Black Mountain Ultra Traverse (2023)
48 miles of mountain running is tough. 48 miles of mountain running up and down Mt. Mitchell and out and back along the Black Mountain Crest Trail without any aid or support other than what you can carry with you is really tough.
This was supposed to be my peak training run leading into the Uwharrie 100, but I should have known better. I ran the Quest for the Crest 50k back in May, and if the BMUT (Black Mountain Ultra Traverse) was anything like that (which it was), then it was going to be a hell of a training run.
We started at 4 a.m. from Albert’s Lodge, making our way along some quiet mountain roads before turning into the Black Mountain Campground. We continued for a few miles until we reached the Buncombe Horse Range Trail. This was the first of many climbs we would endure, and as we slowly trekked up the mountain, the wind started to pick up.
I reached the summit of Mt. Mitchell for our first check-in at 7:57 a.m.—just under 4 hours and 14.5 miles from the start. It took me longer than I expected, but I was happy with how conservative my pacing was. The summit was very windy and the temperature was frigidly cold. I put on an extra layer from my pack, ate a few calories, and prepared myself for the difficult ridge that was ahead of us. On a good day with great visibility, the views from the Black Mountain Crest Trail can take your mind off of how miserably hard it is to run that trail. This wasn’t a good day—the weather sucked and there was no visibility. Oh well.
It was slow moving along the ridge and I was tripping all over the place. I was doing my best to control my frustration and kept reminding myself that eventually we’d be making our way off of the ridge and down to Bowlens Creek where I was convinced we’d be shielded from the cold winds and I could make up some time on the descent.
My prediction was correct—the descent down to Bowlens Creek was much warmer and faster moving than any of the miles that came before. I chose to bomb the downhill all the way to the turnaround check-in, roughly 26 miles into the race and made it there at 11:36 a.m. I was feeling great and I learned that I was in 10th place at that moment based on counting the other runners making their way back up the mountain as I passed them on my way down. I decided to not waste any time at the bottom and ignored the water source where I could have filled my bottles. I knew there was another creek crossing about 2 miles back up the mountain where I could replenish my water, and decided I’d wait until then. Big mistake.
The climb back up from Bowlens Creek was absolutely miserable. It was steeper, longer, and more grueling than I had remembered. My hamstrings were begging me to quit, and my breathing was on the verge of being out of control. The warmth of the sun making it’s way through the trees combined with the lack of wind due to the tree cover made this section noticeably warmer. Too warm. I shredded a layer and was trying to stop myself from sweating too much. It didn’t help that I was out of water and becoming more thirsty by the minute. I kept pushing. Eventually, I passed my friend Tony as I was coming up and he was heading down. It was good to see him and share some words, and the 30-second conversation gave my legs a brief but much-needed break. I continued on until I reached the creek crossing at the top of the mountain where I saw another runner filling his bottles. I stopped to do the same and tried starting a conversation, but I could tell he was struggling more than I was. I wished him well, and then I passed him. I was now in 9th place.
I emerged back onto the Black Mountain Crest Trail, ready to conquer the ridge all the way back to the summit of Mt. Mitchell when I noticed that most of the morning cloud cover had dissipated. I was rewarded with beautiful views of the mountains below and around us. The colors were incredible—one of the benefits of fall running here in North Carolina. I took a few quick pictures, and then I got my mind right for the objective ahead of me.
I was moving much more quickly on the trip back along the ridge, mostly because the rocks had dried up and were far less slick than in the morning. I chose to run everything flat and down and took my time on anything up. I realized that I had no more “up” left in me, but I rationalized that it’d be okay because most of the big climbs were done for the day. I came across 2 other runners who were taking pictures from some of the breaks in the trees and made small talk as I got in front of them. We were all friendly and supportive, but I could tell my legs were working a little better than theirs so I decided I was going to hold my position and try to create some distance. I was now in 7th place.
It got really cold on the ridge again and I needed to add another layer. I did so quickly, and I grabbed more calories out of my pack as well. I was so hungry so I kept eating whatever I could grab. Potato chips, a beef stick, and some fruit snacks. It all tasted amazing, but I was careful not to put too much into my stomach in such a short time. I chugged my water and kept moving well until I reached another runner up ahead. I kept some distance and elected to just follow him for a while to see how he was moving. After about a mile I could tell he was hurting, so I got closer and started a conversation with him. He told me he was experiencing some tightness in his knee and couldn’t wait to make it to Mt. Mitchell. He then continued down a trail off course, until I stopped him and helped correct him back on course. He turned around and made his way back, but at this point, I was in front of him, and again, chose to create and hold distance. I was in 6th place, and I wasn’t going to let go of it.
I finally made it to the summit of Mt. Mitchell for the final check-in around 4:11 p.m. and was told it was about 9 miles to the finish. It was still windy, cold, and I was beginning to hit a wall. I thought to myself that it would be all downhill from here to the end, so I could likely just run most of it and make up some more lost time. However, my quads had other plans. I started running down and immediately realized that my quads were beaten up from the cumulative punishment of the day, and it was going to be a much slower descent than I had in mind. I reset my finishing time goal and just made 2 simple agreements with myself; don’t give up 6th place, and don’t get hurt. I worked too hard for 6th place, and I can’t risk getting injured 2 weeks out from the Uwharrie 100.
When I reached the bottom of the mountain and saw the road ahead of me I almost cried. I was so tired of getting my ass kicked by the trails and was ecstatic to know that I only had about 3 miles of easy road running separating me from the finish. I decided to use a strategy of 100 seconds of running followed by 100 seconds of walking during these final 3 miles while checking over my shoulder to make sure I didn’t see any other runners approaching. If anyone was catching up to me, I would run it all the way in, but luckily I never had to worry about that. I could see Albert’s Lodge ahead and I picked up my pace until I made it through the finish in a total time of 14:42, 6th place overall.
