Table Rock Ultra 50k Preblast – The toughest hoodie you will ever earn

If you want to skip all of this and go straight to the important stuff, scroll down to Registration Details.

The Backstory
A little over a year ago I was enjoying post Dawnstrike coffeeteria in Starbucks when PaperBoy started talking about an event called the Table Rock Ultra 50K, which is a 32 mile ultra run to the summit of Table Rock (North Carolina; not Table Rock Park in SC). I expressly remember his use of the word “fun” multiple times. My fondness for the Linville Gorge after numerous backpacking trips and PaperBoy’s gift for gab had me soon committing to this event which was well over 8 months away, and just far enough out that I didn’t put much thought into what I might be getting into. PaperBoy was somehow able to convince about 20 other guys to sign up for this thing, and we spent the first couple of months talking about how much fun it was going to be and what we were going to name our little trail running club.

It was about five months later while on a training run called “Paperboo’s 18 Miles of Destruction” that I realized what an evil SOB he was. PaperBoy did not want others to experience the joy of a race through the scenic North Carolina mountains, he wanted others to keep him company in the misery of five hour training runs at Harbison in 90 degree heat.

After thousands of GroupMe messages, endless posts at #BullsEye, and 200 miles of trail run training, I found myself driving to Morganton with aa stark realization. Despite it being the end of September, the “cool mountain air” we were expecting had passed over us and we were facing a warm 70° start and max temp of 91°. Although vastly different conditions from the mid 50s temps and flooding that PaperBoy and KimJung went through the year before, no one could say we weren’t ready for the heat. Despite all that summer training, it did not prepare me for the experience of laying on the ground at mile 17, holding my cramping quad while people literally walked over me to head up the mountain. That was not the first time that day I cursed PaperBoy’s name, and it would not be the last. Although I exclaimed during the race that this entire thing was stupid and I would never do it again, that was surpassed a few hours later by the elation of finally finishing and enjoying a cold Bud Light in the stream with the other men I had suffered through this thing with. It only took a few days before we were all talking about the next year’s race and making plans.

Although the training and most of the race was brutal, I am definitely glad I did it and would say that the Table Rock Ultra is an event like no other. If you don’t make advancements with your fitness, you will certainly improve on the fellowship and come out of it with a unique Completely Stupid and Utterly Pointless experience. Make sure to read PaperBoy’s pre-blast from last year’s race.

Last Year’s Highlights

• #Trample Initiation – inevitably getting lost at Harbison during your first time out there
• KimJung, who almost died during this race in 2015, strolling up at the end with the sweeper and a DFL finish (but well before the cutoff and looking fresh as a daisy)
• Someone deciding we should visit a brewery the night before and drink high gravity beer 12 hours before race start
• Myrtle taking a full one hour break at the aid station and still beating many of us by two hours
• BackDraft and Improv inadvertently running 5 miles off course and then having to hitch a ride back in a pickup
• DoubleRub jumping over a copperhead
• Some kid on the summit trail pointing to YHC’s spasming leg and saying “mom loook at that guy’s leg!”
• Lederhosen doing about five training runs all year and then finishing before anyone else
• 10 dudes hobbling (with some electing to drive) to the Cracker Barrel, which was literally right next door to the hotel but slightly uphill
• Inappropriate GroupMes still going strong six months after the race
• Meeting and getting to know a lot of new friends

The Details

• There are 300 spots available for the 50k. They also have a 30k, but it doesn’t bypasses the Table Rock summit which is the best part of the race.
• You will have the option to switch to the 30k up to a week before the race if you break your leg or something. Registration opens on Friday, April 14th at 7:00 AM and are expected to fill up fast.
• This is a 32 mile course which is run on grass, single/double trails, gravel roads and rocks.
• There are multiple creek crossings. These could be ankle deep or come up to your waist depending on rain volume the week before.
• There are checkpoints every 4-5 miles and they provide water/Gatorade and tons of snacks that many many people have put their dirty hands in before you.
• There are some seriously steep climbs and descents, like 1000 ft/mile steep.
• You must get to the top of the mountain in less than 6 hours (roughly 20 miles). The last 3 miles of that climb are straight uphill:
  
• The rock climbs and trails get slippery when wet. There are roots on the course. At some points you will be scrambling or even climbing up the trail. You do not need to be an expert runner but you do need to have some trail experience before you go out there.
• The view at the top of Table Rock over Linville Gorge is breathtaking
• If you are concerned about having never run an ultra before, this race is entirely possible for an amateur if you get the training runs in and focus on your nutrition.

Training Tips

• Run at least once a week on trails. Trail running is different than road running. You have to look down and 5 feet in front of you at all times. You have to focus on what you’re doing. Pretty much all of us took at least one header into the ground during training, but running on trails will give you more confidence and experience.
• Learn nutrition that works for you. You need to practice spending hours on your feet and learn what your body needs to maintain that endurance after 6-9 hours.
• Find every hill around you during road runs and practice running up and down hills. If you’re in Columbia, spend every Monday at #BullsEye.
• Google and read race reports from past runners.
• Go to BootCamps.
• Attend a preview run. We will take at least one trip out to Table Rock, NC during the summer to do a 17 mile practice run. Past participants have indicated this was very useful.

The Gear
This is not a cheap event. Things you will need during training and for the race:

• Registration – $67.50
• Hydration vest or bottle you can run with (required) – $25 – $125
• Harbison State Forest Annual Parking Pass (Columbia) – $25 (or $5 a day)
• Trail running shoes – $125
• Hotel room – $100
• Body Glide – $10
• Optionals: gas for multiple trips to Sesqui and Harbison, trail running clothes (with built in compression), nutrition.

Registration Details
Go here to register. Send @5gotcha a DM on Twitter for a 10% discount code. If there is a section that asks for special information or something interesting about yourself, please enter “F3nation.com” before anything else you want to add.

After registering, fill out this Google Doc to confirm so we can keep track of who is registered and negotiate a hotel room discount.

First trail training run in Columbia is scheduled for Saturday, May 13th at Sesqui State Park. Follow me on Twitter or set an alert for #trample and/or #tru50k for details of all Columbia training runs.

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