[Completely Unofficial and Unorganized] South Mountain 50K (or less)

[Completely Unofficial and Unorganized] South Mountain 50K (or less)

A place to put your name: https://rebrand.ly/south_mountain_contact_list

What: Run/Hike 50K (or less) at South Mountains State Park in Connelly Springs

Route: The recommended “route” consists of 3 different loops (11.7 miles, 10 miles, 9.5 miles – details below) covering a total of ~5900 feet of elevation gain. Each loop starts and ends at the parking lot where someone’s pickup truck will have water and snacks (see below, bring a snack) for refueling before your next loop.

** If you don’t want to run 50K but still want to join in the fun, come run 1 or 2 of the loops. Or, come do your own darn thing since this is all just a suggested way to spend your morning. We have at least 1 HC to Ruck Loop 1 if that is more your style.

When: Saturday, February 22nd at 7:00 AM. Gates to the park open at 7. We will chat a little and then start running promptly at 0715.

Where: South Mountains State Park, High Shoals Parking Area (https://goo.gl/maps/DrA4wHzbuYrRdXE89)

Cutoff: There’s no official cutoff as this is not an official run but the guy with the pickup truck has to leave by 3:00 so if you’re not done by then the snacks/water will be gone. Otherwise, you are responsible for getting yourself home anyway so nothing else changes.

Who: PAX from wherever. This is going to be a fun day of running/hiking in the mountains with friends both new and old. Hope to see you there.

Cost: If you haven’t been paying attention, this is unorganized and unofficial and therefore FREE. If you are so inclined, it would be nice if you brought a snack to put in the backup of the pickup truck for your friends to try.

DISCLAIMER: To be clear, this is not an organized or official run/race/event. If you come, you are on your own and entirely responsible for your own safety and well-being. If you choose to run the same loops in the same order as us, awesome! But, as with all things F3, you are encouraged to modify as necessary to avoid personal injury and overall make good decisions with your life.

The loops/routes will NOT be marked. There will be GPX files available for those with fancy watches as well as printed maps and cue sheets available in some guys truck in the parking lot at South Mountain. Most carriers will have cell service out there so it is highly recommended that you carry your phone with you and common sense thoroughly suggests that you stick with a buddy.

Bottom Line: This is going to be a blast. If you haven’t been to South Mountains State Park before, you are really missing out. We will cover almost all of the trails there, including all the big views overlooking Jacob Fork Gorge, the 80-foot High Shoals waterfall, and the beautiful mountains of Western NC. As stated above, if 50K is too much to bite off, you can always come run one of the loops, make up a route of your own, or just come eat snacks and high five your friends when they stop at the pickup truck.

Interested? Add your name, etc. to this sheet so we can all have an idea of who’s coming: https://rebrand.ly/south_mountain_contact_list

Tentative Route Maps (to be finalized soon):
Full Route: www.plotaroute.com/route/993852 (31.2 miles / ~5,900 ft elevation gain)
First Loop: www.plotaroute.com/route/993743 (11.7 miles / ~2,100 ft elevation gain)
Second Loop: www.plotaroute.com/route/993851 (9.5 miles / ~1,700 ft elevation gain)
Third Loop: www.plotaroute.com/route/993748 (10 miles / ~2,100 ft elevation gain)