2011 Hogpen Hill Climb Race Report
Or should that be "Hell Climb"?
My Saturday morning running group has this very odd and bizarre tradition of doing this absolutely insane race every year. The race is the Hogpen Hill Climb, which is a 17K race (roughly 10.5 miles miles or so) from downtown Helen, GA, to the top of Hogpen Gap. Traditionally held on MLK Jr. weekend in January, this year's edition was delayed by two weeks due to the Ice Blitz.
Let me set the stage for you. Helen is what some folks might call "quaint." Other folks would call it flat-out tacky. It's a small town modeled after a Bavarian village, complete with tacky architecture and a social hall where they engage in Fashing (essentially German Mardi Gras.) They have Oktoberfest....which is sponsored by Miller Lite. Hogpen Gap is a mountain. For anyone interested, HERE is the elevation profile. The Appalachian Trial crosses Hogpen on it's way north to Tennessee. This essentially means that I, and several other fools/crazy people, ran 10.5 miles uphill. Crazy!
The race was complicated oddly by the weather. I did this race in 2008, and due to snow and ice at the top, they changed the course to an out-and-back. This year, it was 50 degrees and sunny at the start, and it was warm - much warmer than I was really prepared for. Thankfully, I had my camel back, and away we went.
About 4 miles in is where the ascent up Hogpen starts. This was where the walking breaks started. When there was a light incline, I tried to run, but I didn't even try when it was steep - I would have been shuffling along. But, I kept moving, never looked back, and never stopped (which I was very happy about!) I reached the top in 2 hours. The winner? Did it in 1:14. OUCH!
So there you have it. I can't quite decide if this race is harder than Mount Marathon, or just harder in a different way. And because I'm a little crazy, no doubt I'll be back again next year to see if I can make it up the mountain without walking.
My Saturday morning running group has this very odd and bizarre tradition of doing this absolutely insane race every year. The race is the Hogpen Hill Climb, which is a 17K race (roughly 10.5 miles miles or so) from downtown Helen, GA, to the top of Hogpen Gap. Traditionally held on MLK Jr. weekend in January, this year's edition was delayed by two weeks due to the Ice Blitz.
Let me set the stage for you. Helen is what some folks might call "quaint." Other folks would call it flat-out tacky. It's a small town modeled after a Bavarian village, complete with tacky architecture and a social hall where they engage in Fashing (essentially German Mardi Gras.) They have Oktoberfest....which is sponsored by Miller Lite. Hogpen Gap is a mountain. For anyone interested, HERE is the elevation profile. The Appalachian Trial crosses Hogpen on it's way north to Tennessee. This essentially means that I, and several other fools/crazy people, ran 10.5 miles uphill. Crazy!
The race was complicated oddly by the weather. I did this race in 2008, and due to snow and ice at the top, they changed the course to an out-and-back. This year, it was 50 degrees and sunny at the start, and it was warm - much warmer than I was really prepared for. Thankfully, I had my camel back, and away we went.
About 4 miles in is where the ascent up Hogpen starts. This was where the walking breaks started. When there was a light incline, I tried to run, but I didn't even try when it was steep - I would have been shuffling along. But, I kept moving, never looked back, and never stopped (which I was very happy about!) I reached the top in 2 hours. The winner? Did it in 1:14. OUCH!
So there you have it. I can't quite decide if this race is harder than Mount Marathon, or just harder in a different way. And because I'm a little crazy, no doubt I'll be back again next year to see if I can make it up the mountain without walking.