I found myself on a gorgeous Sunday morning racing solo on a new community trail through Midtown Atlanta. I was not close to any other racers in front of me or behind me and I was surrounded by people cycling, running recreationally, pushing strollers, walking dogs, etc. Not a one of them had ANY idea I was racing. I had no race number pinned to my front, but I was in full trail running battle gear - running backpack, tights, baseball cap, gloves, and I was covered in mud from an earlier part of the race from my knees to my shoes.....

Wait...roll back.....MUD?

Welcome to the Winter Version of #RUNTHEATL - a mostly self-supported race that engages complete and incomplete sections of a new community paved trail around the perimeter of Atlanta. Sign-in is a smile to the morning registrar, a cup of hot coffee, and a playing card selected by the runner as your race number. If this is your first time running this race then you know there is something special waiting for you as you begin to hear bits and pieces around the registration table of the Summer Version of #RUNTHEATL run just 6 months earlier. The runners are pre-race huddling and chatting while lightly laughing as they try to shake off the morning chill. The morning is bright and sunny and the air is still cold and crisp. No one really knows what to truly expect on the course. It rained on Friday morning heavily just days before and we know from some pictures and some commentary from the race director (RD) that there will be MUD!

Start time approaches and we are herded across the street by the old decommissioned train tracks that will function as the new space for the South Atlanta section of the trail. We are advised by the RD that we will probably get lost at some point. "Follow the directions closely and carefully. Keep your phone battery alive and know the numbers for Uber and Lyft (ride services should you drop out of the race)." Daunting words if you are not ready, but thrilling cautions to a runner who knows this race is a great expectation. A race yes....but a run...to test yourself and have a blast of a time seeing the underbelly and outer belly of the concrete jungle of Atlanta.

The race begins unceremoniously and the first 4 miles of the course we discovered were designed to experience pure MUD! We ran (slugged is more like it) down and back a few miles to a bridge wall through the mud, dirty water, construction machines, pilings, and sand. This is a formidable test of what you are willing safely and comfortably to do - go around the mud, pick your way on high ground, or go through the mud and stay on course as fast and as swiftly as possible. There were all variations and none were wrong. It was a challenging way to start our race. There was no escaping the Georgia red-orange sludge that awaited us.

Back at the start point along the railroad tracks as you stamped out what you thought might be the last of the mud off your shoes (fat chance), you could pick up a quick water, change your shoes/socks and anything else if you dared, or continue on your way. It depended on what you goals were for the day and how prepared you were. In front of you was either roughly 9-11 more miles if you were going for the half-Mary (the name of the half-marathon course) or the full course at 26.2+ depending on your GPS and whether or not you got lost. We were about to embark on what seemed like endless miles of gravel, railroad tracks, train trestles, water flooded tunnels, wall murals, fences to climb over, and the one and only hidden aid station harboring good will from the RD and his cohort race course designer. Oh yes....and more MUD!

The course was wide open and the underbelly of Atlanta an interesting cultural view to the shifting and changing world around us. After the Mile 9.5 aid station I said goodbye to those running the half as they turned around and I headed back out for the rest of the 26.2+ miles. It should be "smoother sailing" I heard now that the mud was over. I was ready for an easier run through the city or so I thought. Smoother, yes...easier, NO. I ran through the small towns of Glenwood and Reynoldstown and took quick stock of water, food, and I checked my directions. From Reynoldstown I would jump on the most well traveled section of completed paved trail - the Midtown section - and traverse through areas that had great pit stops for lunch, water, and bathroom breaks. The new and already quite famous Ponce City Market had an entrance right off the trail and there were many other great restaurants and small hole-in-the-wall shops and eateries. The views of downtown Atlanta from here also added wonderfully to the "cool factor" of the run. It was here that I found myself racing un-noticed and I loved it. I was out to test myself and enjoy the run. I did not have to be recognized. I had to perservere and keep moving forward. What a different perspective from where in the running world most runners are officially recognized along a race course. In this race you were on your own or with fellow runners.

There are so many ways for runners to experience #RUNTHEATL. In fact, Jason Green, founder of the Yeti Trail Runners posted before the race, "Me and my friend are going no pack, no handheld and no aid on us whatsoever tomorrow for the 28 miles. Only $5 and a phone to document the chaos. Should be a interesting train wreck." He and his running partner finished and his running partner was the second female finisher in the 26.2+ marathon. Their "train wreck" was a success! Other runners stopped for lunch and some met friends along the way. I chose to stay on schedule with nutrition and hydration and not stop off. For me this proved the right choice.

This full 26.2+ course is a true head test if you are running alone for some time or even if you are running with friends. You might run the whole day on a runner's high or you might struggle. The transition from mud to gravel to pavement to sand to grass to asphalt to railroad tracks is TOUGH on the legs. The beauty of this true urban/trail race is that no matter how difficult or not it is for the runner it is completely achievable. This is a race not to miss in the future and one that is gaining more and more of a following.

I finished the race elated and I loved the challenge of the changing terrain! The sense of quiet, personal accomplishment was all I needed. Post race there was a cool, one of kind finisher's token, and gracious amounts of hot food and libations.

I invite you to register for the Summer Version of #RUNTHEATL. Registration is now open. It is a course that will be wholly different from the winter course, but will still encompass the entire new community paved trail around the perimeter of Atlanta. I hope to see you at the starting line. And remember summertime in Atlanta is hot and HUMID. And that is just as challenging as the MUD at the beginning of the winter course.

Cheers and happy trail running!