The Tideland 24 Hour course is a USATF-certified 1.37779-mile crushed gravel and dirt loop that snakes through the White Oak River marsh, crossing bridges of aluminum and wood. It’s the kind of course that tricks you into thinking it’s easy because it’s beautiful, mostly flat, and you have aid every 1.3 miles. But as the loops accumulate and the hours go on, you discover hills you didn’t notice before, and sections seem to grow in distance.

This year’s Uwharrie 100 was as unrelenting as it was the last time I did it. 5 loops of 100% rugged singletrack, 20.5 miles each, totaling 102.5 miles and over 20,000 feet of climbing and descent. Those woods have a reputation for not caring how your training went or what time goal you had in mind.