed up to 35 MPH. Coming into the first hair pen curve, I was hard on the brakes and sliding the tires. I made it through the turn and head off over the rest of the downhill section. There was no more need for the brakes for the rest of the downhill section.

Boy, was this the fun part.

Curt waited on me a little ways down the road and we rode the rest of the way back to Y.

Setting in the back of my CRV to rest, I marveled how perfect this day was. I am not getting younger but doing stuff like this sure is fun.



Tales from the Cool Down Runner after finishing the first and only Idiot Biathlon.