This time tomorrow I’ll be running with Team Lost Soles in the 208 Mile Blue Ridge Relay (BRR208) as a last minute sub for an injured runner. Starting at Grayson Highlands State Park, Grayson County, VA, which is near the base of Mount Rogers (5729′), the course follows country roads and winds its way through North Carolina’s High Country to the finish in Asheville. The course features some of the region’s most spectacular scenery including the balds of Grayson Highlands State Park, the New River, the Blue Ridge Parkway, Grandfather Mountain (5964′), and Mount Mitchell (6684′), the highest peak east of the Mississippi River.
Each team member will rotate through 36 transition areas, running 3 legs of varying lengths and difficulty, and will cover an average distance of ~16.6 miles. I’ll be running legs 6, 18, and 30. The first and last will be in the early afternoon and the second will be under the cover of night. As an added bonus I’m going to go Vibrams all the way and may even sneak in a barefoot leg if my feet feel so inclined.
Leg 6 (5.2 miles, +722’/-538′, Hard)
A good climb and a steep gravel/dirt decent early on, followed by a gradual climb through the valley, and finally a steep paved climb and descent to finish this run. As a perk, I’ll snag a view of Bluff Mountain and its waterfall as I begin my first big descent.
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Leg 18 (5.9 miles, +249’/-1217′, Hard)
Enormous downhills and one good climb make this a tough leg. Spanish Oak turns into Squirrel Creek and my legs turn into Jell-O.
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Leg 30 (4.4 miles, + 203’/ -43′, Easy)
Flat. Follows the Cane River. May go barefoot.
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Judging by the rest of the course legs I’d say I lucked out. One of my team members has to cover 22 miles including a long 10-mile climb up to the Grandfather mountain entrance (longest leg of the race and 3rd highest gain in elevation). And another team member has to deal with Leg 31 (one of the mountain goat legs) with a total climb of 1398 feet. Yeah, no complaining here.
I’m really grateful that I’ve been given the opportunity. Not just for the team member who thought I’d make a good sub for the injured runner, but for my wife who agreed to let me run, and my sister for taking care of my dogs. Seriously, I owe you all big time!