First Ultra This Fall?

Several from the RMEC will be running the New River Trail 50k this fall. The race is on 10/09/10. Now your first reaction is probably this:

• Ultra? - Nope! Too far!
• Trail? - Heck no! Why make it harder?

Let me comment on both of those points (keeping in mind I have not done an Ultra myself). This race is a 50k. That is 31 miles. There are some obscure race distances out there above a marathon, but this is typically the closest you will get that is considered an Ultra. So it will require you run another 4.8 miles beyond the marathon distance which would add 40-70 minutes of run time.

As for the Trail aspect, this is actually a big perk to the race. This trail is not single track and rooty like Medoc. The trail is wide and made of packed cinder for almost the entire race. It is more like the Tobacco Trail Marathon, or Umstead minus the hills. Because the race stays beside the New River for all of the race it remains relatively flat for all 31 miles.

If you needed more convincing, check out this collection of photos online of the race course. This is absolutely beautiful! Not to mention the race is located in Virginia which makes it an easy drive. If I was not ruining Steamtown, I would sign up for this race in a heartbeat. It is a small personal event with under 200 runners. So far Ted, Liz, Ron, and Frank all plan to run.

So, take a chance and give your first Ultra a try!