Defending champions Sara Gibson and Nathan Holland are back this weekend for the 30th Mountain Mist 50K at Monte Sano State Park.
Gibson, 39, of Chattnooga, claimed her first Mist title last year in her first 50K event. That was after picking up trail running maybe four months before Mist. Did you catch that? A novice trail runner, just four months into the crazy on the trails, won the title. Gibson had a long background in running but wanted something new, and it paid off in a cool way. (Gibson is in the photo above, with race director Dink Taylor, at the finish line.)
Holland, 39, of Signal Mountain, Tenn., also won his first Mist title last year. He has four Mist finishes, including the win, which he got by about 10 minutes. He led four Chattanooga-area runners to the line as they claimed the top spots.
Huntsville Slam Finale
New champions of the Huntsville Slam will be crowned Saturday afternoon at the end of the Mountain Mist 50K at Monte Sano State Park.
Mountain Mist 50K is the finale of the four-event slam, which includes the Dizzy 50s in October, Rocket City Marathon and Recover from the Holidays 50K in December. Runners must compete in all four events, with cumulative times determining the winners.
Dylan Glass leads the men’s division and overall standings with a three-event time of 9:39:21. Perla Nùñez of Huntsville leads the women’s race in 12:15:59.
See the full info and standings here.
What’s in a Name?
Some of the trails on the Mountain Mist course have interesting and historical backgrounds.
— Trough Spring: This area had several natural springs used by travelers in the 1800s going over Monte Sano to or from Big Cove to Huntsville. It’s located between Monte Sano and Round Top Mountain; technically, they’re two mountains, the latter being where Burritt Museum is located to the south of Monte Sano. Trough Spring is where Lt. Col. Bushwhacker Johnson surrendered to Union troops in May 1856.
— Waterline: Ths is part of the Land Trust of North Alabama property on the west side of Monte Sano. It’s steep, rocky and has a couple of challenging climbs. The waterline, a true pipeline, provided water to residents atop Monte Sano.
— Sinks and Stone Cuts: Unique karst topography with exposed limestone that has been changed over the centuries by nature into unique formations.
— Natural Well: A 350-foot well through the limestone on Monte Sano’s southeast side that was near the Hotel Monte Sano in the 1800s. Take a look at this old photo of the well shaft.
—McKay Hollow: Early settlers in the area in the 1800s, the McKay family established a home site in the hollow below Monte Sano’s plateaus. You look into the hollow from the overlook at Monte Sano State Park. Mountain Mist runners go through there, as do those in the annual McKay Hollow Madness and Chupacabra summer event.
— Old Railroad Bed: Part of the Land Trust property on the west side of Monte Sano near the Bankhead site. This trail was part of the Monte Sano Railroad that went from downtown to the top of the mountain. The trail is incredibly rocky and pretty much hated by runners (if we’re being honest, y’know).
— Alms House: Established in the 1800s, it was many things including a boarding house, home for indigents and orphans, widows, the poor and others. Known for years as “the poor house,” it has a long, checkered history. The Alms House trail is part of the Land Trust property on the west side near the Bankhead site.
Weather Forecast = Fugly
Yes, fugly is the correct term for Saturday’s forecast. What began this week as solid rain all day has digressed into possible severe storms.
As of midmorning Friday, and according to the National Weather Service in Huntsville, “a broken line of strong to severe thunderstorms with flooding potential” is likely. This would be from midmorning Saturday through the afternoon.
The NWS has “medium confidence” in the outlook for gusty to damaging winds (thunderstorm and non-storm), and heavy rainfall with flooding. The official outlook says: “Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall. High near 60. East wind 10 to 15 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New rainfall amounts between 1 and 2 inches possible.”
