Xterra Battle at Big Creek - Run

Crowded!! Started out with a 3 or 4 minute jog around the pond on the paved greenway path, which was designed to thin the crowd before going into the trail area. This worked to a certain extent, but it was still single file going into the trail area, as well as the first 15-20 minutes on the trails. It was almost like Peachtree Road Race conditions, with the added challenge of steep and narrow trails with challenging footing.

For most of the first loop we were running single file with runners no more than a couple arm lengths in front of and behind you. It was pretty hard to pass and when I got the chance I had to put on a quick burst of speed to get around the runner in front and get back on the trail without hitting a tree or some other obstacle. Also the shape of the trail made it hard to get around other runners since there were very few straights to be had. Given these conditions, and given the fact that we had two loops to complete, it was easy to make the mistake of just falling into a lull and being content to run the pace of whoever was in front of me. Toward the end of the loop the field thinned a bit and I think the course got a bit more predictable so I was able to pass a few folks and it felt good to do that and maintain your own pace.

It seemed to take forever to get to the half-way point. My watch showed about 43 minutes at this point, which told me the course was longer than expected, or I had no idea how much the terrain and crowding would slow me down, or both. My goal was a 9 minute pace for the whole race, which is what I would normally run on a training run on a road, and so I realized I was way off that mark. But I felt pretty good, so I stopped for about 30 seconds at the Gatorade station without trying to run and drink at the same time. There was no water or fluid out in the loop area which was not surprising since I did not see many access points on the trail.

The 2nd loop was very enjoyable since the field was thinned considerably and I knew better what to expect. Since I wasn't too worried about my time goal at this point, I just relaxed and enjoyed the run, setting a good pace where I could. I passed a few folks near the end and finished feeling very strong, giving me a negative split, so I was very happy with that.

I found out that trail running is fun but very different than my normal runs, in terms of pace, energy used, and wear and tear on the knees and ankles. But I felt like I had met the challenge pretty well and I really enjoyed this run.


It would have been a good idea to run the course beforehand just to get an idea of the difficulty of the footing. I had practiced some hill work around the neighborhood, which served me well on the slopes. I don't think you can do much to prepare for the crowded conditions, though.

Met and chatted with tri_d00d and his wife at the finish, drank water and gatorade, ate a banana. Hung around through the awards with the faint hope that there would be only 3 guys in my AG so I could steal a medal, but no luck :-). Tried to keep moving to keep from stiffening but started to feel some soreness in both knees as I walked to the car.


Lack of experience in this type of race; crowded conditions.


This race was pretty hard, yet I thoroughly enjoyed it. I would like to work in more trail running for training as well as another trail race. Great race and I would recommend it for next year, but I'm not sure if they could handle a much bigger crowd than this year. The same organizers have a few more events around GA over the next few years (www.dirtyspokes.com).