Nathan Holland had about a two-minute lead on his closest Mountain Mist 50K pursuers after climbing the infamous Waterline trail. He wasn’t sure if that would hold up before they all got into McKay Hollow, a notorious descent and climb before the final burst to the finish line.
It did, though, giving Holland, 38, his first Mountain Mist title in his fourth attempt. He crossed the line at Monte Sano State Park lodge in 4:16:49. Holland, from Signal Mountain, Tenn., was the first of four Chattanooga-area runners to claim the top spots Saturday morning in the 30.15-mile event.
“It was great, even with the changes to the course,” Holland said. “We have a little competition within the race among five cities and I was running with Bob Adams and Mac Dean. We sort of pulled each other back and forth for a while and then I went ahead. When I got past Waterline and got ahead, I could hear some yelling from the aid station so I knew I had a little time.”
Holland said the course was in good shape, “not as muddy as I expected, even down in McKay.”
Dean, 31, was second in 4:26:36 and Kevin Barrett, 27, was third in 4:28:15. Adams, from Ooltewah, was fourth in 4:30:49.
Michael Wall of Huntsville was the top local finisher, in 8th place at 4:41:55.
More than 430 runners started the race.
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.
See all the results of the 2023 Mountain Mist 50K here.
