Jay Mountain Marathon

I started this race in 2007 and made it to the aid station at the blueberry farm before my body refused to go another step. I vowed vengeance for 2008 and thankfully finished. Its truly a great experience. I run it with my cousin and some RTB friends and it's a high point of the summer. Dan does an incredible job putting it together and trail runners are some of the coolest people you could ever meet. The course is no joke! It's the hardest thing I've ever done and it's given me a new appreciation for the sport of running that I'm so passionate about.

The descriptions you read about this marathon are no joke; in fact, expect it to be more grueling than you can imagine. The run up and down the mountain is the least of your worries! Bring tons of mental strength because you will need it when your body wants to quit. When you do finish, what an experience. Cry, baby, cry!

I ran the full "marathon" at just around 33 miles. The distance was long and my time was around 8 hours, but it felt more like 4. I had so much fun during the race that I was actually sad when it was over. I am 30 years-old and there were several sections (the crazy mud, and the beaver swamp) where I found myself gleefully laughing out loud, as though I were 5 years-old again. The river sections were a great way to cool down, although my shoes kept filling up with sand, but I had anticipated this and brought extra socks with me. There were opportunities to change shoes and I changed mine at the bottom of Jay, but after that there really was no point. Keeping dry shoes was like trying to put a fire out with gas - it was futile. But as long as you accepted this and accepted that the race would be one of the hardest things you've ever done, then there was room actually to enjoy it. I knew going into that race what it was going to be like, but I must say that it blew away all my expectations and became the greatest, most difficult, and most liked race I have ever done. The mud was intense this year due to 7 days of rain prior to the race. The streams were rivers (with strong, over-your head currents) and the shallow swamp became more of a bog. One of the greatest sites that I found at the finish line (besides the awesome BBQ) was a pile of running shoes in the garbage. This is an iPod-friendly course, but in the words of Dan, "It won't survive." I will be back next year and I am only hoping that the course is longer, muddier, and maybe the beavers will be out and rabid so that there is an extra element of difficulty. There weren't too many spectators due to the nature of the course, but the ones that were there were FANTASTIC! The volunteers at the aid stations were some of the nicest ones I have raced upon. The wild blueberry field was a unique and great aid station. I loved this race and wanted to hug the race director for creating such a beautiful concept of the ultimate cross country.