Dylan Glass had a plan Sunday morning for the Oak Park Challenge, which requires runners to scamper to the top of Monte Sano and back down to the finish line.
The annual October trail run has about 1,000 feet of elevation gain in three segments. The Oak Park section rises from the neighborhood ball fields in the northeast Huntsville neighborhood through the Land Trust of North Alabama’s Monte Sano Preserve. Runners then hit the Bankhead Trail to the closed road section leading to Monte Sano State Park. There, they climb Cold Springs to the North Plateau Loop and circle around the overlook parking lot.
That’s it. Easy peasy. Just 1,000 feet up up up up up, with that Cold Spring section and those fun rock steps adding a little “Holy shinola!” moment. The overlook view is cool, off to the northeast, although Sunday morning it was hazy with the aroma of smoke. No time to linger, though, as the fast down down down is what the speedgoats seek.
Huff Up, Bomb Down
Glass, 32, of Gurley, had that scenario in mind. He won the 2023 event in 1:01:18, and this year his goal was to break an hour.
“Faster than last year, that was what I wanted to do,” said Glass, owner of Return 2 Sport PT & Performance in Jones Valley. “I thought I could do it and it was a perfect morning, cool and dry. Just a really good morning on the trails.”
Glass (photo above) won by more than seven minutes, finishing in 59:18 as the only runner to break the hour mark. Jake Wilson, 43, of Owens Cross Roads, was second in 1:07, and Joel Freyenhagen, 49, of Gurley, was third in 1:08:38. Freyenhagen was runner-up in 2023.
After summiting, Glass smoked it down the closed Bankhead Avenue road before diving back into the woods. The paved section is a gift for speedsters who can gain time flying up and down. Runners return from the overlook briefly on Bankhead Avenue, then dive into Sinks to the Mist Opportunity and Bankhead Trails, and then follow the first 2-ish miles of trails back to the finish line.
“I wanted to get some separation and get to the top as fast as I could,” Glass said. “I knew if I did, coming down would be fine. That was the plan. Some grinding pain going up was worth it coming down.”
Beversdorf in T10
Laurel Beversdorf, 43, of Huntsville, won the women’s title with her time of 1:13:53. She finished ninth, the only woman in the Top 10.
Beversdorf shaved 10 minutes off her time from 2023, carrying a solid 10:33 pace for the event. She and Glass, along with other top finishers, received special awards from race sponsors Fleet Feet and Hoka.
Whitney Tew, 37, of Huntsville, was second (14th overall) in 1:16, and Jenny Gage, 34, of Huntsville, third (15th) in 1:19. Gage won the Oak Park women’s title last year.
Notable
— J.T. Horn, age 9, of Athens, was the youngest in the field and blistered the course with ease. He finished in 1:39:19, earning bragging rights at home. His father, Jim, 51, was a step behind in 1:39:21.
— Jake Wilson won the Male Masters title, with Freyenhagen second and Erik Box, 40, of Madison, third in 1:12.
— Beversdorf claimed the Women’s Masters title, with Mary Ann Koch, 54, of Huntsville, second in 1:23. Wendy Tyler, 57, of Huntsville, was third in 1:28.
— Fleet Feet Huntsville and Hoka sponsored the Oak Park Challenge, which helps the Land Trust of North Alabama. A donation of $1,000 was made to the land trust.
— Runners were treated to fruit, eggs, pancakes (mmm, pancakes!) and bevs including Turbo Coffee after the run. Edge Fitness Performance of Huntsville provided aid station support, with founder Jacob Westerhouse on hand. They were set up at the Bankhead hairpin, just before going to the top of Monte Sano, and also at the finish line along with Swift Recovery.
RACE PHOTOS: Scads of photos from the start, woods, Bankhead and more are here, taken by We Run Race Photos.
RACE RESULTS: See all of the results of the Oak Park Challenge here.
(PHOTOS: Photos of Dylan Glass and J.T. Horn courtesy of Gregg Gelmis / We Run Race Photos)
