Medoc 10 Mile Trail Run 2010

By: Leo Dunn

Landon and I participated in this year’s 10-Mile Medoc Run and had a great weekend.

The Event takes place at Medoc Mountain State Park in Halifax County near Roanoke Rapids, NC.  It is a 3-1/2 hour drive from Charlotte.  The park is one of the smaller parks in the North Carolina System but very clean and neat.  It has good open fields for the running event and parking.  Campsites are very good and well spaced.  The individual and group camping sites have good, clean toilets and shower facilities.  Group campsites were reserved for runners at no charge.

Friday night at package pickup a pasta dinner was catered by Pizza Hut.  Saturday morning package pickup was also available.    Runner packages were prepared in advance and included a tech long sleeved shirt (very nice), jelly beans and the usual flyers.  Disposable timing chips were taped to the bib numbers – no lining up to pick up chips or ripping them off at the end.  Lucky marathoners got a few surprise gifts in their bags like sling bags, injinji socks or headbands.  After the race, sausage biscuits, ham biscuits, fruit, muffins, black beans and rice, coffee and other assorted drinks were available for all runners.

Landon and I got there Friday night and had the pasta dinner.  It was dark by the time we finished and headed to the Group Campsite.   This weekend was the maiden voyage for our teardrop camping trailer.  I was worried we would not be able to get into the group camp area.  Sure enough, all the campsites were in the woods or field.  All vehicles were kept in a parking lot.  We decided to move on to the individual campsites and found a great site there.

Around 6:30 am a horn sounded wake up call.  The starting field was within a short walking distance from the camping area.  The main field was setup for those driving up that morning to park.  Volunteers directed parking; areas were roped off well and all moved smoothly.

The Marathon began at 8:15 am with a 0.7 mile road run before heading into the woods.  The 10-Miler began at 8:30 with a 1.5 mile road run before the woods.  All running in the woods were on established trails, well marked with volunteers at any potentially confusing intersections.  The various park trails were connected to create an 8.5 mile loop.  10-Milers ran the loop once; Marathoners ran the loop 3 times.  Two formal aid stations were on the loop. Each had water, Gatorade, sport beans, Gu and power bars.  Also along the more remote area of the trail several volunteers were patrolling with a backpack full of water bottles.

The morning was a brisk 45 degrees as we watched Landon’s cousin Clay begin the marathon.  Fifteen minutes later we began our run.  This was the first real trail run for us both so we were both a little concerned about how much different this would be than our other runs.  As soon as we hit the woods we knew it would be fun.  I fell in love with this race the first 200 yards.  Immediately, I recalled the hiking and backpacking skills I had learned over the years about foot placement, balance and picking up the foot.  Landon later recounted the same.  We ran through the woods on mostly single track trail.  For the first half mile the trailed gently rolled through leaf strewn woods and pine forests.  Running on pine needles is like running on the clouds.  Around mile three we began our “ascent” of Medoc Mountain.  This consisted of some fairly rocky climbs steep enough to pull most of us into a walk.  A long climb was 100 yards although we had several good hills to run which lasted up to a half mile or so.  Each climb or hill was followed by more gentle slopes and some downhill runs.  I made up more time on the downhill sections than anywhere on the run.  Most runners were gingerly stepping over stones and roots.  I opened it up and rolled on although my feet were stepping all over the place to avoid tripping points.

At mile 4 was an aid station, I took the liberty to make use of the porta-potty in the middle of nowhere, so did Landon.  We lost several minutes on this luxury as I watched several folks I had passed run on by.  We began again a little more relaxed along an old dirt road for a half a mile or so.  We moved on back into the woods along rolling trails following a good line of runners.  Even though this was a single track trail, most was wide enough for a quick pass.  Since we were all running similar paces, most stayed in line.  About mile 6, we began a long decent and everyone slowed, some to a walk.  I took the opportunity to run down the hill probably faster than was wise.  I managed to pass the group we were following but in the process lost Landon.  The trail quickly turned to follow a stream.  After a few minutes, I noticed other runners running the other direction across the stream.  Soon I found another group of runners and we ran for a half mile or so before coming to a bridge we crossed earlier in the race.  This time we crossed in the other direction and went back along the stream.  I kept looking across to find Landon running the other direction but did not.  Maybe she was closer than I thought.  I dared not try to turn around and look back or I would have tripped.  Of course, I did not want to stop.  We ran along the stream for another half mile or so then climbed away from the stream and came to one heck of a set of steps – back down to the stream.   At the bottom the trial climbed again but paralleled the stream.  I noticed other runners running on the hill above me going in the opposite direction.  Sure enough in a few hundred yards the trail turned and I was looking down on the runners behind me.  Still no Landon.

Soon we popped out near the finish line at the field.  Too soon! Did I make wrong turn?  No – there was a volunteer directing us back into the woods.  I knew I had at least another mile to go.  Yes – there was the nine mile marker.  I felt great.  Legs good, lungs good, let’s open up some more.  The trail crossed some streams – down the gully and back up.  Every stream had a bridge, some low spots had boardwalks.  Up popped a road, I was in the middle of the campground and crossed in front of the toilet.  (I learned later several runners made use of the toilet.  The Park Ranger said he restocked paper in there three times during the race.)  A few hundred yards through the woods, I was running as fast as I thought safe.  Then here comes the field again; only a few hundred yards running as fast as I could.  Clay’s wife Melissa was waiting with camera in hand as I passed through the finish.  A cool Medoc Man metal and a finishers vest was waiting for me as I crossed the line.  Landon came through a few minutes later.  We both felt great, no injuries, and no falls.  We felt we could have easily taken another lap.  I finished with a time of 1:44:31 and Landon came in at 1:47:07.

We cooled down with water, coffee and fruit.  We ate a biscuit as we waited for Clay to complete his second lap.  Then we walked back to camp and took a hot shower.  An hour later we were back waiting for Clay to finish.  Clay came across at 4:38:04.

The air was cool, the sun was warm, and the day was perfect.