Nine athletes are seeking their 10th finish of the Mountain Mist 50K Saturday at Monte Sano State Park.
The 31-mile course includes most of the most challenging and fun trails in the state park and adjacent Land Trust of North Alabama. The race begins at 7 a.m. at the state park lodge. The 2022 race had 391 finishers, including multiple-finisher Jim Upton, 78, of Albertville, Ala.
This year’s crew attempting their 10th finish includes:
— Burt Lavender, Hokes Bluff, Ala.
— Stephen Brown, Decatur, Ala.
— Kelly Clary, Huntsville, Ala.
— Jay Crosby, Vestavia, Ala.
— Dennis Bisnette, Ellisville, Miss.
— Casey Fritz, Huntsville, Ala.
— Taylor Morgan, Hokes Bluff, Ala.
— Mark Richey, Gadsden, Ala.
— Jason Green, Douglasville, Ga.
Not a Hike
Aid stations on the route have cutoff times that will be enforced, for the safety of the runners and because this isn’t a lilly-dip in the woods. Someone designated at each aid station is the cutoff enforcer, tasked with letting the runners know their time and the cutoff time. It’s not enjoyable if the time is close but it’s part of the deal.
— Oak Park cutoff is 3:50 for 13.97 miles, which requires a 16:27 pace
— Land Trust cutoff is 5:40 for 20.23 miles, which requires a 16.48 overall pace, and a pace of 17:34 for the 6.23-mile segment from Oak Park (gotta get going!)
— Trough Spring cutoff is 7:15 for 25.2 miles, which requires a 17:16 overall pace and a pace of 19.07 for the 4.97-mile segment from Land Trust
— Finish line is 9 hours 30 minutes, which requires a 22:58 overall pace and a pace of 18:20 for the 5.88-mile segment (the last one!) from Burritt aid station.
From the starting line to the Oak Park aid station, runners will head out to O’Shaunessy Point in the state park. There, they dive into the woods on Mountain Mist trail and others before moving into the Land Trust trails around Bankhead. Those take them to Oak Park, so at this point they’ve gone from top to bottom. Here they begin the climb along the west face of Monte Sano through the Land Trust, including the infamous Waterline Trail and climb (almost vertical!) to the aid station at Trough Spring.
None of Mountain Mist is easy. The front half could be, arguably, the easiest trails, though. From Oak Park to the Land Trust aid station, and then to the Trough Spring aid station, it gets more challenging. The 7:15 cutoff at Trough Spring was not picked arbitrarily: the final segment is the hardest and suckiest of any. It takes you down a rock-strewn trail and then into McKay Hollow before coming up a hell of a climb to the Rest Shelter aid station just 2-ish miles from the finish line. Ass-dragging through or injury in the hollow is a risk after dark, thus the generous but enforced cutoff at Trough Spring.
The final segment through McKay Hollow tests everything: physical agility, acuity, mental stamina and focus, nutrition, all of it. By the time the climb to the final aid station at Rest Shelter is complete, “How far is it?” is a familar refrain to station volunteers. Those final 2-ish miles are relatively flat and smooth, compared to the previous 29-ish miles and especially the last 4-ish through the hollow.
Also, the cutoffs are explained on the Mist registration page thusly: “THIS IS NOT A HIKE.”
Weather Forecast
Saturday should be sunny in the mid-50s with barely a chance of rain, according to Wunderground. That’s fairly great for a little jaunt in the woods.
Rain in the area overnight and during the day Wednesday probably will create a few muddy spots. Possibly a slick trail or two. The low Friday is 32 degrees, at 7 a.m., with a slight increase in temps to midday.
Finisher’s Medal?
The finisher’s swag presented at the line is a gorgeous, hand-painted piece of slate about 5×7 with a leather hanger. They’re very cool and have been given for years. Finishers also get a few other goodies, along with the satisfaction of completing arguably the toughest trail run in area and one of the toughest in the region.
Personally, I’d love to see someone hang this on a gold chain and wear it around like Flavor Flav.
About Monte Sano State Park
Monte Sano State Park is 2,140 acres on top of Monte Sano, one of Huntsville’s highest peaks at 1,621 feet. Views can be pretty goregous from points along the 20 miles of hiking trails and 14 miles of biking trails. The park is home to numerous events throughout the year including trail runs and biking events.
The park lodge has large and small meeting rooms, a lobby, restrooms and terrace. The open pavilion has bathrooms, and both areas have picnic tables. Rustic cabins were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps nine decades ago. The park also has 89 improved campsites, a primitive campground and general store.
Two Mountains?
Monte Sano, which is Spanish for “mountain of health,” is one of Huntsville’s most beloved peaks out of the string in the city. They’re called mountains but, of course, aren’t anything like those further up the Appalachian chain.
The name stems from the 1800s when diseases forced locals and visitors to seek clean air and water. Found atop the mountain, along with (relatively) cooler temperatures in summer, eventually the Hotel Monte Sano was built. With more than 220 rooms and costing just $11 a week (!!!!), the hotel was a popular attraction.
It took about four hours to get from the Huntsville Depot to the hotel, by horse and carriage. The top Mountain Mist finishers may have a similar time.
Interestingly enough, the Mist course runs on two mountains. Monte Sano is connected to Round Top Mountain by a col, or navigable pass. This is where Waterline and Dummyline trails lead to Round Top and the Trough Springs aid station. Runners will be climbing two mountains this weekend.
According to Wikipedia, Monte Sano actually is a mesa separated from the vast Cumberland Plateau by the Flint River Valley. The Flint River runs through Madison County east of Huntsville to the Tennessee River. Monte has a sandstone caprock over layers of limestone.
About the Land Trust
The Land Trust of North Alabama established the Monte Sano Nature Preserve on the west slope of the mountain. It was the organization’s first property to protect. It has more than 1,110 acres and 23 miles of trails, comprising one of the largest urban preserves in the country.
Among the trails on the preserve is Old Railroad Bed, which was part of the original rail line from the downtown depot to the top of Monte Sano.
The Mountain Mist 50K is sponsored by Yellowhammer Brewing, which contributed 800 cans of locally-brewed beer, and Gold Strike Coffee. Huntsville Track Club facilitated the scoring and course management.
