By Nick Whited

Update - The details for this race are finalized. See the Event Entry for the latest!.

I'm putting together a Fat Ass run on August 19th in Tazewell, VA, (Burkes Garden.) It looks like the distance will be a tough 30-35 miler; I’ve got to get out on the course and actually map it better. It will be on the Appalachian Trail heading North and turn around and come back. I am going to cap the run at 30 runners.

This is Cavitt’s Creek – it looks like the place where I will have the campground reserved. It has 11 primitive sites in which we could pile 2 tents per site It’s a nice clean, peaceful place, but a 15 minute drive to the start of the run. I’ll have to charge 10 bucks a person to reserve the campground. I estimate the start of the run to be at 6am to beat the heat. There is a good local restaurant called Main Street Café – and I may be able to cut a deal with them for the meal for the runners to pay at a low cost.

For further information contact Nick Whited

Today the crew and I are off to the Mohican Wilderness for a some running over the weekend. Which means this is another year when I will miss the Boogie Races. What could be better than poaching all night in the Carolina steam, running on asphalt over hills, during the hottest time of year? Not much. Whenever I ask someone about the Boogie races they say one must run the Boogie once. Not at least once, just once. Which does not explain the small group of dedicated Boogie men and women that run year after year. Maybe 2007 will be my time for learning the secrets of the Boogie Races.

Congratulations to VA ultrarunner Nick Whited who won the Ridge Runner Marathon in Cairo, WV this past weekend. Nick's finishing time was 3:01:25 over a mountain course that includes trails. Nick regularly trains with Eric Grossman and has been seen this year at the Massunatten 100, the Promise Land 50K, the Carrboro 50K, and others.

In Wisconson this past weekend, Todd Not and VA ultrarunner Francesca Conte won the Kettle Moraine 100K, while Parker Rios and Tracy Thomas won the Kettle Moraine 100 mile. WV Ultrarunner Dan Lehman finished 8th overall in the 100 miler.

By Fred Dummar

After running the replacement OD last year, and being disappointed with the uninspiring course, poor aid station supplies, and abandoned aid stations I decided to run the REAL OD this year.

Boy was I shocked. The original OD is so much superior to the attempted replacement that it is sort of sad that only 15 runners towed the line on Saturday to enjoy the best of Fort Valley and Massanutten mountain. If more runners knew what a gem OD is they would be flocking to the experience.

The real OD is a combination of trails (35 miles), forest roads (55 miles), and asphalt surface (10) that requires a very tactical approach to run effectively. The race sported 22 highly organized aid stations (some used a couple of times from multiple directions), with everything a runner could want including power gels, cliff bars, and one of my favorite drinks (Succeed Ultra) in addition to the normal expected aid station snacks. Aid stations had multiple volunteers from the community most of them with decades of experience running the same aid stations. The volunteers where incredible. Most notable the boy scout troop at Veach East that ran down the trail to make sure runners made the turn into their campsite aid station. Enthusiasm like that was appreciated at mile 83.

Jeff Reed and Bill Van Antwerp, co-directors of Catherine's Fat Ass, have opened registration for this popular event. The race will be held on July 29th. To register, visit the entrant page. Catherine's is limited to 70 entrants and the RDs expect it to fill up soon.

What's up with the goat? Visit the Catherine's Fat Ass blog and read Joe Zwiller's report of the 2004 race!

It's almost the first weekend in June and that means it's time again for a tradition: the Old Dominion 100 Mile Endurance Run. (The one, the only, the original.) It is time to reflect upon the undeserved decline of this great race and to hope it can recover some of its prominence this year and in the future.

Jay Finkle is a master of the Old Dominion, with several finishes. A couple of years ago Jay ran the new race and the original race over consecutive weekends. Jay wrote the best review of this race that I've read and explained why he likes the course so much.

The history of our sport is contained within this event and it is an experience every ultrarunner should have. My thoughts on this race and the unfortunate circumstances that led to its recent status as a minor event are outlined in the essay Old School Endurance Running.

I would be out in Fort Valley this Saturday running the roads and trails except for the High School graduation of our daughter Jessica. I intend to be out there next year and the year after that. Some very good friends of mine will be running around the passes and hollows of the course this weekend and I wish them the very best. As I wish the very best for the Old Dominion.

Congratulations to Mark Lundblad, who last weekend won this very tough trail marathon with a time of 3:41:31. According to Mark, the course is probably longer than 26.2 miles. The course is tough because of the humidity, the technical trails, and some climbing. The photos of this run look awesome. I think it would be a great trail run for any ultrarunner, especially since it is held during May, which is a sparse month on the Ultra calendar.

Photo: Aaron Schwartzbard

By Brad Smythe


Peanuts, grapes, Pringles, oranges, quesadillas, grilled cheese, beans and rice, egg salad sandwich, brownies, cheese pizza, cantaloupe, cookies, coffee, pretzels, hashbrowns, boiled potatoes, potato soup. What do all these things have in common? At some point this past weekend, during the 28 hours I was on the MMT course, they served as fuel for my run. Well, ok, the word 'run' is used loosely here, but you get the idea.

I'm sure most reading this have some vague idea of what MMT is like, but if not, the word 'rocky' comes to mind. So, the course is rocky. What else? The course is long, the weather was nice, the trail was well marked, the volunteers were wonderful, and the views were 'real and spectacular'. That's what I heard anyway, and what the pictures seem to indicate. In all honesty, I was too busy looking at the ground to try to avoid crashing down on the jagged rocks ready to rip my flesh apart. Luckily, I managed to avoid any of these 'face-to-face' meetings with said rocks, but I had several close calls that ended with me nearly cramping up and cussing to no-one in particular.

So, there we were, at 5:00 in the morning. RD Stan was talking to us with his back to the clock as it reached 5:00, starting time. I was next to Sue Johnston at the start as she yelled to Stan it was time to start--and away we were.

Photo: Doug Hansen

Last weekend while many were running around on Massunuttan Mt., Eric Grossman of Virginia was up in Wisconson competing in the Ice Age 50 (50K version). Eric was the winner of the 50K with a time of 3:29:53. The female 50K champion was Cassie Scallon of WI. Andy and Kimberly Holak were the overall and female champions of the 50 mile race. See the Ice Age web site for full results and photos.

After reading and hearing about the Massanutten Mountain Trails 100 for several years I finally got to see it in person last weekend. The result: I'm impressed by the greatness of this race - the course, the organization, the athletes, and the crews. I have always marvelled at the duality of the race: it is simultaneously cursed and praised by the same athletes year after year. I now have a glimpse into the mystery (to know completely I will have to finish the race myself). The satisfaction that comes from finishing MMT is positively correlated to the challenge of finishing. It is a tough race, with a high sense of achievement among finishers.