Races
Charlottesville Trail Running Club "Fatass Run" – Blackrock Summit Run!
The Fatass Blackrock Summit Challenge was simply the most fun I have had in a long time. I NEVER get to run our races and, thanks to Gill, Marty and Shannon doing everything, I was able to take off and actually run this one. This "race" was in true Fatass format: no bib number, no whining, no course marking.... we were supposed to not do results either, but we made an exception.
The course is a bear (see map here). You climb for 6 miles to Blackrock Summit (elevation 3092) and you come back down for 6 miles. Because this was only a little over 12 miles, some fast guys and girls showed up, and we were off. Saying that it was cold is an understatement: I don't know how cold it was, but I assume about 8-10. On the summit, with the windchill, it was colder than that. The trail crosses the creek 6 times and, fortunately, the water level is very low, and we (well, most of us at least) were able to use the rocks and not get wet, which would have been a real bummer.
About 4 miles in, the trail makes a sharp left: not recalling Gill pre-race directions, some of the leaders went right. Most ended up turning around and retracing their steps, but one, Jeff Wilson, ended up doing a big loop and adding an estimated few miles to his run. In true Fatass spirit, he did not complain and simply enjoyed his day.
Gill did a FANTASTIC job with the spirit of the race, keeping fun and entertaining the whole way. He fake started all of us by yelling: "ON YOUR MARK! GET SET!" and then adding very softly: "ok, you can go if you want". This whole thing was his idea, and a great way to get more runners on the awesome trails around Charlottesville.
Besides "King and Queen" Quadzilla (won by Nick Hamblet and Sarah Breevoort), we listed a few of the awards on the results: take a look!
Thank you everyone for coming and we'll see you at the next one!
Fatass Award! King and Queen Want results? You have to write your name!
Shrek Quasimodo
