- Grateful Dead lyrics & video
Long distance runner
what you standing there for?
Get up, get off,
get out of the door
What: Fire on the Mountain 50K trail ultramarathon & 2-person relay
When: Sunday, Nov. 6, 2011
Where: A trail course beginning and ending in Green Ridge State Forest with plenty of ups, downs, single track trail and multiple stream crossings. Oh yeah, and a few good spots where you can see for miles and miles. Total distance is about 32.1 miles, give or take.
Packet pick-up:
No race-day registration. Packets can be picked up:
Saturday, Nov. 5 from 2 p.m. - 4 p.m.
@ Green Ridge State Forest Hdqtrs
Sunday, Nov. 6 beginning at 5 a.m.
@ base camp (at finish line) To get to base camp:
- Take Exit 62 off Interstate 68
- From Interstate 68, take Exit 62 (Fifteen Mile Creek Road) and turn north.
- Make a quick left onto National Pike / 144 West (do not get back on I-68) for about 2 miles.
- Turn left onto Old Williams Road for about 1 mile.
- Bear left onto Black Sulphur Road for about 1.4 miles
- Bear right onto Wallizer Road
- Turn left into parking area (big grassy, empty field)
Bus ride to start - 6:30 a.m. (SHARP - do not be late!)
Race start time - 7:30 a.m.
Weather - click here. Average high for October is 67; average low is 40. One of the driest regions of the Mid-Atlantic, averaging less than 2.7 inches of precipitation in Octobers past and no more than 3.97 inches of precip in any month.
Entry: closed for 2011 (email [email protected] to see if any spots are left).
- $30 through June 30
- $40 through September 30
- $50 through Nov. 5 (no race day entry)
Fees for each person in 2-person relay:
- $20 each through June 30
- $25 each through September 30
- $30 each through Nov. 5
(no race day entry)
Subtract $5 if you’re a member of Mountain Maryland Marathon Club, Westminster Road Runners Club, West Virginia Mountain Trail Runners, VHTRC or FATRUMPS.
(fees include postrace meal)
Other costs (optional):
$18 - tech shirt if ordered by Oct. 1. Otehrwise, post-race orders will cost about $25. See RD at finish line to place order.
Nature alert
Black bear and rattlesnakes are just two examples of what lies within Green Ridge State Forest - along with the elusive bobcat, turkey, grouse, deer, squirrel, rabbit and fox, among others. So, enjoy the scenery.
Headphones strongly discouraged
For safety reasons as well as concern for your fellow runner, personal music devices with headphones are strongly discouraged. It makes it easier to pass the person in front of you while on single track trail if they can hear you.
Lodging: Back to top
1. Primitive camping at Green Ridge State Forest (at minimal cost, I think $6 - handled through GRSF 301-478-3124. Here's one positive camper feedback. Here is an updated camp site map. "Base camp" is where the Mountain Bike Trail Parking designation is off Wallizer Road. The start line is is the pair of binoculars designated an overlook (near campsite 70).
2. Get some sleep at Town Hill B&B
3. America's Best Value Inn, Hancock
Timeline of run-related events (tentative):
* Packet pick-up starts at 5:30 a.m. at base camp
* Bus ride to start line begins promptly 6:30 a.m.
* Race start time is 7:30 a.m.
* Last finisher (4:30 p.m.) - a sub 9-hour time limit
Relay information: Back to top
* Can sign up individually and pair up later
* Exchange zone will be at Log Roll Overlook
* 2nd leg runners are responsible for getting to exchange zone by themselves. Ask questions if you need to. 1st leg runners will use their partners' mode of transportation to get from exchange zone to base camp.
* Male, female and co-ed team recognition
* No changing events. Can not move "up" to 50K or drop down to relay after Oct. 24 without incurring additional fees.
Awards:
Shoes: Yes, wear trail shoes and gators if you've got 'em.
Drop bags: Back to top
- Runners can leave 1 bag at start no later than 6:30 a.m. Van will deliver it to about midway point at the Log Roll Overlook oasis (also the relay exchange zone). Log Roll Overlook is about halfway. MARK YOUR OWN BAGS!!!
Event proceeds will benefit the Mountain Maryland Marathon Club and a handful of other nonprofit organizations directly connected to the event (i.e., volunteer groups, etc.). A list will be generated as the weeks and months pass.
This is the first marathon club-sponsored race with entry fees over $3 which will be donated, in part or in whole, back to the club. Whatever amount that figures to be will help with year-round club-sponsored events through the area.
Water/aid stations: Any ultrarunner knows to carry his/her own water and other common supplies. So please, for your safety, follow common sense guidelines. There will be pit stops available, but they might not be exactly where you need them. Anyway, aid/water is to be available about every 4-6 miles.
Learn stuff
- What Kevin Sayers says is true
- Breakheart trail running
- Running shoes research
-
Purchase gear
- Trailrunoutlet.com
- Gator socks
- REI
- Campmor.com
Fire on the Mountain 50K
* 2010 results
* 2010 photos
by TriStateRunnur.com
Mason wins ultra debut
Benjamin leads Fire on the Mountain 50K trail run
FLINTSTONE, Md., Oct. 31, 2010 -- At the midway point of the Fire on the Mountain 50K trail run in Green Ridge State Forest on Sunday, Andrew Mason still had a shot. And he knew it.
Mason, 38, of Hagerstown, reached the Log Roll Overlook on Green Ridge Road - perched high above the Town Creek watershed - and wanted to know about his competition. Eric Benjamin, 32, of Baltimore, was four minutes ahead with 15.8 miles to go.
Mason needed more. Benjamin suffered on the 8.5 miles of hard-packed dirt logging roads but not enough to allow Mason to stage a comeback. Benjamin finished the 32.1-mile course in 4 hours, 49 minutes and 29.92 seconds. Mason was second in 4:59:30.9. Greg Zaruba, 43, of Smithsburg, took third overall and the top male masters title with a time of 5:03:40.7.
Benjamin earned the top prize, a book on the history of the 44,000-acre state forest by John Mash. The book is no longer in print. The same award went to Dani Mason, 38, of Hagerstown. Mason finished more than 11 minutes ahead of runner-up Jennifer Plevinski, 33, of Clear Spring, Mason won in 5:29:30.4 while Plevinski finished in 5:40:35.4. Kari Brown, 36, of Bedford, Pa., earned third place -- and 12th overall in the field of 52 runners -- with a time of 5:53.09.1.
The footrace featured four key sections. The first was arguable the most difficult - and dangerous - as runners traversed a thin, single-track trail for much of the Long Pond Trail for approximately 7.7 miles. The runners got a bit of a reprieve over the next seven miles while on the relatively flat Deep Run/Big Run Trail.
The 8.5-mile section of logging roads, from Green Ridge Road to much of Jacobs Road, proved to be a challenge instead of a merciful break race organizers intended. The hard-packed dirt road tugged at runners' calves, tightened and strained by a series of uphills and downhills along the first section.
The runners took reprieve on the Mountain Bike Loop Trail for about 7.5 miles. Though the terrain was varied, with a few inclines as well as a couple of runner-friendly descents, at least it wasn't a winding logging road.
Potomac Highlands Distance Club * P.O. Box 102 * Augusta, WV 26704 * 304-209-8981 * [email protected]
* note: The name of the club is changing effective Nov. 1, 2011
Updated Oct. 24, 2011 - List of confirmed entries through Oct. 24.
* Course information / partial elevation profiles
The event begins at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 30, 2011. Buses depart the finish line area to the start line at 6:30 a.m. promptly. Don't be late.
Aid Station info (specifics on menu & mileage, more details coming race week)
Aid Station 1 at 5.6 - water, bananas, cookies, pbj squares
Aid Station 2 at 8.9 - water, bananas, cookies, pbj squares, potato wedges,
pretzels, gatorado
Aid Station 3 at 14.4 - (water only, serve yourself)
Aid Station 4 at 16.5 - the "oasis" at Log Roll Overlook - water, bananas,
cookies, pbj squares, potato wedges, pretzels,
gatorade
Aid Station 5 at 22.8 - water, bananas, cookies, pbj squares
Aid Station 6 at 27.2 - water, bananas, cookies, pbj squares
RD's note: No, this isn't the regular "home" of the Mtn Md Marathon Club. However, we continue to strive to stage affordable, fun, permitted and safe events in the area. On our end, by canceling the former domain, we save about $220. That would have paid for the port-a-potties last year.
Take a fall driving tour of Green Ridge State Forest
The course - click for course map - large JPEG or large PDF
The 32-mile trail run is a point-to-point beginning near Little Orleans and finishing at the mountainbike trailhead in Green Ridge State Forest.
Miles
0 - 1.2 (1.2) - Start @ Point Lookout overlook on logging road
1.2 - 5.6 (4.4) - Red "billy goat" trail - hold on!
5.6 - 8.9 (3.3) - 1 mile on logging road, then 2.3 on red trail
8.9 - 16.4 (7.5) - on green trail (some rocks / gnarly roots)
16.4 - 22.8 (6.4) - logging road (Jacobs Road)
22.8 - 27.2 (4.4) - a bit more logging road, then onto purple trail
27.2 - 32.1 (4.9) - last section on purple trail, on to finish line
This course information is for 2011 - and is the same (thanks to event sponsors such as Sheetz) as in 2010.
Sunday, Nov. 6, 2011
presented by
As of Oct. 23 - runners will have at least a dozen stream crossings if the water level stays up as high as it was on Sunday, Oct. 23. Good luck runners!!!
Photo courtesy Jason Griffith
Support crew - changes in store for 2012.
Registration for the 2012 race on Sunday, Oct. 28, 2012 opens on June 1, 2012.
Fire on the Mountain 50K postponed one week
FLINTSTONE, Md., Oct. 29, 1:37 p.m. -- The Fire on the Mountain 50K presented by Sheetz, a point-to-point trail run within Green Ridge State Forest in eastern Allegany County, Md., has been postponed due to weather.
"The snow didn't bother us a bit," said Kevin Spradlin, race director and founder of the Potomac Highlands Distance Club. "However, we have buses to transport the runners to the start line and the overnight forecast into Sunday morning called for temperatures to dip into the high 20s, which would likely cause the water and snow already on the roads to freeze. That would create dangerous, and unnecessary, situation."
The event is postponed to Sunday, Nov. 6. Packet pick-up will be from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 5, at Green Ridge Forest headquarters. The race-day time line for the event will follow the original schedule; everything is simply moved back a week.
"I know this is an inconvenience to runners," Spradlin said. "But I'd rather have them mad at me next week than in a vehicle accident this week on the way to the race site. The trails will wait for us another seven days."
Runner reaction to the announcement has varied. Some expressed hopes that it wouldn't be pushed back, despite the weather forecast. Others understood.
"Tough but smart choice," said one runner.
"See you next weekend!" said another.
Spradlin had pledged to runners in a Friday night email to make the call whether to postpone or not by 4 p.m. Saturday. The official announcement was made at about 12:45 p.m. Saturday after consulting with Allegany County government roads officials, Green Ridge State Forest representatives and the transportation director for Hampshire County public schools, from which the race is renting three buses.
Unfortunately, there are no refunds. Requests for deferment into the 2012 event will be considered on an individual basis.
Schwartzbard, Nelson cruise to 50K victories
Click here for 2011 race page
GREEN RIDGE STATE FOREST -- Aaron Schwartzbard had only himself to compete against on Sunday during the Fire on the Mountain 50K presented by Sheetz.
So the 34-year-old Reston, Va., resident decided to make it as difficult as possible.
Leading from the get-go, the 2011 Highlands Sky 40-mile champ and Virginia Happy Trails Running Club member ran the entire 32-mile run - plus a little extra - en route to a convincing victory. Schwartzbard stopped the clock in 5 hours, 2 minutes and 6.9 seconds. Matt McDonald, 41, of Hagerstown, Md., was second in 5:31:48.9 while Bedford County, Pa., resident Rande Brown, 41, took third in 5:34:26.8.
Schwartzbard's girlfriend, Martha Nelson, 30, of Washington, D.C., earned the women's title in 5:36:25.2. Heidi Marks, a newcomer to the ultrarunning scene - as well as trail running - placed second (and ninth overall in the individual standings) in 6:06:51. Kari Brown, 37, of Bedford County, Pa., took third in 6:08:11.2.
More info, quips at the finish line, video and more coming as soon as the "real world" work schedule allows. Thanks for coming out to Green Ridge State Forest, everyone.