What in all of hell was that?! I had my 4th worst “just a marathon” time today at Raccoon Mountain in Chattanooga. The race was challenging (2238 ft elevation gain), and I’m injured (a number of places but most painfully my left glute since Hawai’i) but I really don’t have an explanation for why I had such a rough time. By dint of reference the 3 slower times I was toting a 40 lb pack through a sand pit, running up a fourteener, and my first marathon when I was 290 lbs. Not sure why I had such difficulty here but here’s the skinny on the race: half trail half road all awesome. Up and down, cold and windy, and reasonably well marked (I only got lost once), but alas this is the last annual raccoon mountain marathon. Worry not, however, you can still run this race as a half in coming years. Nifty swag like a coon skin hat for first timers, a buff, a yeti style tumbler, and customized wood burnt medals. If you dig playing in the woods and race directors in raccoon onesies, this is your jam. Hopefully this doesn’t speak poorly for my race tomorrow though. 😬
