Race Report: The Bear - Linville, NC

Submitted by: Ron Fleming

The Bear is a 5 miler that runs from the intersection of Hwys 105 & 221 in Linville up to the top of Grandfather Mountain. The first couple of miles wind up a gravel road lined with rhododendrons on both sides. I've never heard so much huffing and puffing at the beginning of a race in my life. No talking, all breathing.

The beginning seemed a little lackluster and slow, but it was still nice to be out there with a large group of runners. Somewhere in between miles 2 and 3, you enter McRae Meadow which is where the Highland Games are held. The run became a little more interesting at this point with much more scenery. There were tons of people there camping with extravagant campsites, hanging out cheering us on as we passed. Lots of kilts and bagpipes and vendors with tents setup. It was also here at McRae Meadow where we got the first view of the peak of Grandfather Mountain which really increased the stakes and the climb.

After leaving the Highland Games area we got on the park road which winded it's way to the top with very little forgiveness, but there were a couple short and flat spots, with emphasis on short here. The first and only aid station we came to, which I believe was at mile 3, was perfectly placed for an awesome view. The remainder of the course was a series of steep switchbacks hitting around 12% grade near the finish. I finally crossed the finish line, with extremely tired legs and an awesome view from the top of the mountain and received my Bear medal.

They had school buses to carry us down the mountain back to the starting line. I managed to get standing room only in the old school bus and I think balancing myself on the way down the mountain was harder than the run. We also got a pretty cool long-sleeve t-shirt, which seems to be an odd choice for a July run, but apparently in the past, it's always been pretty chilly at the top of the mountain, but this year it was unusually warm.

This was a hard run, but it wasn't quite as bad as I was expecting. You can make it as hard as you want it to be, but knowing I was running the Grandfather Mountain Marathon on Saturday, I had to run it with that in mind. I also decided when I got to the Highland Games area that I would be disappointed if I didn't take some pictures, so that's when I broke out the camera and started enjoying the run. I'm glad I can cross it off my list, but not sure that I would ever do it again. However, it would be a nice challenge to be able to freely run it without having to worry about saving my legs for Saturday.

Click Here For Pictures7