Devil's Tramping Ground: Part One
Recapping the 2024 Uwharrie 100
They say the Devil’s Tramping Ground is in Chatham County, NC. Allegedly, Satan himself walks circles in the middle of the night plotting against humanity. Nothing grows in this spot and items left in the circle disappear overnight. This, of course, is bullshit. The Devil’s Tramping Ground is actually a 20-mile, figure-eight loop trail through a North Carolina National Forest, the site of the annual Uwharrie 100 ultramarathons.
Every October, runners gather at a trailhead just outside of the town of Troy to take on one the most difficult ultramarathons on the East Coast. This year marked the 10th anniversary of the race deemed “simply unrelenting” due to the unyielding nature of the terrain. The only relief runners get from the rugged single-track is the dirt parking lot at the start/finish line.
Held in the Uwharrie National Forest, the race runs through some of the oldest mountains in North America. Said to have once rivaled the Himalayas, today you will not find any peaks over 1,000 feet in these mountains. Do not be deceived though, you also will not find anything flat; each lap runners earn 3,600 feet of elevation gain. What you will find are rocks and roots; every foot placement must be taken with care, or you risk falling or worse.
The race traces this loop three or five times depending on whether you are running the 100-kilometer or 100-mile distance, and both require runners finish in 36 hours or less. The race begins at the Wood Run Trailhead in the Uwharrie National Forest and follows the Dutchman’s Creek Trail for roughly six miles until it reaches the Crossroads Aid Station. After Crossroads, the race continues on another six miles until reaching Kelly’s Kitchen Aid Station. Before runners reach Kelly’s Kitchen, they must climb “Sasquatch Summit” and “Soul Crusher.” Both climbs are less than 300 feet in elevation gain but begin to take their toll as the day wears on. After Kelly’s, runners must cover the three miles to return to Crossroads before returning to start/finish to do it all again. But before they get there, runners climb “Hallucination Hill” as a final knife in the back from the course.
I first heard about the Uwharrie 100 when looking for something to do over a free weekend. Wanting more experience at a 100 miler, I found an opportunity to volunteer overnight at Kelly’s Kitchen in 2023. With the spooky vibes and the carnage I witnessed, I knew quickly that I wanted to run the race in 2024. As soon as the date was announced, it went on my calendar. I heard that they would give you a 100k finish if you dropped from the 100 miler during the race but never could confirm it1 so I instead opted for the 100k and signed up first thing on New Year’s Day.
2024 passed in the blink of an eye. Uwharrie was supposed to be the headliner of my race calendar, but as I continued to add races and DNFs I began to lose interest and confidence. However, I heard there would be a strong presence of the TUFF Run Club at the race so I decided I would give it a go. With that renewed commitment, I found myself unprepared. I saw my friend Natalia finish PM2HR with a pacer and thought that might be a good idea. The race allows a pacer after your second lap, regardless of distance.
I do not have the biggest local network, but I put out a request on social media anyway. I knew I would be walking… power hiking the third and final lap so I only needed someone that could hike 20 miles in the middle of the night and was not afraid of what we might find out there.
“Do you like long, slow walks through dark woods with a disturbed man? Have you ever considered setting an SKT (Slowest Known Time®) on the Uwharrie loop? Do you enjoy telling a grown man to stop crying and start walking? If any of this applies to you, I'm looking for a pacer for the Uwharrie 100k...” my post read.
Crickets. A few friends reached out saying they were racing or pacing, or they would have helped. I made a few more pleas on social media, but the week before the race I was set to go at it alone.
But the Sunday before Uwharrie, Tony Mendez pulled me aside and said he was interested in pacing. The offer surprised me. Knowing the final lap was going to take at least eight hours, I figured someone as fast as Tony (sub 21-hour finish at the 2024 Umstead 100) would not want to shuffle with me for that long. I almost did not think it was real until my friend Buzby texted me later that day excited that I had found someone. The offers then started rolling in. Craig from Trivium Racing reached out shortly after to ask if I was still looking for someone because he had recruited Priscilla to pace me. I felt honored that so many people were looking out for me.
Race weekend came and I packed my gear and made the two-hour drive to the trailhead. I grabbed a pizza and a slice of cheesecake on my way out of town for my pre-race dinner. I decided to camp at the start/finish line for a couple of reasons, but mostly because I could not figure out how to make a hotel work. If I stayed in a hotel the night before, then on Saturday night, I would be running. If I did not keep the room, I would have nowhere to stay on Sunday morning. If I did keep the room, I would be paying for a room I did not use and would have to be out by 11 am on Sunday anyway. So, I decided to camp. I would be close to the start line and could sleep as long as possible and I would have a place to crash as soon as I finished to rest before the drive home.
With camp set up, I relaxed by my car and chitchatted with folks that I knew as they trickled in to pick up their bibs. We stood around and talked until it was dark and then headed to bed. While playing on my phone, I got a message from Tony asking if he could wear road shoes. Uh. It was a good thing I would only be walking that last lap, or I might be pacing Tony. I nudged him toward his most robust trail shoes and nodded off to sleep.
Morning came quickly. I could feel the energy in the air of the dark trailhead even at 4 am. I stood by the fire and opened a black can of coffee that looked like a Guinness. Ryan, the RD, said it was never too early to crack a cold one. I downed my electrolyte drink and passed the time by getting ready at my car.
Just prior to 6 am, we all gathered around for the pre-race briefing. You could tell how much the race directors, Ryan and Meghaan, care about this race. A few instructions, yellow blazes, white blazes, stay away from blue, and we were off.
A strategy I have employed in every ultra I have run is to walk out of the start. I am going to walk at the end so walking at the start is not going to hurt my time. This tactic stops me from going with the flow of the race, i.e, too fast. I let everyone pass because, even though I walk, I cannot seem to find the back of the pack before the start of the race.
Darkness ruled the first hour of the race. Soon I found myself alone out there, a feeling I would get used to as the day wore on. Nothing of note happened in the first section. I arrived at the Crossroads aid station, had my water bottles filled by the volunteers, and found some breakfast. My nutrition plan was to take advantage of the drop bags at every aid station. I refuse to dig through my running vest to get nutrition, and I will procrastinate until it becomes a problem. To solve this issue, I had drop bags at each aid station. Inside, there were individual packets of my fuel for the section ahead. All I had to do was to stop at my drop bag each time I came through and grab one packet. Idiot proof. And since I have been known to beat idiot proof systems, I carried an extra packet in my vest, just in case.
After Crossroads, we arrived at Sasquatch Summit, a rocky and steep climb. I tend to climb faster than I should, so I stayed behind two fellow competitors to slow myself down. I have found that people do not care for this, but it does not bother me during a race. As we topped out I thought, “this is it?” I was quickly reminded to respect the course.
Just as I was catching my breath, Soul Crusher was there to put me in my place. The rare switchbacks, if you can call them that, on this side of the Mississippi, Soul Crusher reminds you that you have to repeat it two or four more times in order to finish. At the top, I felt that the weather had started to warm up a bit and I reminded myself to stay on top of my hydration. Kelly’s Kitchen came and went and soon enough I was back at Crossroads ready to cover the final six miles to complete my first lap.
The Uwharrie Gold Rush 50K happens on the same day but starts later than the 100 mile and 100k. I wondered if I would get to see any of those racers, but once I finished my first lap, I knew I would not get passed by those in the 50k. I crossed the timing mat right at six hours at the start/finish; exactly on pace for the six-, seven-, and eight-hour laps I was planning. I stripped off my pullover, refilled my fluids, restocked my gels, and had some lunch. Knowing I would probably finish the second lap in the dark, I made sure my headlamp was still on me.
The second lap was in the middle of the day and warm. I picked up a mantra: “just get to Tony.” I played leapfrog with Elizabeth, Kim, and ultra legend Emily Lyons. A mile or two before 50k, I realized I was in position to run my second fasted 50k on Strava. No one has ever accused me of being smart, so I did not pass up that opportunity and beat my previous race and single-track best efforts by about five minutes. Things were going well through my second pass through Kelly’s Kitchen, but that did not last much longer.
As I reached Crossroads for the fourth time, reality began to set in. Darkness drew near, I still had 27 miles to go, and my legs were cooked. I made the mistake of speaking my doubt out loud and was shut down by Wes as fast as it left my month. He told me it was way too early to be talking like that and I needed to slow down. I left the aid station a bit dejected. A mile or so out, I pulled out my trekking poles. I figured they would help take the burden off my legs, and my mind, as least for a little bit.
After Hallucination Hill, I was shuffling along in my misery as the sun set. I hoped to get back to start/finish before I had to dig in my vest for my headlamp, but that was looking more and more like it was not going to happen. It was then that the most graceful runner I have ever seen came flying past me and it took me a minute to register that I had just been lapped by first place in the 100-mile race. I tried not to let it get me down as I headed into the night, prepared to meet the devil on his turf.
Thank you for reading Part One. Part Two can be found here. Don’t forget to subscribe so you will receive an email when it releases. It is free and I will not spam you. Jared, you better subscribe this time.
According to the race website, you can receive a 100k medal for finishing three laps, but you will still be counted as 100-mile DNF.