I love the races put on by Go Run Events--cheap, no frills, beautiful scenery, and stupid difficult--exactly what a trail race should be. If you're ever in the South, look up their races. They put on quite a few.

Expedition Paris Mountain offers a 5 mile, a 10 mile and a 15 mile. A friend and I opted for the 15 mile this year. Everyone starts off together. The beginning of the course is pretty tame--some single track with rolling hills. Once the 5 milers veer off, the fun starts. By fun, I mean a climb. A huge climb...a climb so big you can't really help but laugh, because you're pretty much on your hands and knees crawling up a mountain, but it's so pretty out there that you don't even care. Go Run does a really good job mapping out their courses, because after every tough climb there's always a payoff, whether that's a downhill or a really fun runnable section. You really get a good mix of terrain on this course--very technical, rooty, rocky single track, switchbacks, wide track, river crossings, jumping over trees, pavement (not much, don't worry)--you name it, and it's probably on the course. Trust me, there's a reason they don't publish the course elevations on their website. If you're really curious, you can check it out on my Strava.

The aid stations are few and far between. Like I said, it's pretty no-frills. Plan on bringing enough water and nutrition to last you the race, and then bring a little extra because this race will take you awhile. The same friend and I did another one of Go Run's races the year before-- the South Mountains Half Marathon (there was a reason it was called the toughest half in the Carolinas). We had a similarly positive experience.

If you're looking for a challenge, definitely check out one of Go Run Events races--you won't be disappointed...but you will be sore.