Course Preview: Double Top 100

On Sunday, I drove up to Chatsworth, GA to meet a small group of runners and one of the race organizers for a training run for the Double Top 100.  The plan was to run 40 miles which gave me pause initially.  However, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to run the entire “out” portion (plus extra miles) of the out and back 100K course.

The trip worked out differently than I thought but better in a way.  Due to some service road closures and concerns about runner safety, we were not going to be able to do 40 miles out.  I was a little disappointed at first.  I wanted to tackle the part of the course that included nearly 5 miles of climbing up to the top of the Pinhoti.  I like to know what I’m going to deal with when it comes to climbs!  However, I totally understood why we couldn’t do it and I got over it.  We ended up covering almost 30 miles in an out and almost back fashion.  That’s fine because that is how it will be race day anyway!

The race now has an updated website with more useful documents posted.  I pulled the mileage/elevation info from the charts their and roughly matched it up with my Polar running watch mileage and memories of the run.  From conversations with the organizer, I get the impression that the course might need to be re-routed a bit due to some unexpected road closures.  There might be some slight changes between now and March.  Also, we had a very kind volunteer (Thanks Tom!) serve as a mobile aid station.  His location and the location of the actual aid station location might differ a bit so that could change my descriptions below.

Fort Mountain Lakeside to Fort Mountain Entrance
2.95 miles, 191ft elevation gain

This was a nice section in the park and served as a good warmup.  The trails were pretty wide and the incline gain was fairly gradual.  I walked the slightest inclines (thinking that I was running 40 miles) to conserve energy at the start.  I had to climb over one huge downed tree.  Such things are never fun when you are 5’3 with short legs.  But that’s the fun of trail running, no?

Fort Mountain Entrance to Bearpen Aid Station
1.7 miles, 995ft elevation loss

This part of the trail was nice and tree-covered.  It felt like we were running along a service road of sorts but I can’t say for sure.  Most of this segment was wide-double track with minor leaf coverage and some big rocks/trip hazards to avoid.  This is lakeside running with very pretty scenery all about.  It had rained the day before so there were fairly substantial mud puddles.  There were about 2-3 small creek crossings in this section with the deepest one hitting ankle level.  More than one of the crossings left my feet wet so consider this a heads up if that sort of thing bothers you.  I’m not sure if all of these creeks are always present or if they were just around because of the rain.

The descent in this section sounds substantial but it was fairly well distributed.  There were a few longish downhill sections where you could really let go if that’s your thing.  We did not return to this section during the training run, but I would suggest saving some energy to tackle it on the back end.  This is near the end of the 100K and I don’t think it will be fun at all once this turns into climbing on the return trip.

Bearpen Aid Station to Cohutta Overlook Aid Station
5.9 miles, 668ft elevation gain

The trail opened up to a wide grassy area before connecting with the Pinhoti trail designated by white blazes and triangle turkey foot signs.  I didn’t see any turkeys during this run…wish I had!  The Pinhoti trail in this section was wide double track made soft with pine needles and lined with trees.  It was a really nice groomed running surface.

The climbing party gets started almost instantly on Pinhoti.  The total elevation gain I listed here is something of a misnomer.  There is 1028 feet of climbing over the next few miles before a gradual 360ft descent.  There are some breaks but there are a lot of long stretches that are just straight up fairly steep climbing.  This was the first time I remember thinking, “This is a climb and not a hill.”  I walked the majority of this section.  One guy was running it and absolutely kicking butt.  My calves were on fire just watching him.  Everyone else was hiking.  I don’t think most people would run this section – especially in the first 10% of a 100K or 100 mile race.

After the climbing we ventured into new territory that is apparently still being marked on the Pinhoti.  The race organizer assured me that she was going to mark the trail very well.  There were a few sections with trails that branched out in multiple directions.  The white blazes and Pinhoti markers were missing.  I had to wait up for guidance as to which way to go because it wasn’t clear at all.  Keep an eye out for markers here.

The confusion ends in a service road that runs along for nearly a mile.  I hate running service roads and this one was no exception – full on rocky gravel, not much scenery around except for a random residence or two.  Now we did miss a turn in here somewhere so I’m not sure how different the true course will be.  The course points do call for running about .9 miles of service road, maybe we ran more.  We ended up at a highway and had to run about .5 mile downhill on the highway to the aid station.    We were also driven maybe .3 miles down to the trail head (because we came out wrong and this highway is not runner friendly).  My Polar read about 10.5 miles total at this point give or take a few tenths of a mile due to minor operator errors.

Cohutta Overlook Aid Station to Three Forks Aid Station
4.9 miles, 870ft elevation loss

The race organizer told us this was her favorite part of the course and her praise was warranted.  This section was a lovely series of gradually descending switchbacks.  The trail was fairly narrow here with some slippery muddy sections around tight turns that called for caution.  But the terrain was pine needle and leaf strewn and there was a gorgeous view of trees below.  I loved running this section.  I only came across a few rocks or roots so this was a great time to just zone out and go.  The course was gently rolling and very, very runnable for long stretches.  This section went by very quickly.

Three Forks Aid Station to Double Top Aid Station
4.0 miles, 310ft elevation gain

This section marks the beginning of a residential area that has an entrance to the Pinhoti trail.  We ran on an asphalt road for more than a mile before reaching the trail head.  There was a stream on one side and multiple residences (including one with an open fence and a dog who thankfully did not chase us).  The road has a very slight incline.

Once we got back on Pinhoti, the trails were just as nice as the prior section.  They were very wide, very groomed and soft with pine needles.  This section did contain more big rocks to trip over so mind your step.  The trees were green with moss and so very pretty – enjoy the view!  This area is apparently popular with mountain bikers.  That along with the recent rain frequently left deep mud pits in the middle of the trail.  The majority of the bikers take a different route up and come down the trail.  You’ll want to look up every so often on your way out and listen out behind you on the way back so they don’t run you over.  I was not listening to music and was still startled by their presence behind me a few times.  We ran across at least 10 bikers total on our passes through this section.

There is about 800ft of gain here over a mile but I feel like it was distributed in such a way that it wasn’t very annoying…or maybe I was too busy running my mouth.  I do recall doing a fair bit of walking interspersed with bouts of running.  I don’t remember any “Oh God I have to climb that!” moments.  After the climb, there is a gradual 300ft descent over a mile.

Double Top Aid Station to Three Forks Aid Station, 4.0 miles:

We turned around at Double Top.  I wish (maybe I don’t) that we could have tackled the trip up to the top of Pinhoti which would entail going from 1900ft at Double Top to 3500ft over the next 5 miles.  I’m sure dealing with that would change my impression of this sections on the “back” portion of the out and back.

As it stands, I was a bit tired at this point and slow to get moving again after the aid station stop.  Most of the gradual 300 ft descent, now climb, became a brisk walk for me.  I did manage to pull off several long stretches of good running here so the terrain evens out.  The asphalt road back to the aid station seemed to last forever and I greeted it less than enthusiastically.  The slight incline felt more pronounced on the return.

Three Forks Aid Station to Cohutta Overlook Aid Station, 4.9 miles:

This section was very fun on the way out and not so fun on the way back.  There was a good deal of climbing since we dropped about 710ft on the way out.  It was something of a grind for a good while on the way back.  There are flat sections that break up the inclines and it isn’t as bad (or rather as steep) as that first big climb on the Pinhoti, but I did a fair amount of powerwalking here.

Running switchbacks down the trail is fun.  Running them up the trail back to the highway just makes the miles seem to last forever.  The view was still very pretty and you can easily spot other runners at various heights or across the way.  You won’t feel alone.  I encountered another mountain biker in the final moments who stated that I had about 300-400m to go to the highway.  That little bit of mileage seemed to take forever!  Most of the last .5 miles was all uphill too – not a steep hill but the very long incline variety that really isn’t fun either.

The total stated course mileage in the docs in this run is 28.35 miles.  My watch read 26.75 when I was done with my training run.  I had a few instances where I forgot to restart it after a pause for one reason or other so 27.5 miles is probably more like it.  We also missed a course turn on the way to the Cohutta Aid Station and took a detour which might have affected the mileage as well.  Most of the other runners recorded from 27-28 miles.  I recorded about 6:17 of running time (stopped the time at aid stations) for this training run. My watch recorded 4678ft of gain and 4934ft of loss for an overall total loss of 256ft.  The course information for the segments I ran indicate an overall loss of -136ft so that’s not too off!

The training run pleasantly exhausted me and made me really excited for race day.  If I were ready to tackle 100 miles, this would be a great race to attempt.  I’m looking forward to expanding my distance range and tackling the 100K.

I hope you find this “recon” report helpful if you are on the fence about this race.  Keep in mind that I’m a beginning ultrarunner and not a fast runner.  My idea of “runnable” and a really good runner’s idea of “runnable” might be two different things.

One last piece of advice.  Whatever the weather report is in Chatsworth (30705) dress for 10 degrees colder.  Another runner suggested that and after running out there, I totally agree.  The weather report listed a 58 degree high.  I wore pants, a short-sleeve T-Shirt, and a very light jacket for rain.  I took the jacket off for one short section but most often it was chilly enough to keep the jacket on.  At one point, I had on the jacket and my arm sleeves.  I didn’t wear gloves and I wished I had.  It is going cooler out there than you think!