Saturday 10/17 NCR Trail Run

This sounds like fun, and I'll definitely come if I can.  PM me your cell if you can.

Do you know what the NCR trail marathon course/race is like? 

Sure, I've done it twice as well as the relay once.

It starts at Sparks Elementary School.  You run down a long hill on a road to the trail, just about a mile long.  You then run North on the trail which is virtually flat for about 12 miles, turn around a cone and get your chip read less than one minute later, and then run back about 12 miles and turn and run back up to the school (it is a slightly different run back up to the school... slightly shorter (hence the half way timing mat not being exactly at the turn around) but still a long uphill on roads).  The hill at the end is infamously painful, though if you've got something left it's a great place to pick up several spots while lots of people walk some or even most of it.  I actually find it a refreshing change of pace since you've been running for 24 miles of FLAAAAAT.

The trail itself is completely non technical and well maintained.  It is crushed gravel/cinders that has been compacted into a soft smooth surface.

There are not many participants - maybe a few hundred.  So if you're looking for lots of company on the trail and fanfare from the spectators this marathon isn't for you.  But if you're more a solitude of the long run with leaves crunching under my feet and a river right along the trail kind of runner, you won't be disappointed.  The volunteers are great and you'll have some cheering each time the trail crosses a road (where they will have the traffic stopped)... but expect lots of time on the trail with maybe only a dozen runners within sight of you.  Also the trail is open during the race so if the weather is nice you may have others using it - mountain bikes and cruisers, horses (though I think few horse owners would knowingly take their horese out during the marathon), other runners, and walkers.  They will often cheer you on but I have a few experiences common to multi-use trails during training... 4 bikes riding side by side, dogs not on a leash (even though it's required), etc.

I love the race.  Can be cold, but that's a plus for me big time.  Also - glycogen stores are full after thanksgiving and then thanksgiving leftovers on friday.  Race is on Saturday.

One nice thing is the elementary school is open before and after the race.  That means you can hang out in the heated gym, have flush toilets available to you, etc.  No freezing your butt off at the start line and then ditching a sweat shirt 2 miles into the run.  They've got hot soup inside the gym when you finish too.



Edited by JoshKaptur 2009-10-18 1:56 PM

Thanks so much for the great description JoshKaptur! 
I am planning on doing this race as long as I am recovered from the Baltimore Marathon which I think I will be.  The cold temps and the trail sound like good race conditions.  I often run on the C & O canal which is similar.  I am glad to hear the trail is maintained and that the elementary school will be open for keeping warm before and after the race.  Thanks again and good luck with your running!

I second Josh's favorable description of this race. I've done the full once and the relay once. Once I was in long pants/heavy jacket, once in shorts and a light long-sleeve jersey. Both times it got really windy around the 1/2 way point. During the full marathon I ran miles 20-24 virtually alone, nobody in sight either direction. That's how sparse the race is. It's very scenic, if not a little bit monotonous.

Though it is very flat, there is a very slight rise to the course outbound, and thus a slight drop on the way back (until the hill near the end). But it's never enough to feel like a climb.

The crushed gravel trail is easy on the knees, it's a great place for long training runs, like the C&O trail.

It is an 'official' course if you want to BQ also, and there are many who like to try to BQ on this flat course. But mostly it's just a friendly, mostly local race.

Oh yeah, also what a great way to burn off Thanksgiving Dinner from 2 days earlier, also!

Edited by econway 2009-10-19 9:43 PM