Haigler 12 Hour - Night Trail Race

 Running Shot in the Dark did not give me quite enough night running so I was off  on Saturday to Ann Close Greenway for the Haigler 12 hour night time race. 

The event takes place on the Ann Close Greenway using the entrance off 21. The race starts at the pavilion, and we run 5k loops which loop around Lake Haigler taking in gravel roads, part of Wagon Loop, Blue Star, Haigler Loop, and Azalea trails. A good portion of the course is single track trail. 

The race starts at 8 pm. I arrived a little after 6:30 PM, picked up my packet, and then tried to rest and catch a nap. After all, once I started, I planned to run all night long. That's why I signed up. 

At 7:45, I headed to the pavilion for our prerace meeting. The temperature was dropping, so the allure of the roaring fire in the fire place was pretty inviting. I soaked up what I could because I knew better than go back once the start started. I would be done. 

5 minutes to 8, we walked out to the start line which happens to be the only lite place on the entire course. I had positioned my cooler and chair here next to the course. They had us park about 100 or so yards away from the course, and I really didn't think that I wanted the extra mileage of running back and forth all night long. 

Some of this course, I was familiar but not the Azalea trail. The race director told us that they blown the leaves off the trail in some sections so we could see where the trail actually was. Leaves are like snow, once down they cover everything evenly. 

I appreciated this a lot. It really helped in seeing the rocks and roots at night. There were a few places that they skipped which I thought would have helped tremendously. Every time through those sections, I could feel my ankles rolling either left or right. 

We started on the gravel road. The line head lamps stretched out behind me. 

Once we dropped on to the the Azalea trail, it climbs up to nearly the top of the ridgeline. Then, it meanders along the ridgeline following the southern shore line of Lake Haigler. As I glanced off to my right, I could the little white dots weaving and bobbing along the trail that I just passed through. It was kind of cool to see. 

One guy pulled away from me on the trail. Another runner and I were kind of paired up to do a couple of laps. Then, we got separated at the only aid station on the course. From then on, I was solo. For a while, I was catch a few people. Once the wee hours arrived, I was running along the lake, and I realized that I could not see any other lights. Made me wonder if I was running the course alone now. 

Every lap, we had to check in by calling out our bib number. They would recite it back to us as confirmation. Then, I was free to head back out. 

I don't know what time it was. Somewhere between 2 and 4 am, I stopped at my cooler. When I touched it, it felt funny - slick. It took me a few seconds to realize it. There was a thin layer of ice covering it. 

I had looked at the forecast and knew that it was projected to get in to low 30s. However, I was running, and I felt fine. I had started with gloves which open to expose the fingers. I had decided to pull my 2XU compression shorts and calf sleeves off the shelf. This had been a good call as my legs felt warm the entire night. 

Some time after 30 miles, the race director told me that I was in the lead. I wondered if the siren call of the fire had gotten the two runners from earlier. 

A while later, I glanced at my Garmin, and I realized that I had been running for 10 hours. I had 2 hours left, and I knew roughly how long that it was taking me per lap. I had a pretty good idea how many laps that I could make. This changes my mindset a bit and made me focus on this number. 

By 6:30 AM, dawn was starting to arrive. Starting my last lap, just before 7 AM, I no longer needed my head lamp. Seeing the course in the daylight changes everything. The world no longer seemed so small. 

I called out bib "139" for the last time around 7:40 am and walked in to the pavilion and over to the fireplace to sit down. While I was not necessarily cold, soaking up the heat from fire felt really good. That and setting down also felt good. 

Something I hadn't thought before but awards are a lot easier for "hour" events. Everyone is essentially done at the same time since it does not count if you come in afterward the hour is up. This makes people think twice about going back out if they cannot complete the lap before 12 hours are up. 

Winning the event, I got my choice of owls. I picked a gold colored owl. I guess maybe owls are part of the race logo. For everyone completing 50k in distance, they gave away pins. I am a big collector of pins, but this is the first "race" pin that I have. This was a super nice touch. 

All in all, this was super cool event. The course is not super easy but not super difficult either. There are plenty of roots and rocks that will reach up and grab your feet. Ask the one guy that I met after the race. He took a header to the side of his face. It looked like it will leave a mark and likely a black eye. 

If I am looking for some night time miles on a trail, I would consider it again. So I give it a "thumbs up" rating. 

One last night. After the race, I drove home, cleaned up, and had break. I rested for a while, cleaned up the leaves in my yard, and then spent the afternoon watching the Panther's game. 

About 10 minutes to 7, I realized that I was feeling rather sleepy. I headed off to bed at 7 pm, and I slept soundly straight through until 6:30 Monday morning. My legs feel a little sluggish today but otherwise, I don't seem to have any lingering after effects. 

Cool Down Runner

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