One EPIC 24 Hour Race - 2012

This was the 2nd annual "One EPIC 24 Hour Run" and I'm happy to have had the privilege to be a part of them both.   Here is a quote from a post that I put on Facebook after the race..... "if you ever have the chance, go run/walk at least 1 loop at One Epic Run next year. There is something special about this race. Maybe its the great aid station, the friendly volunteers, the laid back (no stress) atmosphere, the beautiful course, or the huge diversity of different people out on the course, but there is just something special and different about this run. I'm already planning to be back next time and really appreciate having such a high quality event only 30 minutes from my home."

I think that about sums it up.

The loop was a little more challenging than the traditional 24 hour race normally uses, but the scenery and diversity more than make up for that.

Runners are able to tackle a 3.1 (5K) loop as many times as they like for the 24 hour limit.  My ambitous goal was to clear at least 85 miles heading into the event.


I ran most of the daylight portion with Bo who was looking to finish a 50K for the day.  I finished the 50K (31.1 Miles) in 7:03.  I ran/walked effortlessly through the day to reach this mileage and  was starting to get my 2nd wind as the sun was going down.

Log Crossing.....

Awesome views along the river....

I never get bored running a 24 hour loop course because the scenery changes just a little with each loop you complete.  As the sun moves, the forest changes with it throughout the day.  Plus, with nearly 100 runners there was always someone to chat with.

I was surprised to see that so many runners packed up and left at dark, but hey that was just more food for me at the aid station!

I hit the 50 mile mark in exactly 12:05 (Twelve hours and five minutes) and knew that I could get around 35 more miles in just under twelve hours.

Then on my 17th loop around the course I lost motivation.  Well, actually I had a few shots of Jim Beam chased with Corona at the aid station before heading out and that may have contributed too!

One of my goals as a ultra runner is to one day run 100 miles within a day (24 hours).  My heart just wasn't up for the battle and I happily decided to back off the pace and make 62.2 miles (100K) my goal for the run.

The legend/clown Ray K. showed up around midnight and paced me and Kelley around a loop in the rain.

I took a very long break (more than a hour) after my 19th loop and reluctantly decided to go walk my 20th which would give me 100K for the event.  I really enjoyed this loop and even started to pick up the pace a little at the end.

I did have some 2nd thoughts about continuing on since the race still had more than 8 hours left, but I felt like I should save myself for The Delirium 24 Hour race in February where I hope to finally hit my sub 24 hour hundo.  Adding 20+ miles to my already weary legs would just mean more time off again from training.

I felt great after my shower and three hour nap in the car, but I was very sore on Sunday afternoon.  Croft has some very twisty trails and I think all of the cutting back-n-forth takes a toll on runners more than anything else.

I wanted to say congratulations to so many runners who hit distance personal records at this race.  My brother in law Nick was one of them, along with Angela (new Epic RD).  And thank you to Denise Davis for the salt pills.

Once again, thanks to Epic Joe Parker and the volunteers who made this a fantastic event.  I'm really excited to hear that it will continue on with a new race directory next year!

Next up is The Harbison 50K on January 5th, which I'm running as a training race for Delirium 24.