Trail runners seeking a stern test can get one at the inaugural Devil’s Race Track Backyard Ultra, set for April 30 in Huntsville at Wade Mountain Preserve.
Runners will have one hour to complete the 4.167-mile loop on the infamous Devil’s Race Track at Wade Mountain Preserve. The preserve is owned and managed by the Land Trust of Huntsville and North Alabama. It’s a gorgeous, wild, rugged, rocky, rooty, wooded area that has all the fun stuff — challenging single-track trails, snakes, ticks, incredible views of Huntsville, speedy zones and more.
Registration is open until April 28. As at-large qualifier for the Big’s Backyard Ultra, it should garner some interest in the Southeast.
“The Devils Race Track is put on by a few who have been to Big Dog’s and failed,” Eric Fritz wrote on the event Facebook page. “The event is low key, well supported and designed to be as similar to Big’s as possible. Come try your luck at this different format where you’re always in first place! Whether you’re trying to qualify for the championship at Big Dog’s (this is an “at large” qualifier) or just out to see how far you can go, this is a great event. Just remember … if you ain’t first, you’re last!”
The event is set up similar to the Big’s Backyard Ultra in Bell Buckle, Tenn., hosted by Laz Lake. Runners in the Devil’s Race Track ultra will run the first quarter-mile or so on the road and then hit the single-track loop. The horn will blow at the top of the hour to signal a new lap.
If you complete the 4.167-mile loop before the horn blows and are in the starting corral, you can start the next loop. If you’re not back and in the starting corral when the horn goes off, you’re done. That’s it. That’s a 14:25/mile pace, or better. Plan, pace, endure and push yourself.
Daytime, Nighttime
At night, the course becomes a road loop until sunrise. The loop distance and pace still will be the same. When the sun comes back up, runners will hit the trail again.
A few interesting rules:
— No aids, such as trekking poles, are allowed
— Slower runners must let faster runners pass
— No aid during a loop
— Runners can’t leave the course during a loop until it is completed, except for a Mother Nature’s Calling stop
— The final runner must complete the final loop within the hour to be considered the winner.
Full rules and registration information is located here.
Wade Mountain Trails
I’ve done a couple of 10Ks and a half at Wade Mountain in autumn. It’s a heck of a challenging area for trail running.
Some trails are fairly clean and awesome. Others are rocky, rooty and make you want to say curse words. The single-track on the Devil’s Race Track is nice and enjoyable, and you get a great view of the city from atop Wade Mountain. I’m sure there will be some speedsters who blitz through there.
I’ve had a couple of people describe Wade Mountain trail runs as a checklist event, as in they checked it off their list and that was that. Others love them, thanks to the challenge. I know of one local runner who reportedly believes the autumn Wade Mountain Marathon is tougher than Mountain Mist 50K in January at Monte Sano State Park.
That’s what makes trail running great, though, isn’t it? It’s a challenge. Those competing in the Devil’s Race Track Backyard Ultra certainly will find a challenge as they push themselves to that last loop.
