The True to the Brew Trail Run/Hike’s inaugural race took place on 21 April and while I haven’t run on a trail like this in over a decade, this race was a good jumping point to dive back into hitting the trails, especially since I am so used to road running. The race was put on by the Palmetto Conservation Foundation with the help of a newer race organizer, Grit Endurance, and this roughly 6.5-mile course took us over a converted railroad path to include a fantastic 1,100 foot bridge that spanned the Broad River. Since this trail race took place outside of Columbia, and because it WAS a trail race, we decided to camp out at a state park that was near the race location.
Packet Pick-up happened at the Palmetto Conservation Foundation’s building down off Devine Street in Columbia. My packet included my bib, a thin, smokey-grey running shirt, directions to the race, and several pieces of literature about the Palmetto Trail. I had my GoPro with me and a couple of the race organizers asked if I would be filming out there to which I responded that I usually record my races and upload them on Youtube for future participants to see and for my friends’ enjoyment. The staff was very friendly and I had no issues picking up my wife’s packet as well.
On race day, we grabbed our race gear and drove up to Pomaria where the Peak to Prosperity portion of the Palmetto Trail was located and also happened to be the race course itself. Parking was relatively easy for us since we arrived about 30 minutes before the race. I learned shortly thereafter that there was a second designated parking spot and that runners, hikers, and walkers who parked there would be able to take a race-provided shuttle to the starting area. Besides people, dogs were encouraged on the course as long as they were on a leash.

Right before we took off, the race director suggested to everyone to think about their estimated mile time and line up according to the following groups: fast runners who do a seven minute mile or less, medium runners who do a mile between eight and ten minutes, and everyone else who takes more than ten minutes to do a mile. At first, I didn’t get why she suggested that, and I stayed in the back. Once the race started though, I understood why. The course is surrounded by trees on both sides and you only have the path as any room to move about; I was stuck towards the back the pack for almost half a mile due to my old habits (but I think I got some good footage).
The 6.5 mile course took us over 14 trestles or foot bridges. The lay of the land was relatively flat, or at least no one would notice the slight decline. Besides the trees surrounding the path for the majority of the course, if no one is directly in front of you, you’ll notice that the path is somewhat straight forward with slight, gradual turns. The ground itself was pretty firm; I could initially feel some rocks under the fallen leaves and pine needles at the start of the course, but I hit mostly firm dirt. And I personally love running over foot bridges so this was a huge boost for me.
The only thing that somewhat irked me out there was that my running app wasn’t in sync with the mile markers the race organizers had out there. During the course, my estimated mile spots could be as far off as .3 miles when I would come up to the race’s mile markers. But I figured it was because of all the overhead foliage and tree cover.
There were three water stations out there and were pretty well stocked. The volunteers cheered us on and provided some heartfelt motivation out there. We only had to cross one road and even then, law enforcement was there to stop the one car as I came to that point.
The end of the course holds the long railroad bridge and it is such a sight to be on it. While no one did it when I was running, I could totally imagine people stopping along the bridge and doing some selfie action shots. Right at the end of the bridge is the finish line and if you don’t know that is the final finish, it can sneak up on you.
After the finish line, I treated myself to the usual assortment of water bottles, bananas, and bagels. Something new, though, was the addition of little boxes of Chicken Bog, a local Carolina dish. I ate about three boxes of that chicken, sausage, and rice dish. Race participants also got a complimentary beer at the end of the race and live entertainment played the whole time. A couple of vendors were there as well.

I missed the award ceremony because I went back to see where other runners were in their progress, but I did end up placing in my age group and the Palmetto Conservation Foundation gave me a Palmetto Trail coffee mug for my achievement. It’s nice to break away from the usual medal and I can always use another coffee mug. After racers were done, two shuttles were in full effect to get participants back to their vehicles.
Looking back, this was a great race, a hidden course that needs more exposure so other people can enjoy it, and I would definitely do it again.