Ed Johnson of Madison was the final finisher in the 30th Mountain Mist 50K on Saturday at Monte Sano State Park, closing the epic event after a long, tough day.
Johnson, 65, finished in 9:32:43, five seconds after Carrie and Jay Hawkins of Huntsville crossed the line together. They were among the 35 who took nine hours or longer to finish. But that’s fine, because they finsished. Got it done on a day that was wild in so many ways with the rain and mud.
The 30th renewal saw 390 finishers out of a registered field of 512, which included 394 men and 118 women. Only 452 started on Saturday at 7 a.m. Of the finishers, 311 were men and 79 were women.
The oldest finisher was Barry Ege of Hanceville, who is 71. He finished in 7:46:59. Sally Brooking of Marietta, Ga., was the oldest female, at 67. She finished in 8:15:57.
Megan Malloy, 23, of Chattanooga, was the youngest female finisher, at 9:13:24. Samuel Courtney of Madison, at 17, was the youngest male. He finished in 7:55:36.
Vogan Notches No. 29
Lonnie Vogan of Huntsville posted his 29th Mountain Mist finish on Saturday, in 8:57:39.
Vogan, who is 67, has the most Mist finishes of anyone. His first was in the inagural race in 1995, when he was 38 and finished 22nd in 5:41:14.
Mountain Mist Trendsetters
Four women competed in the first Mountain Mist 50K in 1995, a time when trail running was mostly men and still under the radar. The next year, 11 women finished. The third year, 20 finished. It’s grown significantly since then.
Barbara Saunders of Harvest was 35 in 1995 when she won the first Mist women’s title. She finished in 5:36:22, about 15 minutes ahead of Jaqueline Moquin of Huntsville. Carol May of Huntsville and Betty Roberts of Athens were third and fourth. For the next several years, they all were amid the mix of women’s top finishers.
Janice Anderson of Marietta, Ga., was 29 in 1996 when she won. She won again in 1997 and 1998, before Kathy Youngren of Huntsville swiped it in 1999. That set the stage for a new era. Anderson was third that year. Saunders won in 2000 in 5:11 and was second in 2003. Youngren added titles in 2001, 2002, 2011 and 2012.
Fast-forward to last weekend’s event, which had 184 female entries. The first four women? Anderson, Saunders, Moquin and Roberts? They’re the shoulders, the pillars of the Mist that all the other women stand on.
Mountain Mist Red Gate
Mountain Mist veterans know about the red gate, which today mysteriously appears somewhere on the trail. It’s not in a “Oh, a red gate” place, either. Often it’s in a, “What the heck? A gate? Here? Now? Really?!?” kind of place.
This year, it was at the top of the Waterline climb. Runners can go around it, but to do so doesn’t honor 9-time Mist winner DeWayne Satterfield. He died in 2020, at age 55, after a battle with cancer. Tributes were far and wide among the running community after his loss. Another in the Huntsville Track Club newsletter (p. 35) offers more insights.
“The significance of the red gate is that back in the day there was a real red gate in the trail,” said Mist race director Dink Taylor and longtime close friend of Satterfield. “It was at Fearn on the old course route. And you could go around it, no problem. But DeWayne would climb over it and go on. Before long a lot of people were doing it.”
Before Satterfield died, Taylor told him he’d be remembered on the trail. A bench with a plaque is available for a rest, and will have a skeleton during the Mist. Why? Because of the quip that, “Old runners just thin out.” Also, the gate is put up each year in a new spot as a surprise for Mist runners and to honor Satterfield.
Satterfield won the first Mountain Mist title in 1995, in 3:49:27. That still is the seventh-best time in Mist history, right in front of his 1997 time of 3:49:37. He finsished the race 25 times. Satterfield won nine times and had multiple finishes of second through seventh place. He was 15th in 2018. In 2019, he finished the Western States 100 for the second time, and 25 years after his first finish.
Rob Youngren of Owens Cross Roads, a longtime ultra runner and Mist competitor, added this on Facebook about the red gate:
Dewayne Satterfield was a local legend in Huntsville and a great friend to many who passed away almost four years ago. Died far too soon! Dewayne won the Mountain Mist 50km nine times and was always a formidable runner on and off trail. Anyhow, Dewayne started this tradition of climbing over the Red Gate where the course used to cross Fearn Street around the old half way point. Nobody needed to climb over the gate as one could easily go around, but Dewayne always climbed over even if he was in a close race for the lead. It was just something he did and soon others followed (myself included).
So, after the course was changed and no longer crossed Fearn Street (the course now runs down to Oak Park) and Dewayne fell ill, we’ve attempted to continue the tradition of the Red Gate by placing it at random locations around the course to honor his memory. So, if you see the Red Gate you now understand. And you’d better climb over it no matter how tired you are!
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.
