August 11, 2007
Laurel Valley Whitewater 33 mile ultra

On my way through Brevard, I noticed blue lights in the rear view mirror. It was 4:15 in the morning. Who cares if you speed a bit. The officer was cool and I explained that I was on my way to a race. He let me go with a warning ticket and only took up five minutes of my time. I was grateful for that gesture and made my way to the finish line to get a ride to the start. I had no business running this race since the Burning River 100 was completed just six days previous to it. Tyler Peek was also running both races so I wasn’t the only nut.


Familiar faces abounded at the start. At 6:30, we all ascended the stairs and hit the trail. I started out near the front to avoid a logjam on the singletrack trail. I ran with Tyler for a good while. The field broke up early on. I wanted to make pretty good time before it got too hot. The forecast was for mid 90’s with high humidity.

The course is gently rolling for the early going. I felt the tendons in back of my right leg but they weren’t hurting too much. I had major swelling as well from last week’s run. That went away after I got some miles in.


I approached the first waterfall but it was a mere trickle. Shortly afterward, I caught up to a large group of runners. I was feeling strong so I passed them up. A short while later, I realized I was pushing it a bit too hard, eased up and let them pass me. I caught back up to most of them and was running with Tyler and Bill Keane intermittently. Bill powered up the climbs and caught me every time. I’d power down the descents but he’d always catch me eventually.

Laurel Fork falls had considerably more water. Just past it was the day’s first long climb. It wasn’t terribly steep but it went on for a good mile or so made remarkably good time. My body wasn’t as tired as I thought it’d be. I went ahead on the downhill and moved at a solid pace. My toes hurt so I didn’t go as fast as usual but before I knew it, I was at Lake Jocassee.


A long climb was ahead of us. I forgot just how long it really was. I had to hike it but at the top it leveled out so i could make up some time. I was running with Bill and another guy until the descent, where I went ahead at a torrid pace. The downhill brought me alongside Lake Jocassee.

The lake was well below its normal level. Vegetation had taken over where water generally resided. The trail remained flat alongside the lake for a while, then crossed a bridge. I was on about an 8 hour pace, which suited me fine. Keeping that pace up would be a challenge but my goal was 9-91/2 hours.

The next section climbed relentlessly. Fortunately, the top of the climb was about the midpoint. The trail remained high with a few downs and ups. It went on much longer than I'd expected. There is a ridiculously long and steep stair climb and descent. Last year, these steps were treacherously slick but they were thankfully dry this year. I was trying to hold out on filling my camelbak until the Horsepasture river but had to give in early. 100 ounces had already been consumed and I'd have to wait another 30 minutes to drink again.

The Horsepasture is spanned by a long bridge. The water was low enough to cross without one. Long flights of stairs flank either side of the bridge. I couldn't shake Bill as he came across the bridge as I was ascending the stairs. He stalked me all day long. These last ten miles took their toll on me. The heat became unbearable. No matter how much I drank, I still felt overheated. I partially remedied this at the Thompson River when I got a little soaking in. I had waited too long however and should have done it much earlier.

Bill went ahead and I met up with Mike Hopton. We continued together, taking it very easy. It took longer than anticipated to make it to the turn at the Whitewater river. This was flat but we still hiked it. We passed a high waterfall as we crossed Corbin Creek. The Whitewater crossing is just 100 yards further and consists of some bouldering to get onto and off of the bridge. I enjoyed this part last year as I did the final ascent but the heat made it extremely difficult. We started the climb out of the gorge. I struggled mightily and Mike went ahead. Eventually, the trail became more moderate but it still posed a problem. Stone steps took me up more steeply and led to the overlook platform.

I enjoyed the view of Whitewater Falls. It makes all of the suffering somewhat worthwhile. I rested a bit for the final flight of 100+ steps. I'd planned on running them but this was simply not possible. I trudged my way up and hit the paved quarter mile trail to the finish. I picked up speed when I saw the finish line and came across in a near sprint.

I had told several runners that Laurel Valley wasn't all that difficult. That was the opinion of someone who had mostly hiked it in very comfortable conditions. In 94 degree heat and running much of the course, my opinion has changed dramatically. It is an extremely challenging run which is more difficult than most 40 mile runs and even some 50 milers.

Raging Bull