URE Marathon (2023)
The URE Marathon is a free trail marathon in the Uwharrie National Forest in North Carolina. I’ve run this marathon 4 times now and consider it one of my annual favorites. However, this year they updated the course, and now it’s 100% single-track trail and has about 5000 feet of elevation gain, which makes it slightly more difficult than in past years.
The race started at 8:00 am, and the weather was perfect—a little chilly, but quickly warmed up as the sun climbed into the sky. We were funneled right onto the Dutchman’s Creek trail, forcing us to jockey for position early on. I realized within the first minute that my shoelace had become untied, so I hopped out of the line to address the situation. I jumped back into the line of runners and picked up my pace to try and catch up with the front runners.
I was settling in pretty well around 5k into the race, and I was feeling very grateful to be out there. But, like many of my races and runs at Uwharrie, I was mostly alone and hoped to encounter some company.
My loneliness subsided when I saw my friend Dalat catching up to me around 10k. We exchanged a few words with each other as he was on my tail for a good 3-4 miles. We chose to run the downhills as fast as we could—or at least as fast as I could—Dalat seemed effortless on the descents. Eventually, Dalat passed me around mile 10 on our way into Kelly’s Kitchen aid station. A few minutes after losing sight of him, I tripped and landed with what felt like all my weight on my right ankle. I got up, wincing in pain, and tried to run, but I was reduced to an awkward hobble for the next half mile. Eventually, the ankle warmed up, and I was back to running, but it took more out of me than I would have liked to admit.
I arrived at Kelly’s Kitchen and didn’t waste much time. In previous years, this was a turnaround point, where you’d take the Uwharrie trail for about 10-11 miles back to the finish, but due to the course change this year, we were told to continue on past Kelly’s Kitchen for another 2.9 miles of hilly trails until we hit the new turnaround aid station. I obliged, and it was during these next 2 miles that I accepted that my hopes for a PR and a finish higher than 6th place (my previous best) would not be feasible. The updated course is just more difficult than the original.
I reached the new turnaround point and tried to pick up my pace on my way back. If my counting was correct, I was in 10th place at this point in the race. I passed many runners on this out-and-back section, and while it was awesome to see so many other people on this part of the course, I was also gaining insight into how close people were to catch up to me. I didn’t have much breathing room.
I was doing my best to hold on to 10th place, and my confidence increased as I passed another runner on a flatter section about 9 miles from the finish. I kept a strong pace until I felt like I was out of sight of him, and when I turned around, I confirmed no one was behind me. This gave me an additional boost that lasted until I reached the Crossroads aid station, about 6 miles from the finish.
When I arrived at Crossroads, I was surprised to see another runner come in before I left. I thought that I had created a bigger gap between myself and the rest of the pack trailing behind, but clearly, this wasn’t the case. I started to doubt my ability to keep my place, but I headed out of the aid station with as much energy as possible to avoid giving any signs of weakness.
About 3 miles from the finish, during the final big climb, I realized the same runner was fast on my heels. It was at this point that he passed me. We exchanged a few words, acknowledged that this wasn’t our first meeting on this course—we had battled it out in previous years—and agreed to catch up at the finish. He took off up the mountain, and I struggled to keep my focus on the final miles ahead. I was ready to be done.
With 1.5 miles to go, I was passed by another runner as she came flying by—apparently, she had paced herself much better than I did. I was inspired but a bit defeated as well. I tried to turn it up, but my legs were fried from pushing too hard in the first half of the race. She was the last runner I would see before crossing the finish line myself, in 5 hours even, 11th place overall.
I didn’t PR or place the way I wanted to, but I still had a great time and learned a lot, as usual.
If you’re interested, here are some tips I’d recommend for running the URE Marathon:
Train on single-track trail. The race is 100% single-track trail, so it is essential to train on similar terrain. The more rocks and roots you can find, the better.
Get used to the elevation gain. The race has about 5000 feet of elevation gain, so getting used to running in the mountains or at least incorporating some hill repeats into your training is important.
Train with wet feet. You will cross many creeks, and there’s a good chance your feet will get wet. If you’re susceptible to blisters, be prepared.
Bring a handheld water bottle. Using a vest with a bladder is probably a bit overkill, but the aid stations are roughly 5-7 miles apart, so it’s a good idea to have some water on you between aid stations.
