Chateau Elan Muscadine Vineyard Trail 5.5 Miler (Race Recap)

Braselton, GA
Saturday, November 20, 2021
Race/Event #96   
5-ish Miler #2
Weather -  clear, cold, 37 degrees when I arrived...brrrrrr

The main reason I wanted to do this race - it went through the vineyard at Chateau Elan. Specifically it was a muscadine grape vineyard. There really are a lot of races to pick from. More and more I'm always looking for something unique in a race. The vineyard surely qualified this one as being unique.

As usual, got there early. Picked up my bib and t-shirt. And because I was early, was able to cycle through the porta potty lines twice - always an important thing to do before any race. Once the sun was up the temperature maybe rose a few degrees, but not much.

People were milling around, getting their bib/t-shirt, hanging out by the space heaters, pretty standard pre-race stuff. I noticed something that I'm sure I've never seen prior to a race starting - a statue of a woman stomping grapes. Had to get a picture of it. 

The Dirty Spokes race finish shoot in the background - yes this really was a unique race venue.

The race was capped at 325 people. There was a 3.0 mile and a 5.5 mile option. I signed up for 5.5 miler. We all started out together through the vineyards. It was nice and very unique. Eventually we made our way onto one of the trails around the Chateau. It was a bit crowded with a single track narrow trail for a bit. Not a big problem for me - I'm not trying to pass too many people :) Once we split from the 3.0 mile folks there was plenty of room. It was a good race, glad I did it.

I finished with a time of 1:12:36. 

Covington YMCA Cheerios 10K (Race Recap)

 

Covington, GA
Saturday, November 6, 2021
Race/Event #95
10K #8
Weather - Low 40s, still dark at 7:15 AM start

I thought my next race was going to be a trail race through a vineyard in North Georgia. However, as soon as I saw this, I wanted to do this race. 

"Running in the Covington Y Cheerios Challenge helps ensure that every child can participate in Y programs like youth sports, swim lessons, and summer day camp. Your race registration fee supports the YMCA's WHY IT MATTERS Annual Campaign." 

With so many races available, I don't think I would have signed up for any old race 50 miles away. This was a good cause though.

The race was both a 10K and 5K. What was different, the 10K started at 7:15, the 5K at 8:30. 70 people did the 10K so there was no problem getting a parking place or using the bathroom. The 5K had 250-300 people, most of them were not there when the 10K started. It was low-key and I like that. 

The race course took an interesting route through a town that many people have seen on TV. The show "In the Heat of the Night" was filmed there from 1989-1995. It is a very nice little town. The course was well marked - no chance of getting lost or off course. 

Ended up with a time of 1:17:09, a 12:25/mile pace. 2nd place in the male 65-69 category. It was a good race, glad I signed up for it.

Boulder Dash 10K (Race Recap)

Cumming, GA
Saturday, October 16, 2021
Race/Event #94
10K #7
Weather - cloudy, drizzle at times, upper 60s, 90% humidity

How often do people get to go into an active rock quarry? It was the main reason for signing up for this race. It was a fun race! We spent about two miles in the quarry area. Apparently they only open it up to the public once a year - for this race. The sights were very different compared to most of the races I get to do. 

DANGER - Open Pit Area

We never really got close to the open pit area. They had those areas blocked off with heavy equipment and plenty of quarry employees watching us. They made sure we didn't deviate off the road areas. 

Just over 500 people signed up for the race. About 400 for the 5K and 100 or so for the 10K. We were together through the quarry. After the we split ways. The rest of the 10K was a series of hills. The only good part about hills is when you get to come down them. 

Finished with a time of 1:20:41, 12:59 per mile average. And, just like the Alien Half Marathon, once again was the only one in the male 65-69 category which put me in 1st place.

Next up, a trail race in a vineyard. That should also be another interesting venue.