Vertical Mile Challenge Adventure Race

This morning, I headed for a little place just above Hiddenite, NC called Rocky Face Recreation Area. This was the location of the Vertical Mile Challenge Adventure Race. I will be the first to admit. This race is both a challenge and an adventure.

The race is a 2.2 mile loop consisting of trail meaning rocks, roots, and did I say rocks well think more of each and asphalt. I barely realized that I was on the asphalt. Oh, yeah, and a flight of stairs. The asphalt is maybe 150 yards and is the staging area for the race. In fact, we ran through start finish 8 times. Many runners and families to setup tents and their own refueling stations.  Although, this was not really necessary. The aid station at the start/finish was super well stocked. A second station at .5 miles in to the race had water and Gatorade. Perhaps my favorite, the aid station on the climb was stocked with water.

About 5 minutes before 8 am the race director called us together and went over the prerace instructions. 

However, he was so soft spoken that even just 10 yards way, I could not hear a word that he said. I could see his lips moving that was it.

About 8:05, he sounded the horn, and the race started. There was a huge crowd running, and they went out fast.

I had watched the race video and did some back ground reading on this course so I had a reasonable idea how tough it was going to be.

For the number of runners, the course didn’t string us out fast enough before we hit the single track trail. I was in a long conga line with perhaps a 100 or so runners ahead of me.

A few guys: that I knew Justin and Chris had disappeared in to the sea of runners ahead of me. In truth, I was quite happy with where I was and how fast that I was running. I didn’t know this course so I wanted to use the first lap to get familiar with it.

Sure enough, a ½ mile in to the race, we came out the trail and on to a rocky cliff face which had to be every bit of 30% to 40% grade. Everyone immediately started walking. Interestingly, the rock face seemed to get steeper with each passing lap.

This section is roughly half mile but when I looked up all, all I could see is more rocky cliff face staring back at me. It seemed to go on for ever.

We passed by the aid station. Then, we pop in to a wood for a short section before heading back out on the cliff face again. I will say that the view was spectacular. Although, I didn’t have much time to enjoy it. I was too busy filling my lungs with air.

Once we reached the apex of the climb, we started our downhill decent. Another truth here, while the climb tough. It is manageable. The downhill portion is a risk to life and limb. The trail is splintered with rocks, roots, sharp switch backs, and open descending cliff faces. Just before finish of the decent is a stair case with uneven steps. The entire second mile just encourages you to run hard. I saw several runners go down hard. One runner was evacuated by the EMT after a hard fall. I will also say that the race had EMTs stationed all over the course to provide support.

Finishing the first lap, I had a pretty good understanding of the course layout. From then, the laps seemed to fly by. Partly because I was started to catch some of those that blasted out the first lap, and 2, I was memorizing the rocks and roots along the course. Also, helping was that I was flip flopping with a few other runners. I would catch runners on the flat or hill. Then, they would come flying by me on the descent.

On the forth lap, the leader caught me. I chased him until we hit the cliff face. Then, I watched while he ran up the cliff face. I couldn’t match his efforts nor did I want to. I had my strategy, and I was sticking with it.

Laps 5 & 6 flew by. I was catching runners and lapping others. On lap 7, I caught up to Justin on the climb but he flew back by me on the descent.

Starting lap 8, I felt good. I caught Chris on the trail to the climb and Justin on the climb. Going up the climbs, I always choose the most direct route but I noticed that many of the runners were doing a zig zap pattern. Perhaps, this was easier on their quads. I don’t know but it did make it more difficult for them to stay with me.

Topping out, I had only the descent left to run. I had finished lap 7 in 2 hours and 38 minutes. In back of my mind, I wondered if I could break 3 hours. I could but it would mean taking some risks, but it also meant leveraging the experience of the last 7 laps. I ended up running my second fastest split of the race on the last lap. I finished in 2 hours 59 minutes and 22 seconds placing 12 overall.

I feel like my slow but steady strategy had paid off. I felt great the entire race and survived the grueling climb 8 times and the adventure of the descent 8 times.

These guys do an awesome job with the race and as long as you remember to pick up your feet, you will be good here.

Wrapping up this post, let me share couple of more notes. In some ways, because the descent is so steep, I think this is actually harder on my quads than the climb. Like Boston, you are running a lot more downhill than you are actually climbing.

My other note is don’t drink the lemon green colored stuff in a cup. They had cups of Gatorade setting on the table. I picked a cup thinking of the Gatorade taste. What hit my tongue was salty dill pickle juice. I couldn’t swallow and spit it back in the cup. I am not sure how anyone could drink it.

There you have it. By finishing my first Vertical Mile race, I became an honorary member of their Vertical Mile Club. An achievement, I am quite proud of to have accomplished.

Lap 1: 22:35, Lap 2: 21:38, Lap 3: 22:14, Lap 4: 22:52, Lap 5: 22:32, Lap 6: 22:49, Lap 7: 22:50, and Lap 8: 21:49

Total Running time: 2:59:22

Tails from the Trail

The Cool Down Runner