Laurel Valley 35

Runners from Hell put on the Laurel Valley 35miler. This race is 100% self supported. It’s you and nature, no aid stations, no mile markers, and no finishers medal. Besides the small entry fee to get into this run you have to earn your status as a runner, an initiation. All the rookies are forced to be sweeps and make sure every runner makes it to the finish line as there is no road access to the trail during the entire run. This was my first year.

I was shocked to find that the temperatures in Charlotte the week prior to the race had gone above 100 degrees. At night the temperature was in the high 80’s low 90’s, and extremely humid. The weather in Morocco was much milder and dryer. There was 12 people running sweep, and although I thought that was plenty.

For the majority of the race I enjoyed the company of Doug Dawkins. I also ran with Marc Castleberry and Lisa Arnold, two other sweeps for the majority of the run. Had I realized this 35 mile section of the foothills trail had so many streams I would not have taken my 100oz bladder. With the weather being as hot and humid as it was, carrying more water than less was the wise thing to do however.

Moving at a slower pace gave me the chance to enjoy the beauty of this area. I also soaked my entire body 3 times in the larger rivers, trying to cool my core body temperature.

Ill certainly be back to run this again next year!