The Southern States 200 endurance run is confirmed for April 2024, taking particpants along the Pinhoti Trail in the only 200-mile run east of the Rocky Mountains.
The point-to-point event is April 12-14. It is a collaboration between Southeastern Trail Runs of Chelsea and RunningLane of Huntsville. The Alabama companies put on trail and road events throughout the year. This is their first collaboration.
Southern States 200 is actually 202.99 miles and will have an elevation gain of 20,271 feet. Starting in Dalton, Ga., it heads southwest into Alabama along numerous ridges and trails. Fifteen aid stations and three sleep stations will be available. Participants will have a 100-hour cutoff and aid station cutoffs will be enforced. Runners will be required to have a Spot tracker and other specific gear, and will be checked for compliance.
The finish line will be atop Mt. Cheaha, the highest point in Alabama. More than 185 miles of the route will be on the Pinhoti Trail. David Tosch with Southeastern Trail Runs teased the news before the official announcement.
“I guess by now, everyone know I am involved in this insanity,” Tosch posted on Facebook. “The Southern States 200 is a joint venture between Southeastern Trails Runs and Running Lane (Will Rogers and Sean Allan) out of Huntsville. We have been working on this project for several months trying to evaluate the practicality and feasibility of such an undertaking.
“As you can imagine, it’s huge! And, a bit frightening!! But, It’s going to AWESOME! This is part of the reason I ran the Moab 240 last year and am volunteering for the Bigfoot 200 this year.”
Specifics about the event can be found here.
Southern States 200 Questions
What’s the weather like in mid-April? Typically the temperatures are in the 70s during the day and high 40s to 50s at night. On top of the ridges for the Southern States 200, they’ll be a bit cooler. Also, you could see sunny days with birds chirping and all that. Or rain and cold that makes you curse. Or, even, freezing temperatures with the usual Easter-ish cold blast that often rolls into the Southeast. Better plan for anything and read the required gear info.
What is the Pinhoti Trail like? It’s tough. This ain’t no walk in the park. You’ll have technical sections that will make you grimmace and others where you can scoot. The Pinhoti National Recreation Trail connects with the Appalachian Trail atop Springer Mountain in northeast Georgia (via the Benton MacKaye Trail). The trail actually is 355 miles in total, ending on Flagg Mountain in Weogufka, Alabama, amid the southernmost hills of the Appalachian range.
Is the trail private or public land? It’s public, supervised by the USDA Forest Service.
Who will do something like this? Who, indeed? Being the inaugural event, along with the solid resumes of the organizers, it should attract some of the top trail endurance runners in the country. Possibly even a few from overseas. Who wouldn’t want to be part of something so incredibly cool like this?
Watch the video below of the route from Dalton to Mt. Cheaha:
