50km Snowflake race at Kanawha State Forest, West Virginia/USA (03.12.2005)

Friday evening immediately after work I drove down to West Virginia. It should be a long drive and I was suspecting snow. Without a short part the roads where clean. Around 2am I arrived at the park. The rest time I got till entry begins I liked to sleep. Because I did not know exactly where the start was and I do not like to drive and look for it a long time. So I stayed at the entry and waited to follow the first car in the morning. When I drove to the start area at the morning I recognized, that it was the best I can do! The start was at a pavilion, which I never had found at the night. The organizer just started to make a fire so it was getting warm. The organizer suspected around 40 runners for the race. The winter version (Snowflake) had against the summer version (Rattle Snake) two loops. Also there where only three hills per loop. So it was more flat than the summer race. As the organizer said the course has ~5500ft (1700 m) altitudes. Between every aid station there was a hill. At the aid stations where a bunch of snakes and drinks available. The course was without some yards only at trails and trough the woods. There where some parts, which where quiet technical. Especially the last downhill to the finish. The race started 15 minutes later, because it was to dark and to dangerous because of the hunters. After the race there where pizza and drinks available. Because of the low temperatures around the freezing point, people didn't stay long after the race.

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