Fire Tower Frenzy 37.4M - Ellijay, Georgia

Elevation Gain: 7230' .................... Max Elevation: 3688'

November 4, 2023 - Interesting day on the trails and roads. Restless sleep so got up at 0130, took my time getting around, then drove the two hours and 45 minutes to the race venue north of Ellijay. With a little help from caffeine I convinced myself I was good to go, and so I was, as a small group of us headed out from Mulberry Gap Adventure Basecamp in the darkness at 0700. This was a new event for the Coyote Ugly running group, so they worked extra hard to get it right for everyone.

Temps were right at freezing, but it didn't seem cold. With no gloves and shorts I was comfortable. The first six miles follows a mostly gravel road down, down, and down probably about 1200 feet. I wasn't in any hurry but gravity seemed to work well on my rested body, so it didn't take much more than an hour to quickly cover the first 10K along with an enthusiastic local companion named Chris that intermittently kept me company through much of the first half of the race. As a professional geologist we had much to chat about.

From the first aid station at 8 miles, the trail tilts upward in a serious way for for the next 10K to reach the fire tower that is the namesake of the event. I, of course, had to climb up to the first landing to snap a couple shots of the surrounding Blue Ridge landscape before continuing a rolling route on leaf-covered, mostly single-track trails for a couple miles before descending to Lake Conasauga, a nice small gem of beauty hidden deep in the Chattahoochee National Forest. So far the tour of the Cohutta Wildlife Management Area was going well, but I did have to slow in the woods to prevent a rocky or rooty disaster ever lurking beneath the leaves on the trails.

After another aid station, once again we followed gravel roads for another 10K before reaching trails again at 23.5 miles. To this point, I was averaging a satisfying better than 15-minute pace. My feet were sore from so many miles on gravel roads, however. It was a real blessing to finally reach trails again for most of the remaining 14 miles.

I stopped at 23 miles for about ten minutes to change clothes, refill, and just relax in the 60 to 70 degree sun and chat with aid station volunteers. Once I resumed my progress down the winding route along Bear Creek I backed off a bit to give my feet a chance to recover, and relaxed on terrain that I am most comfortable with. This part of the event was most enjoyable. When I reached the aid station at the bottom of Bear Creek, I paused again, in enthusiastic gregariousness, to mix it up with race volunteers and a bunch of mountain bikers.

I was no longer in a rush to keep any particular tempo, so I just put my nose down and did what I do best for the rest of the way on the Pinhoti Trail. As the day moved toward five o'clock I was ready to be at the finish. The last "four-mile" section seemed inordinately long, even by watch time, so I was disappointed when I finally got off the trail to find I still had another mile or so to run on another, you guessed it, gravel road. Adding insult to misery, runners that had finished ahead and locals literally dusted remaining runners as they drove by and waved. Needless to say, I was glad to see the finish, even though it took more time to finish at 10:11:33 or 16.33 minutes per mile than I would have liked.

The race organization was very gracious and accomodating. Just really nice people. Because of the roads, I probably won't be back. But I really did have a good day. Enjoyed it immensely. After a beer and some tasty vegan chili I boogied the most of three hours back home. Long day, but no unusual soreness. No falls, no injuries, no sore parts... and after a good night of sleep, even my dogs are no longer barking.

Overall, it leaves me encouraged and feeling like I should step it up, as opposed to backing it off. At this point in the game... that's a good way to think the day following a race.