The race notes, almost right when you sign up, that this is a very challenging 50k. I figured of course it was, but it couldn't be harder than the Maryland HEAT 50k I had run the summer before. I mean, that race we had to scale a 20 foot wall. Twice. This couldn't be as bad, right?

I know it's a little thing for a race like is, but I loved the race shirt. Mainly because it's a tank, and how many races gives you a tank top shirt? Awesome. But overall, packet pickup was entirely smooth. I did it the morning of the race, since I wasn't all about finding the Fleet Feet after driving into town the day before. I was asked if I had any questions, I didn't. Then I was told that was my only chance to ask. If you haven't run a trail race before, this banter is fairly standard.

The PDF of the race info you get says that it will rain. And it did rain. Fortunately for us it was just a pre-race rain. But that, coupled with thunderstorms the day before, meant we were in for a muddy adventure.

We took the oath before the race, and then we were off! We were told that if anyone breaks 4 hours, they would get a $400 prize. The reaction was laughter. No one is breaking four out there.

As for the course itself. Brutal. Actually, only parts are brutal. The biggest hill of the whole race is just past mile 1. Not going to lie, it made me wonder what I was getting myself into since we had about 30 miles to go. For the first five miles to the first aid station, you'll be going up and down, and not always on trails. The tiny orange and pink flag are your guide when running through the middle of a forest in the mountains. That is not an exaggeration. You cross a river (the first of many) and you're at aid station 1.

The next section of the race takes you across a couple more streams and down probably the steepest hill you'll run all day. Don't worry, you get to run up it later. This is a lot of single track and some slow going through here because of the hills. Aid station 2 was the most lively, but I stayed waiting for you at the top of a hill.

The shortest segment is to aid station 3, and it's an easy run. Once you jump off of the single track, which has one more big climb, you hop onto jeep roads. This is a welcome break as you get steady ground, and a gradual downhill to the third aid station. If you need/want to get some time back this is where you do it.

After aid station 3, you are sent on a 7-8 mile loop, the longest you'll go without an aid station. Some of this is on easy gravel road. Most of it is through swamps. I'm not kidding when I say that there are about 20 stream crossings in this part alone. Back and forth through the river you go. There's also a long and huge climb at about 16 miles, right at the halfway point of the race. After this adventure you return to the aid station.

From here, you go back the way you came. When I mentioned that nice gradual downhill to aid station 3/4? Yup, you get to go up that now. It's still the shortest section between aid stations, but you're between miles 18-22 here and going uphill. It's rough, and where I started to fall off pace a little bit. Arriving at aid station 2 (now aid station 5) is a welcome respite.

Here you'll take a different path back to aid station 1/6. Mostly single track out here to get back. But frankly, I don't remember much of this part of the race. You do get to cross the river (again) to the last aid station. Now it's just 5 to the finish.

And those last five are brutal. Lots of climbing, not steep, just long hills. A lot of this is on a gravel section, which is a welcome sight. But again, you have some long climbs on this back stretch. The only saving grace is that you don't go back up the huge hill. The final stretch is back across the open field to the finish line. It feels epic, but also so very far!

Ultimately, I did manage a 50k PR out of this race, plus a fifth overall finish. But boy was it hard. I would definitely go back, though! This is a very well run race, billing itself as the hardest in Tennessee. If you're looking for a challenge and a great experience, look no further than the MCTU 50k!