2019Hellbender100Guide (1)

THE HELLBENDER 100 PARTICIPANT GUIDE APRIL 12, 2019 • OLD FORT, NC

TABLE OF CONTENTS 01 INTRODUCTION 08 COURSE MAP 02 RACE INFORMATION 09 AID STATION & SCHEDULE  INFORMATION 03 COURSE 10 CREW DIRECTIONS  DESCRIPTION TO AID STATIONS 04 RULES & 14 SWAG & AWARDS REGULATION 15 SPONSORS 06 DROP BAGS, INCLEMENT WEATHER, CUTOFFS

INTRODUCTION THE HELLBENDER ONE HUNDRED IS ONE OF THE MOST SCENIC HUNDRED MILERS ON THE EAST COAST. THIS COURSE WILL TAKE YOU THROUGH A GRUELING TOUR OF THE MASSIVE BLACK MOUNTAINS, DEEP INTO THE VALLEYS BELOW AND TO THE SUMMIT OF MT. MITCHELL, THE HIGHEST MOUNTAIN EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI. WITH AN ELEVATION CHANGE OF ~40,000+ FT, RUNNERS WILL EXPERIENCE SOME OF THE MOST CHALLENGING AND BEAUTIFUL TRAILS IN ALL OF WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA. YOU'LL NOT WANT TO MISS THIS PREMIERE, GRADUATE LEVEL HUNDRED THROUGH THE HEART OF SOUTHERN APPALACHIA! HELLBENDER 100 | PAGE 1

RACE INFORMATION & SCHEDULE DATE: APRIL 12-13TH LOCATION: CAMP GRIER. 985 CAMP GRIER RD, OLD FORT, NC 28762 START TIME: 4:30AM TIME LIMIT: 40 HOURS THURSDAY SCHEDULE: 3:00-8:00PM - PACKET PICK UP 3:00-8:00PM - CABIN CHECK IN 5:00-6:00PM - PRE RACE MEETING AT THE PAVILLION 6:00-8:00PM - PRE RACE MEAL AT HEMLOCK RACE DAY SCHEDULE 3:30AM - RUNNER CHECK IN 4:15AM - PRE-RACE TALK 4:30AM - START! HELLBENDER 100 | PAGE 2

ALONG THE RIDGELINE The Hellbender Hundred begins at the picturesque Camp Grier in Old Fort, NC. From there, the route will take you over some of the highest mountains on the east coast, including to the summit of Mt. Mitchell, and deep into the valleys below. The start and finish of the course is at 1,500 ft and the high point of the course is 6,684 ft in the beautiful Black Mountains! The climbs are huge with five ascents and descents of 3,000 ft or more.  All together the course has 20,000+ ft of elevation gain and 20,000+ ft of descent.  The terrain is classic East Coast, which is a mix of soft dirt and extremely technical rocks and roots. The course consist of 72 miles of trail, 21 miles of gravel, and 5 miles of pavement. Most of the gravel is on the back end of the course where you'll be running through the dark. A classic mountain course in the heart of Appalachia! HELLBENDER 100 | PAGE 3

RULES & REGULATIONS RUNNERS / PACERS / CREW ALL RUNNERS, AS WELL AS THEIR PACERS AND CREWS, MUST ABIDE BY THE RULES AT ALL TIMES DURING THE EVENT. FAILURE TO ABIDE BY THE RULES WILL RESULT IN DISQUALIFICATION.  1.   Runners should carry suggested gear at all times. This includes:  headlamp, red flashing back light (only to be worn from Camp Grier to Aid Station 1), jacket, emergency blanket, hydration carrier (40oz+), backup headlight batteries, cell phone and whistle.    2.  Poles are permissible  3.  Leave No Trace  4.  No cutting the course or switchbacks 5.  Check into and out of all aid stations 6.  Obey any race officials request 7.  No muling from pacers 8.  Only one pacer at a time 9.  Crews only allowed access at designated areas 10. Be courteous to other trail users 11. In case you need to drop, please turn in your bib to the nearest aid station. HELLBENDER 100 | PAGE 4

   PACERS All pacers must abide by the rules set forth below: 1.   One pacer per runner at a time 2.  Each pacer must sign a release form before participating 3.  Pacers must be 18 years of age or older 4.  Pacer bib must be visible at ALL times 5.  Pacers must check into and out of aid stations at the same time as their runner 6.  Pacers must stay within a 25 yard radius of the aid station when attending to their    runner 7.  Pacers must stay with their runner at all times 8.  Changing of pacers can only happen at crew accessible locations 9.  Pacers cannot \"mule\" any items for their runner 10. Pacers must follow any and all rules that are set forth for runners,      including suggested gear requirements 11.  Have full access to all Aid Station Amenities which includes food & drink CREW All crew members must abide by the rules set forth below: 1.  A crew member is defined as a person who provides material support to a runner 2. Crews can only meet and assist their runners at designated points on the course 3.  Crews must adhere to instructions of all aid stational personnel or race officials 4.  Crew must stay within a 25 yard radius of the aid station while attending to their runner 5.  Crew will be limited to one vehicle. Please display your crew vehicle card on the dashboard in plain view. 6.  Crews must obey ALL speed limits. 7.  Crews must never park in a way to block traffic, trailheads, or other cars. All    four wheels must be completely off the roadway.  8.  Littering is STRICTLY prohibited! 9.  Failure to follow rules will result in the disqualification of your runner. HELLBENDER 100 | PAGE 5

DROP BAGS All drop bags must be brought to the start of the race.  Close your bag securely and label it with Runner Name and Runner Bib #. Bags may not be larger than the size of a small backpack. If you show up with a big plastic bin, duffle bag, or overly large bag, then we will not take it to the drop off point. You should have a bag that has room for one (1) pair of shoes, a couple layers of clothing and some nutrition. All drop bags will be returned to the Finish area. They will be available at Camp Grier Sunday morning as well.  WEATHER Spring weather in Western North Carolina can be very unpredictable. It could be very warm but snow has been recorded every month of the year in the Black Mountains. Also with the large elevation changes, temperature swings are often 15-20 degrees from the valleys to the top of the mountains. Fogged in conditions are common in the early mornings and you can experience pop up thunderstorms in the afternoon. Be prepared with an extra layer of clothing and a waterproof jacket. Trail conditions will vary as well. With the leaves down on the trail bed, wet conditions can make it unusually slick, especially on the rocks and roots. But the views through the trees will be breathtaking! In the event that there are park or trail closures due to inclement weather, there will be an alternate route consisting of a 25 mile loop.  COURSE MARKINGS The course will be marked with orange arrows posted in the ground along with orange pin flags with silver reflective tape added on both sides every 1/4 mile. Please DO NOT tamper with or remove course markings!   CUTOFFS All runners must leave each aid station before the posted cutoff time to continue in the race. If you reach or leave the aid stations below after the posted cutoff times, you will be pulled from the course and you will receive a DNF.  The course has a 40 hour time limit. HELLBENDER 100 | PAGE 6

ENTER  THE BEAST OF THE EAST HELLBENDER 100 | PAGE 7

COURSE MAP *Turn-by-turn directions can be found on the website at hellbender100.com/course. Then click on 'Description'. The course can also be found on Trail Run Project at www.trailrunproject.com/trail/7030931/hellbender-one- hundred. National Geographic maps of the Linville/Mt.Mitchell area (#777) can be purchased at your local running or outdoor store. HELLBENDER 100 | PAGE 8

AID STATIONS AID STATION FOOD Fruit cups Bananas Aid Station food will consist of:  Oranges Pretzels GU Nutrition products Cheez-its GU Roctane Electrolyte Drink Boiled potatoes Coke Gummy bears Ginger Ale  Avocados Chips  Broth PB&J sandwiches Pickles M&Ms Cookies Fruit cups HELLBENDER 100 | PAGE 9

CREW DIRECTIONS TO AID STATIONS There are a total of 6 crew / pacer accessible aid stations along the course. Four of those locations will have pacer swaps allowed. One of of the aid stations, Curtis Creek, will have crew access allowed for AS#10 only. Neals Creek will visit twice Start Finish   985 Camp Grier Rd, Old Fort, NC 28762    campgrier.org Crew Access - Yes GPS Coordinates  35.64308, -82.19450 To Aid Station #4 @ 32.8 miles (Driving 26.9 Miles / 52 Minutes from Aid Station #3 & #4) Neals Creek Road The is a full service aid station with medical Crew Access - Yes Drop Bag - Yes Pacer - Yes Crew - Do Not drive up Curtis Creek Rd to Neals Creek. The roads are FS access and not county maintained. Curtis Creek Rd has several washed out places and Neals Creek is closed.  Head South out of Camp Grier .6 miles Turn left on State Rd 1400 .9 miles Turn left on Main Street / US 70 8.8 miles Turn left onto NC 80N  14.4 miles Turn left onto South Toe River Rd 2.3 miles You will come to a three way “Y” intersection bear to the left and you will see signs to the parking area GPS Coordinates 35.74479, -82.21456  HELLBENDER 100 | PAGE 10

To Aid Station #6 @ 48.0 miles (Driving 6.1 Miles / 13 Minutes from Aid Station #5) Colbert's Creek Trailhead 296 Colbert's Creek Rd. Burnsville, NC 28714 This is a full service aid station with medical  Crew Access - Yes  Drop Bag - Yes Pacer - Yes Head back out of Neals Creek parking area Turn right onto South Toe River Rd 2.3 miles Turn left onto NC 80N 3.4 miles Turn left onto Colbert's Creek Rd .3 miles GPS Coordinates 35.80654, -82.20559 Aid Station #9 @ 71.5 miles (Driving 6.1 Miles / 13 Minutes from Aid Station #7) Neals Creek Rd. This is a full service aid station with medical Crew Access - Yes     Pacer Yes  Drop Bag - Yes Turn left onto Colbert Creek Rd .3 Turn right onto NC 80N  3.4 miles Turn right onto South Toe River Rd 2.3 miles You will come to a three way “Y” intersection bear to the left and you will see signs to the parking area GPS Coordinates 35.74479, -82.21456   HELLBENDER 100 | PAGE 11

Aid Station # 10 @ 80.1 miles (Driving 13.5 Miles / 44 Minutes from Aid Station #9) Curtis Creek Campground Parking Area This is a full service aid station with medical Crew Access - Yes   Drop Bag - Yes Pacer - Yes Head back out of Neals Creek parking area Turn right onto South Toe River Rd 2.3 miles Turn right onto NC 80N 14.4 miles Turn right on US 70 6.6 miles Turn Curtis Creek Rd  5.1 miles GPS Coordinates 35.69117, -82.19653 Finish (Driving 12.4 Miles / 27 Minutes from Aid Station #11) Brookside Baptist Church Graphite Rd. Old Fort NC 28762 Crew Access - Yes Head South on Curtis Creek Rd 5.1 miles Turn right onto Hwy 70 W  2.1 miles Turn right onto State Rd 1400 2.4 miles Turn right onto Mill Creek Rd 2.5 miles Turn right onto Graphite Rd. .1 miles GPS Coordinates 35.65684, -82.24836  HELLBENDER 100 | PAGE 12

Blue Ridge Parkway Crossings (National Park) There will be six (6) Blue Ridge Parkway Crossings at four crossing points. See map section below. There is no crew or pacer access allowed at any BRP crossing point. The GPS Coordinates are as follows: 1.  35.71210, -82.27479 2.  35.71028, -82.24334 3.  35.71810, -82.22260 4.  35.73652, -82.19279 5.  35.71028, -82.24334 Same as #2 6.  35.71210, -82.27479 Same as #1 There will be crossing marshals assigned to each location and fluids will be available for self-service by the runners at crossing #1, #4, #6 Crews will be accessing aid stations on both sides of the Parkway and will be driving on sections of the Parkway. Please be advised that National Park Service rangers frequently patrol the Parkway. Adhere to all speed limits and park only in designated pull off areas. HELLBENDER 100 | PAGE 13

UTMB QUALIFICATION The course is certified by the ITRA - International Trail Running Association and is a 2019 UTMB qualifying event. Runners that complete the course within the time limit will receive 6 points towards UTMB courses. For additional information visit https://utmbmontblanc.com/en/home SWAG & AWARDS Entrants will receive a full-zip hoodie and an embroidered Orange Mud Wrap. A Pre-Race meal on Thursday will be included this year (extra tickets for crews, pacers and family can be purchased through UltraSignup). All finishers will receive a custom Hellbender One Hundred belt buckle. Sub-24 Hour Finishers will receive a custom painted wood cut, from our local artist and 2018 2nd place finisher, Jonathan Ibach. Top 3 female/male overall runners will receive:   - a handcrafted award made by local NCMTR trail club  member, Mark Rollins - locally made award Top female/male for 40+, 50+, and 60+  - a handcrafted award made by local NCMTR trail club member, Mark Rollins HELLBENDER 100 | PAGE 14

THANK YOU TO OUR 2019 SPONSORS HELLBENDER 100 | PAGE 15

NC MOUNTAIN TRAIL RUNNERS The North Carolina Mountain Trail Runners (NCMTR) is dedicated to advocating for our trails, maintaining our trails, and bringing together our trail running community through club events. NCMTR is supported by the RUN828 Foundation. FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO REGISTER, VISIT OUR WEBSITE www.run828foundation.com/ncmtr