Every
area has its own classic races. These races have a great course, a long
history, and give runners a chance to compete with the best runners around. In
the Southeast, the Mountain Mist 50K is one of those classics. I’d first heard
of the race from Steven, who ran it a few times in the 90s, then from Leonard
and Susan of our Haw Ridge running group, who had both run it more recently.
Several of us entered the 2008 edition, hoping to be able to post some (relatively)
fast times.
Leonard near the start.
At
that time, I was running in the Barkley every spring, but had only run two 50K
races (6:22 at Holiday Lake and 6:45 at Oak Mtn). I’d been running Black Mountain
in late winter, but the long downhill finish for both the 40 mile and marathon
versions of that race was proving too tough for my IT bands and knees to handle.
I needed a course with a better fit for my body. Talking with the Haw Ridge
group I felt that Mist could be a course that wouldn’t aggravate my knees. Mist
was also a month earlier than Black Mountain, so if I did inflame my knees, I’d
at least have more time to recover before Barkley. 
Susan on an early trail section.
My
baseline training included long trail runs in the Smokies, and several Smokies
off trail hikes (great training for Barkley, but not so much for a 50K). At
Frozen Head, the North Bird Trail that formed much of the Barkley course had recently
reopened, and I was doing my climbing training there. The Haw Ridge group was very
active then, and that gave me some good hard trail running at least once during
the week.
On
Friday afternoon I drove down with Aaron. On race day Susan and Rob drove
together, and Leonard also drove down on his own. The drive proved an easy 3.5
hour trip. We got to registration early so we decided to skip the pre-race
meeting. We stayed at a Hampton Inn, and ate at nearby Korean Restaurant. It
turned out Aaron had lived in Korea for a few years and craved some of their
comfort food. I’m usually cautious about my prerace food, so eating Korean was
unusual. 
Hiram hoping the finish is close.
Race
morning was foggy and cold, but we had no issues driving up to the start
despite a forecast warning of freezing rain. The race takes place on Monte Sano
State Park, on a plateau above Huntsville, weaving through state park and land
trust properties. The topography feels more like canyons, instead of mountains.
The course is essentially a long complicated loop with no significant repeats
of trails. There are three main climbs; K2, Waterline, and a final unnamed
ascent out of MacKays Hollow with a total of 3,500’ of climbing. There were
well stocked aid stations about an hour apart. I started in a T-shirt, shorts, polypro top and light gloves.
There
was a short section of paved road to start, and then the trail hit the single
track. Mist is a big race (~250 finishers in those days), and the single track
got crowded. I was hanging back (~195th) even though things were
flat and fast to Aid #1 at 6.5 miles. In the chaos, all the Knoxvillians lost
track of each other. Approaching the first major climb at K2 the slower runners
blocked the trail, and the conga line really slowed down. I got impatient and
pushed past about 25 runners, but once on top I could run free of the crowds.
After Aid #2 came the stone cuts, one of the more interesting parts of the
course.
I
felt good running until the long descent toward Aid #4 at 21.1 miles where my
left knee began to hurt. I was worried about the railroad bed section, fearing
poor footing, but it turned out the rail bed was rocky, but solid. Solid
footing was the norm for the course, excluding some minor muddy sections on the
powerline.
The
Waterline climb started gently, then reached two steep, rocky pitches that
required a bit of scrambling. Again I passed several runners on the climb. I
needed to limp down the trail to the bottom of MacKays Hollow, but only lost a
few places. I was still able to run well on the flats, and power walk up the
long last climb. The toll of race was starting to show on others as well. Just
before the rim I saw a runner passing aspirin to another runner, and then passed
a guy who’d fallen and thought he’d broken a rib. The final aid station sits on
the canyon rim just a mile and a half from the end. It is another flat, fast
section, but still required passing a puking runner. 
Aaron and Susan at the finish.
I
finished in 6:26, just a few minutes off my debut 50K PR on an easier course at
Holiday Lake. I had started behind all the local runners, but had passed
Leonard and Rob without seeing them. In fact, none of us had seen any of the
others, there had evidently been several passes made while the call of nature
was being answered. Aaron had nearly caught Susan at the finish, and both were
very close to breaking 6 hours. Two guys who I would later meet through Barkley
finished very strong; DeWayne Satterfield, an icon at Mist, was third in 4:05,
and Carl Laniak was fifth in 4:22 We received thumbnail photos taken along the
course, some of which I’ve borrowed for this post. 
Crossing the finish line.
Overall,
I was surprised and pleased by the course. The elevation profile made it look
hilly, but there were lots of flat sections in between the major climbs. The
footing was good, the area pretty, and the stone cuts unique. But my left knee
remained sore for over a week after the race, and I wasn’t sure if I should
risk this type of racing, and put my hiking and Barkley adventures at risk. I
would do several long off trail hikes after the race, but it was another month
before I got back to serious Barkley training.
I’d
come back to run Mist in 2009 setting my unofficial 50K PR of 6:03.
