The fourth and longest race of the Dirty Spokes Trail Run Series has been completed. There was a chance of thunderstorms for the race but could not have asked for better weather. There was cloud cover blocking the hot May heat which worked to our favor. The trail was a 4 mile loop put together by Sobra at Mount Tabor Park in Dallas Georgia. As usual the race started promptly at 8:30am.
There was a fairly large crowd at the race. Started the morning with a 2 mile kids run which was a blast to watch. The younger kids really go into it for sure. The 4 mile and 8 mile started at 8:30 on the same line at the top of the parking lot heading down the hill before entering the single track trail. This was one of the tightest single tracks. The first mile or two on the trail left little room to pass. The trail was in very good condition despite the rain during the week. There were only a couple of mud holes to navigate down. The trail had a good mix of roots, rocks, and hills. The hills unlike previous races were more rolling and shorter. There was little need to hike the hills. Emerging from the woods between mile 3 and 4 lead to a grassy/weedy section that lead back out to the grassy shoulder back to the top of the parking lot .2 miles away. Round the corner, grabbing water, this completed the first of 2 laps.
The pace for the first lap was moderate. Was more enjoying the scenery and pacing with traffic. The second pass would be a different story. Picking up the pace made short work of the two miles until the grassy/weedy field. By the second lap the field was very spread out giving the opportunity to pick the pace. The quick pace gave way to a few problems with the hills in the weedy patch but hiked those to then pickup the pace to finish with a quick sprint to the finish line.
Given the distance and the rolling hills I am pleased with the race. This trail run was very enjoyable. The was very little in the way of distractions so the series theme of ditching the city really came through on this one. The interesting point to note was this race was suppose to be on the Silver Comet trail. Very nice venue.
Lastly this was the first race with the Vasque Transistors. I am really please with how they performed on the trail and navigating through the mud.
The race results are already posted.
Next up is the 5 mile at Central Park
Thank you to Dirty Spokes, sponsors, and volunteers that made for another enjoyable race. Really looking forward to the fifth and sixth challenges in the series.