* From: Nele
* Event Details
parling was right next to the check point/barn/registration. So it was awesome. We camped onsite, also awesome. Jill from Shale Hill was there with Icebugs! Schwag for 48 hour was a tshirt and this really nice pullover! Love it! The medal at the end is really nice and the belt buckle for 100+ miles was great.
* Race Details
The course was broken down into 2 loops: a 10 mile loop and a 16 mile loop. The 10 mile loop was great. A climb at first and then rolling hills all the way down. The 16 mile loop was like hell on earth. 3 miles of boggy marsh to a 10 mile loop that never ended, and then back along the 3 mile bog. I was eaten alive by Mosquitos. A bug band, 30% deet, and 98% deet didn’t do anything, they just laughed at me and bit me anyway. The highlight of the race were the people themselves. Everyone involved with the race and even racer there. Amazing atmosphere.
* Rating
Excellent
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* From: Stephen Rodericks
* Event Details
Parking was free and onsite, swag was a medal, and shirt, the email said something about a hat, but there was a quality issue, and not sure when/if they are going out. you could put up a tent for 12 bucks for as long as you want. Shale Hill was there selling icebugs, but i took too long on my loop to know of any other vendors. Also if you got 888k over the 10 days you got a giant belt buckle, if you do the 72 you needed to do 150 miles to get a buckle, and 48hr you needed 100 miles.
* Race Details
This is an ultra, so no obstacles. The 88k had a 30 mile loop, and then joined up with the rest of the people doing the 888k, 72hr, and 48 hr events (there is also an 8k lap if you are not comfortable with ultras yet) That 30 mile loop took us to blood root, and then all around there, and it was very fun, and pretty hard. This is an Andy course after all, and he is one of the great reasons to do any of his races, super nice guy, who remembers your name, and believes in you, and really wants to see you grow and see you succeed! Now course marking was pretty good on the figure 8 loop (10 and 16 mile loops for all the multi day events) from what i hear, I DNF’d after the 30 miler. The course markings were pretty good, except just before the first aid station, it was probably 50 people all lost, but it must have been about a 1/2 mile off course, and we were back on course. But here is the thing i saw Andy several times, and each time he was asking for feedback, and twice he was searching
for the spot, and probably found it, and put up extra marking, small problem is that what he put up was a different color, and there were a few other colored ribbons, but by the time he did that most people would be back tracking the loop. but there were a few other people that got lost bad, they found there way back but it was a big detour from what i heard. Also, from what i heard, the 10 mile loop was not too hard, but the 16 was horrible, but again, it is an Andy course, it will not be easy. Also, a whole bunch of killer bugs, that ate through 2 layers pf clothes, and through shoes!
* Rating
Excellent
