Dylan Glass and Perla Nùñez claimed their first Huntsville Slam titles, completing three trail 50Ks and the Rocket City Marathon in just 71 days.
Glass and Nùñez bested a field of 15 competing in the Slam. Glass, 31, finished first in 18:38:24. Nùñez, 42, was ninth overall and finished the series in 24:14:15. Glass’ time was sixth-best in Slam history. Both clinched the honors at the rainy, foggy 30th Mountain Mist 50K on Jan. 27 at Monte Sano State Park.
The Slam is put on by the Huntsville Track Club and Fleet Feet as a fun yet challenging series. Runners must complete the Dizzy Fifties 50k in November, Rocket City Marathon and Recover From the Holidays 50k in December, and Mountain Mist 50k in January. That’s an average of 17.5 days apart to do 120 miles in a variety of weather conditions and courses. The events include 26.2 miles on asphalt, 62 on trails and 31 on the John Hunt Park cross country grass course.
Dedication Required
It takes some internal fortitude and a high level of dedication to register for the Slam and then complete it. It’s not for the faint of heart. Two events are on technical trails at Monte Sano State Park. The Rocket City Marathon often is cold but manageable. However, brutal cold, rain, both or even ice is a possibility for any of them. The Mountain Mist 50k on Jan. 27 was a rainy, wet slog.
“I think there is a lot to be said about someone who willingly signs up for that,” said Glass, who lives in Gurley and owns Return 2 Sport PT & Performance in Owens Cross Roads. “It was a crazy 10-week span of races but one that I enjoyed a lot. Overall, I’m glad I was able to continue to push and give it everything I had in each race to come up with the Huntsville Slam win. Most importantly, I think I learned a lot for next year and how to continue to stay healthy enough to compete and grow as a runner.
“My favorite race was Mountain Mist. It was my first one but one I plan to continue to get better at each year. The conditions were brutal. That’s part of the lure of the race and why people keep coming back. I really enjoyed all the races but feel the one I have the most redemption with is Dizzy Fifties 50K.”
Nùñez was one of three women in the Slam field. She nipped Cynthia Mitchell, 46, of Athens by 24 minutes. Mitchell finished in 24:38:53, and Ruth Marie Oliver, 47, of Owens Cross Roads, was third in 27:59:03.
“They were difficult races but each one brought out the best in me,” Nùñez said. “I was focused on each race. The experience of being able to finish all four this year was amazing.”
Learning Process
Glass won the title by more than 35 minutes, topping Brett Franklin, 47, of Huntsville, who finished in 19:16:24. Jeff Hogeland, 47, of Oneonta, was third in 20:38:38.
Kyle Wagner, 37, of Huntsville, was fourth in 20:43:24. Wagner won the Blue Heron Hundreds last September, his first 100-mile win. Ran Crump, 33, of Huntsville, was fifth in 21:51:56.
Glass said the Slam was a learning process he believes will help him become a better runner.
“Before this series, my longest run was a DNF at Recover from the Holidays 50K in 2019 where I stopped at 26 miles,” he said. “I knew going into this series that I had to train differently and take it a lot more seriously. I learned to be patient, I learned to not go out too fast. More importantly, I learned how important proper fueling is to the success of the race plans. The only race I didn’t cramp up in was the marathon. It was my best performance of the group and I was able to finish in 3:03.”
Approximately 130 people have competed in the Slam since its inception. Liz Canty, now of Colorado but formerly of Huntsville, is the only woman to have won the overall title, in 2017. Tyson Jouglet of Huntsville is the only runner to win two Slam titles. He won in 2022 and 2023.
Runners must register for all four events and then the Slam, and complete all four, to be eligible. Finishers receive a special jacket from the Huntsville Track Club.
MAIN PHOTO: Dylan Glass of Gurley finishes the Mountain Mist 50K on Jan. 27 to clinch the Huntsville Slam. Photo by Spencer Cox Photography
FINAL STANDINGS 2024 HUNTSVILLE SLAM
