Death Trail gives no, um, cares for anyone willing to make the climb from the bottom of McKay Hollow to the top of the overlook, which is where the Wild Thangs Chupacabra Half finished Saturday morning.
The half is the wrapup to the four-race RunningLane Wild Thangs Sumer long series at Monte Sano State Park. The first part of the half takes runners on many of the park’s popular trails: Firetower, Bucca, South Plateau and others. Then they dive into McKay Hollow to enjoy Natural Well and Arrowhead out to Trough Spring. That’s where the final aid station is located, at 10 miles, before everyone heads back to the finish.
Those last three miles, in August, are not fun. Doesn’t matter what anyone says, they’re not. They’re a challenging test, in the late-summer heat and humidity. At the end, you’re slipping back into McKay Hollow for the final climb up Death Trail to the finish line. That ziggy-zaggy incline is the last hurrah before popping out at the overlook and seeing the finish line.
Saturday morning, Andrew Bustos and Dylan Glass pushed and pulled each other for the first 10 miles. Glass led the way for the first half, heading out to Trough Spring. Then, cramps and GI issues started giving Glass fits. It happens. Stinks, but it happens. Bustos pushed ahead in the final miles, including a 12:26 last mile and climb up Death Trail to the finish.
So, Who Won?
Bustos, 34, of Huntsville, won the race in 2:12:49, with Glass, 32, of Huntsville, second in 2:15:46. It was a smokin’ good race to the end and superb way to close the summer series.
Jacob Wierenga, 14, of Huntsville, was third in 2:19:24. Wiergenga is a freshman at Grissom High. He won the Smokerise 5K in May in 25 minutes. In this summer’s Wild Thangs events, he was third in the 10-mile on July 27, second in the 8-mile on July 6 and second in the 10K on June 15. Wierenga has carved a slot in the trail community as one to keep an eye on.
Kelsey Lane won the women’s title Saturday, finishing 8th overall in 2:37:08. Lane, 32, of Huntsville, won the series’ Skunk Ape 10-miler in July. She was the only woman in the top 10 Saturday morning.
Hannah Glendinning, 35, of Madison, was second (12th) in 2:43:31. Jennifer Wenneker, 42, of Lewisburg, Tenn., was third (15th) in 2:48:17.
Twenty-two runners finished in less than three hours, impressive for the trails and morning weather conditions. It was, as usual, hot and steamy. It’s always part of the fun of the Chupacabra.
The race had 117 finishers from nine states, including New York and Texas. See all the results of the half-marathon here.
Chupacabra 10K
Colton Zimmerman and Ella Carter took top honors in the Chupacabra 10K Saturday morning.
Zimmerman, 14, of Harvest, zipped to the win in 47:29. Mark Wells, 37, of Phil Campbell, was right behind, finishing in 48:08. Craig Smith, 48, of Madison, was third in 51:09.
Carter, 16, of Madison, won the women’s title in 54:18. She was eighth.
Victoria Tkacs, 29, of Madison, was second (15th) in 57:21 and Caroline Stults, 26, of Muscle Shoals, third (22nd) in 1:00:45.
The field had 211 finishers from six states including New York. See all of the 10K results here.
MAIN PHOTO: Andrew Bustos of Huntsville (blue shirt) won the Chupacabra half marathon Saturday morning at Monte Sano State Park. (Photo: RunningLane)
