Jason Sandford
Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.
Carolina Runner called my attention to this amazing race, coming in September:
Hope For Horses is happy to announce that we will be hosting our second annual Run for the Horses Endurance Race and Ultra Marathon on the prestigious Biltmore Estate in the heart of Asheville, NC in 2014.
Imagine horses and humans all running together on the same trails! The Endurance Race is AERC and SERA-sanctioned. We are excited to note that this our second year holding an Ultra Marathon at the beautiful Biltmore Estate.
Hosting this race is not only an incredible fundraising opportunity for Hope For Horses, but a chance for our wonderful, supportive volunteers to come together for a very worthwhile project and fun experience. Run/Race Description:
Combining a run and race can be a very cool experience for all involved! The starts are timed and the course is designed so that all of the competitors are doing the ride together for the last several miles. Horses and runners sharing the trail works very well. From a competitor standpoint, camaraderie develops as well as good humored joking between riders and runners as each group encounters and encourages the other. From a run and ride management standpoint there is a lot of synergy which helps given the large amount of volunteer time and energy to put on 50 mile event.
The Biltmore course will be on a combination of light dirt roads, gravel roads, and old logging trails. For this event, we will not use any of the single track so that there will always be room for horse and rider to pass runner or vice versa. Some of the old logging roads are a bit rutty but they are wide enough that one can choose appropriate footing. The topography is varied.
Click over for registration details and more information.
It’s crazy that after these many years in North Carolina, I still haven’t taken part in a run like this. I’m not that regular of a jogger, but this is just one of those life achievements that I feel compelled to have a real crack at. Plus, North Carolina is just one of the best places to do a marathon (personal opinion). I think 2015 just might be the year I finally get involved in one of these.
Just a quick FYI, these aren’t marathons, they are ULTRA MARATHONS, meaning longer than 26.2,
It’s and 80K, which is 50 miles, and a 50K, which is 31 miles.
However, Biltmore does have a Marathon in the late winter.
For Non Runners, sometimes, the point is missed that ALL marathons are the same distance, 26.2 miles, regardless of location, etc.
Hey Mike, I just wanted to say thanks for the info. My ambitions are pretty lofty, but I’d probably need to work up to the Ultra Marathons. I’ll look into the marathon at the Biltmore too.