Evening Run

Afternoon Run

Morning Run

Four years ago the three of us did a long run in the Smoky Mountains. The goal was to run for 8 hours. That run ended up being a lot harder and longer than we thought. We were out there for at least 12 hours and ended up running 34 miles. At the time Kristy was 34 years old so we thought it would be fun to start a tradition where at some point in each year we would go on an adventure run where we would run Kristy's age in miles. 
This year we needed to stay pretty close to home so we decided to do the Wildcat Hollow and Burr Oak loop. The mileage is a little longer than we needed, but since there isn't a posted female time for the FKT we thought we might as well do that as well. 
We have never run at Wildcat Hollow before and found it to be quite pleasant. The only time we had run at Burr Oak before it was an out and back on what we now realize is the most boring part. That previous time it was also very muddy, buggy,  flat and overgrown. We haven't been back because it seemed there were so many better options. So we were quite surprised to find ourselves captivated with the Burr Oak section.  It was such a beautiful September day with low humidity especially as the day went on. We had a great encounter with a rat snake that tried its best rattlesnake impression including rattling its tale. 
Everything was going along swimmingly until Dan tripped and fell around 18 miles and landed on his side, probably breaking a rib. He gamely continued on for another 13 miles, but eventually decided to quit at one of the docks and wait for us to come pick him up. Our pace at that point had slowed considerably. After leaving Dan Kristy and I tried to get moving so we could get back to him as fast as possible. It felt surprising good to run "fast" after already completing a 50k. Somehow on these long adventure runs we always end up running until dusk. This year we were able to finish before we had to break out the headlamps. 
I am obviously pretty bummed that Dan got hurt, but overall the day was very nice. It is very satisfying to literally spend the entire day in the woods. And I feel like the 50k training is going well. Almost no knee pain, so that is always a success. Happy early birthday Kristy! May we continue our tradition for years into the future!

Top Sports

Kelly Burt

Wildcat Hollow and Burr Oak

25 Photos

5 Comments

Splits

Sign up to view more activities from Kelly Burt

Evening Run

Afternoon Run

Afternoon Run

Morning Run

Afternoon Run

Want to see more?

The #1 app for runners and cyclists

Sign Up for Free. Track your progress and reach goals. Join 100 million active people on Strava.

See More from Kelly