Distance Run

Last Saturday I ran the The Northern Central Trail Marathon. [Results].

I must say, this was one of my favorite races.

The race was small, perhaps 500 runners, and the pre-race assembly area (inside Sparks Elementary School) was excellent, as was the on-course support, and post-race activities.

But the beauty of the course is what I’ll remember most.

The out-and-back course is on a rails-to-trails path in Sparks, Maryland, in northern Baltimore county. As readers of my blog know, I do the bulk of my training on a rails-to-trails path in Maryland that extends from Silver Spring down to Georgetown, DC.

As such, I expected the run to be pretty, but what I got was a gorgeous course! Where the trail in Bethesda is urban, the trail in Sparks was rural. A perfect trail for a race, or even for a day-hike or bike ride.

At times we were running parallel to a winding, lazy river that carved its way through hills and grass covered flood plains alike.

At other times, we were running past green pastures with beautiful farm homes.

But my favorite spot was near mile 9/17. In this area, we were very close to the river and the terrain on either side of the trail was rough and rugged. At one point the path took us through a gully carved in the solid rock hills by the river. The river cascaded down a falls of about 15 feet or so. The water danced down the rocky surface, roaring as it plunged into the pool of green-blue water at the bottom. It was exhilarating.

All-in-all, I loved the course. It was very pretty, like Charlottesville, which I enjoy very much for the same reason. But this race was a little less hilly. As a matter of fact, it was challengingly flat.

I think I’ll be back to Sparks!

Results
Time: 3:36:14 (8.16 min/mile)
Place: 87/450
Group Place: 15/29

Bill