Race Report - 2016 Cruel Jewel 100 Miler

The Huntsville crew just before things got real.

After completing my toughest and most epic race to date at last year's UTMB, I wasn't sure if that level of difficulty could ever be matched by another 100 mile race other than the famed Hard Rock 100. And then I signed up for the Cruel Jewel 100. You'd think I would have known better than to do that. After all, I had run the Cruel Jewel 50 Miler last year in preparation for UTMB. Well, the mind of an ultrarunner is a funny thing, I guess. We somehow have the ability to forget all the misery we endure during these events. So Thursday afternoon after I left the office, I grabbed my bags, jumped into my car and headed over to my buddy Paul's house to meet him and Jerry before all of us piled into his car along with our gear for the four hour road trip to Vogel State Park.

Race Report - 2015 Cruel Jewel 50 Mile

The three amigos before the race start.

This was yet another race I had selected in preparation for UTMB later this year due to it's significant elevation gain. It was also my second trip to the Dragon Spine, a section of the Duncan Ridge Trail with extremely technical and steep terrain that was also part of the GDR course. This race offers 15,000ft of elevation gain over 56 miles of mostly single track trails. Runners race from Blue Ridge to Vogel State Park.