Like in the past, the finishers in the 30th Mountain Mist 50K will receive a unique slate award with painted logo, thanks to the craftsmanship of Ray Mayhew.
Never heard of him? If you have one of the slate awards, Mayhew is the guy who helped create it. Better than a medal, it’s a cool reminder of the event. Mayhew is 79 and is retiring from the slate-making world, but it’s not the end of his influence with Mist finishers.
Race director Dink Taylor said Mayhew has made enough slates for the next 15 years. A new artist will handle the logo. The unique awards for those finishing the state’s oldest trail ultra will live on.
(Taylor and Mayhew, on the right, are in the photo above.)
Where Are They From?
This year’s field capped at 525 on Christmas Day, but since then a slew of dropouts and fill-ins have fluctuated. As of Thursday night, the field was 512 runners. Not all will start, and not all of those who start will finish.
Katy Anderson of Bondi Beach, Australia, gets the long distance award. Other states include Ohio, Colorado, California, Washington, Maine, Indiana, Maryland, Illinois and all of the Southeast. Of the field, 394 are male and 118 are female. Some interesting stats on the entrants:
MALE: Four runners are age 20 or younger, and two are age 70 or older. Fifteen are age 60-69, including 27-time Mist finisher Lonnie Vogan of Huntsville. The majority of the men’s field is between the ages of 30-49. Barry Ege of Hanceville, one of the two in the 70+ group, has finished the event 16 times.
WOMEN: No entrants less than age 20 or older than 70. Six are age 60-69, including 23-time finisher Sally Brooking of Marietta, Ga. Two others, Gail Sikes of Owens Cross Roads (10) and Christine Bosau of Niceville, Fla., (11) are double-digit finishers. Other women with double-digit finishes include Marla Albert (15) of Nashville, Christy Scott (15) of Huntsville, Janice Anderson (15) of Marietta, Ga.; Dana Overton (16) of Owens Cross Roads;
Runners who finish 10 or 20 times earn a special jacket. Carrie Hawkins of Huntsville and Diana Cioppi of Owens Cross Roads, both with nine finishes, will be going for their 10-finish jacket.
John Jeffery of Owens Cross Roads and James Falcon of Huntsville are going for their 20-finish jacket.
Rick Rawls of Huntsville, Jerry Abbott of New Market, Steven Skonieczny of Owens Cross Roads, David Dehaye of Huntsville, Jay Hawkins of Huntsville, Ryan Harbaugh of Huntsville will be chasing their 10th finish and first jacket.
Record Times are Safe
David Riddle of Cincinnati owns the top time in Mountain Mist history with 3:36:52, set in 2013. Riddle also has the second-, fourth- and eighth-best times on the men’s Top 10 list. The two oldest records on the list are from 2007, with Dave Mackey (3:46:19) at fifth and Eric Grossman (3:53:36) at tenth.
Riddle, at age 40, won the 2022 Mist title in 4:13:07. He was almost 10 minutes faster than runner-up Gus Gibbs of Boise, who came in at 4:22:31. It was his sixth straight Mist win dating to 2017. He also won from 2010-13.
On the women’s record list, Janice Anderson of Marietta, Ga., set the record of 4:39:52 in 1997. She also holds the ninth-best time (4:48:59). The second oldest time, and fourth-best in Mountain Mist history, is held by Kathy Youngren. Her mark of 4:43:28 was set in 2002.
With the weather forecast and course conditions this weekend, it’s safe to say the records and Top 10 times won’t be in danger this year.
Weather Forecast
WAFF-TV 48 meterologist Brad Travis has predicted a rainy forecast for Saturday, a continuation of storms that moved into the area on Tuesday.
As of Thursday night, Travis said: “Muggy will be part of the forecast until a cold front plows through the area late Saturday night. Ahead of this change in the weather, we will have one more round of strong thunderstorms with heavy rain. This round will move in very early Saturday morning and be on the way out by Saturday afternoon. We expect another inch of rain with some wind gusts up to 40 mph. We continue with a First Alert for Saturday but at this time it doesn’t look like First Alert Weather Day.”
Prepare accordingly if you’re in the Mist field.
Packet Pickup on Friday
Runners can get their bib and swag at the Monte Sano State Park lodge on Friday (1/26) from Noon to 8 p.m. The pre-race dinner (for those who registered) will be at 6 p.m., with race announcements at 7 p.m.
Bib pickup also will be 5:30-6:30 a.m. on Saturday at the park lodge but early pickup is encouraged.
Do not park on the road shoulders in the park. Use the parking lots.
Along with race swag, hoodies are available for $40 while they last and other caps, shirts and stuff from previous years are available at discount.
Mountain Mist Partners
Official beverages on the course are Powerade and Coca-Cola products, and GU is the official gel. Those will be available at aid stations.
Other Mountain Mist partners include Yellowhammer Brewing, Marco’s Pizza, Great American Cookie Company, Peggy Ann Bakery and Gold Sprint Coffee. The race is facilitated by Huntsville Track Club.
