Keep It Wild Preview

This Sunday at 9:30 am is the inaugural running of Keep It Wild, which is a mountain bike race and trail race going on at the same time. The mt bike is divided into cat 1, cat 2, and cat 3 divisions, and oddly enough, the trail running portion is also divided up into cat divisions, with cat 1 doing a half marathon, the cat 2 doing a 10K, and cat 3 doing a 5K. Then there's the junior divisions for runners and bikers 18 and under. The cool thing is that 100% of the proceeds will go to improve and save Turkey Mtn from development. Proceeds for 2012 will go to funding security cameras for the parking lot to help decrease the amount of vandalism/theft that has been happening.

The bikers stay on the east side on the mountain. The runners go up Lipbuster and do a figure 8 course on the west side.

The black lines going up Lipbuster and heading west is the running course. I bet there will be a few people cussing the designer of the running course. For those who wonder who in the hell designed it--well, that would be me. Those doing the 5K will enjoy one loop. Those doing 10K will get to do the loop twice. Yes, that means two trips up and down Lipbuster. And you guessed right--the half marathoners get to do the loop four times. The course is not flat further west either. Yes, there are some nice long gradual downhills, and some flat sections, but you will have a few short steep climbs on the far side of the western loop. My advice for a good finish time--try to make each loop a little faster.

There will be aide at about mile 1.4, and an unofficial aid stop at the top of Lipbuster.

The biking section is already marked with white and pink polka-dot ribbons. I'm marking the running portion with pink ribbons Wednesday evening. I'm running the half, and hope for a sub 3:00, which I believe will be a good medium-range time. I think a 2:30-2:40 will win the half.