This course is pretty tough with an aggressive cutoff time (5:30). Do not attempt it unless you are an expert trail runner and have done several marathons.

This was my second marathon but first trail marathon. I did a trail half earlier this year but have never done a trail full. This course was a lot of fun. It was technical but not too bad. My strong point is bombing down hill (I'm pretty slow on the uphills) and this course was not so rooty or rocky that I couldn't do that. Yes there are a few spots that are too steep and/or too rooty/rocky to do that, but overall the hills were pretty gradual and not too long. I'd say the longest hill was about 50 yds. I live in Brevard, NC and trained in Pisgah Nat'l Forest where many of the hills are miles long. I didn't do too well with my training and was worried that I wouldn'nt finish in time so I was excited to hear that we were only at 2:22 at 15 miles. Not too shabby...for me...anyway, great course, great organization and very friendly, helpful folks. I may do it again next year!

I ran the trail half marathon as my first trail race. Advertised as 'fast and forgiving,' I was surprised at how difficult the trail actually was. (But I have nothing to compare it to.) I made the unfortunate mistake of wearing my road shoes (expecting an easy course.) My Garmin elevation profile showed that about 75% of the course was uphill, 20% steep downhill, and maybe 5% was flat. We ran over a trail with tons of large rocks and roots, scooted down boulders, climbed over a fallen tree, crossed a stream and another area of standing water, and climbed, climbed, and climbed some more. The toughest section was a steep downhilltrail shoes would have helped. I rolled both ankles twice and left the course bleeding from my shoulder from a tree branch. At the time, I knew I was in over my head (had trained on gravel and dirt paths that were not technical) and felt on the verge of getting injured most of the race. Afterwards, I was able to see the adventure of it all. I would do it again - with proper training and trails shoes!

I thought this was the course from hell, but after some reflection, this was a great event. This was my first trail marathon and I'm thankful I met the challenge and FINISHED. I've learned from this experience, you have to train to trail run/race. :-)