In awe

The Ring and the Reverse Ring. Those who are in the know know. It is not a secret but the Ring and the Reverse Ring is like a secret club run. I think because it is hard and very few people do it. It ends up as a clique thing.

First, it has certain entry requirements especially for the Reverse Ring.  Runners cannot sign up unless they did the Ring (summer version first).

Typically, you are looking at a dozen of so runners and some years there were just a handful.  When you finish, your name is written forever on tge club page and you are part of the fellowship of the Ring. It is like being in a selective club. The Reverse Ring they say is harder, though it is on the same course but run in the reverse direction (counterclockwise).

About the course, it is 100% on the Massanutten Trail. This trail is the central to many of the club runs with the most notably, the Massanutten 100, the 100 miler everyone knows and loves.  The Ring only runs about 70 miles (71) on it, the northern half. You would think that would be easier for those who have done the 100 mile version to do this one.  Maybe is true, but there is less fanfare about the Ring, so maybe runners are not seriously as prepared to run it as in the 100 miler.

I myself truly did not know for I have never done it. Like most races from the Virginia Happy people, I’ve heard of the Ring in passing but once come to running in it, it gets tricky in the signing up process. I usually don’t pay attention to when it is open for signup and usually a lowly club event falls off from my radar.

Thankfully the MMT 100 signup has moved to the normal website (ultrasignup) and thus, I was able to run it the last two years.

The Ring is the free version, a fatass they call it.  Maybe because it is free, not many people sign up to run it.

Those who have done it love it.  It is their Orange trail. Orange because the trail is blazed with orange color paint.  I heard of the Orange trail etc.  It is rocky and difficult. Those who did it always complain that they hate it but always will come back next year for more.

This year was doubly hard because in the middle of the event we had a surprise winter storm (snow) on the mountain.  The race/run continued.

I had a free weekend. The two RDs for the Reverse Ring sent out a call for volunteers.  It was their first time in charge.  We had an unusual high number of participants (30+ signed up), 24 toed the start, but only about 10 finished.

I was put my name to join the first Aid Station at Woodstock Tower which was about 13-15 miles in the race.  The race started at 6 am.  I was at my station by 7.  We had a bit of time before the first runner showed up, which was predicted to be around 8:10.  Daisy and Jesse (the two RDs) said, let’s climb the Woodstock Tower since none of us never been up there.  I always wondered in the past when I ran by it during my race or training run, exactly what’s the view is up there. Curiosity got better of us.

All three of us were scare of height and we quickly descended once we took some bragging selfies. 

The First runner arrived right on the dot at 8:11/8:12. (He will be at the Western States 100).  He was sure fast.  Carl, another fast runner came not long after.  Then there were a trickle of runners.  Lastly all my slower friends came in, including, Wayne, Jamie, Q, and Carol.  These were people I often get to run with.

Our AS was the first one so there was very little for us to do to help runners.  All were happy people.  Also the time spread from the first to the last runners were still kind of close, about two hours apart unlike at the later stations, which could be as long as 12 hours. We were done by 10:30 in the morning.

I had the rest of the day to myself, so I decided to drive about 45 minutes down Fort Valley Road to Camp Roosevelt (Camp Roo as it is known among us).  This is the last crew station and final cutoff at their mile 50.  It was still early and the aid station at Camp Roo had not set up yet. 

I then went out for a run, decided to head up to Kerns Mountain intended to do my MMT 3rd training run.  It would take about 12 hours for me to tackle this 35 mile run.  Little did I know the weather had other idea.

I got on Orange around 11 am.  Went down toward Duncan Knob. Duncan Hollow was as muddy as ever. Took Blue trail and climb up on Gap Creek.  From Gap Creek to the little bridge, crossed over Crisman Hollow Rd and climbed Jaw Bone.  Then I realized my mistake of not bringing a rain jacket or winter clothes because it started raining and quickly turned into snow.  Soon before I reached Kerns Mnt, the trail started turning white. I heard later it was at least 4 inches.

The trail was completely covered. There was no longer any rock seen. It was slip and slide.  A few runners from the Ring run caught up to me.  The front runners (1-4) already had been through but these who were passing me also are pretty good runners and they were battling the element (Justin, Jaque and Luc).

I was glad the trial finally ended for me once I got back on Crisman Hollow Rd.  The runners who were doing the Ring, they had to descend the Waterfall trail which was notorious steep.  No thanks for me.  I took the Road back to Camp Roo.  The Road portion is same for MMT 100 and Old Dominion 100 (to Four Point AS).  I have never ran from here to Camp Roo before so it was a good run for me.  It was about 8 miles back.  I was happy to be back.

Bird Knob was my original plan after Kerns Mountain but with the snow, no way would I want to ascend Bird Knob.

I stayed at Camp Roo from 5 to closing at 10pm.  The three runners I met eventually made it to Camp Roo and they also called quit after arriving.  I took the honor to drive them back to the start at Signal Knob.

A side story, was I became kind of sick afterward.  The mountain road of the Fort Valley Road made my head dizzy.  I made it back to camp Roo around 8/9 o clock but I was feeling dizzy.  Wayne came in.  I helped him with what he needed.  He stayed about half an hour before heading back out. They were asking me if I would accompany him (pacing).  I would but I was kind of sick so I turned it down.  He did fine without me any way and finished. 

Jamie came in.  Her friend Larry helped her and paced her through the night. 

John H and John C came in. Nick too. These were the final runners. John H decided  it was enough of Orange for him. John C and Nick were cold. They also stayed a while at the camp fire to warm up. Someone donated a jacket to John and thank God, that got him through the night.

The Reverse Ring showed grit some runners had.

I took the easy way. I drove to Signal Knob after the last runner came through. There I slept till 6 am in the morning.  Wayne said he would arrive at 6 am.  I know that was just a prediction.  He came in a little after 7. He was happy as so were other runners, John and Nick and Jamie. They all made it back.

I was not running in it. I was happy to experience their thrill.  We were tracking them from station to station. 

On a personal note, once the race was over, Dan, and his wife and I decided to climb the  Signal Knob. It was about a 10 mile to go around. This is my stumping ground so I am pretty familiar. I took the Meneka Peak path. It was an awesome day for me.

I fnished my short version of the run and was exhausted.  The night sleeping in the car was not fun, but it definitely beat being out on the trail that night.  I heard the temperature was around 24 at the base. With wind chill factoring in and elevation, it might have been in the teens.  Those runners survived the night. Hat off to them. Yes, the winter storm was not in the forecast. It was beautiful nonetheless.  I slept the next 14-16 hours after I got home.  I call that a great weekend.