It was the worst of times, it was the best of times…
And so goes this race series.
The Races
Muster Grounds – September 23-24, 2017
Registration Is Now Closed. Check Us Out On Facebook To See What You Missed. Sign Up For The Newsletter At The Bottom Of The Page To Be Sure You Don’t Miss The Two States/Two Hells Race In Bristol, VA/TN.
Located in Abingdon, VA, the Muster Grounds was the historic meeting place of the colonial militia men from Southwest Virginia and Northeast Tennessee. Those men were known as the Overmountain Men. The Overmountain Men marched 300 miles from this spot to defeat the British at the Battle of King’s Mountain (Kings Mountain, South Carolina). The battle is largely considered to be a turning point in the Revolutionary War. The militia who fought in that battle were led by the race director’s own ancestor William Campbell. The race itself will be on the same weekend as the historic mustering of the Overmountain Men.
https://abingdonmustergrounds.com/about/
In this race you will have the chance to lead your own fight uphill.
As Campbell told his men before they charged to fight the British, prepare to “Fight like hell and shout like devils!”
(Maybe you’ll see this. Maybe you won’t.)
Details of Events:
Friday September 22, 2017 at 7pm: Package pick up and pre-race meeting/hangout at Wolf Hills Brewery. There is a MANDATORY pre-race meeting at this time as you will not know many of the important race details prior to it. If you cannot make that meeting, please contact the race director.
Note: All participants will receive a brand new pair of Thorlos performance socks in their packets along with many other goodies.
Saturday September 23, 2017 at approximately 10:00am: Road bike (2 + 2 miles). Uphill. Post-event catered reception at Wall Street Journal and New York Times acclaimed Harvest Table Restaurant (cash bar). Hang out to follow at Wolf Hills Brewery.
We know what you’re thinking…
4 miles on a road bike? That’s it?!
Yep, and good luck! : )
Side note: You don’t have to use a road bike if you don’t have one. You’re welcome to use whatever bike you like. Just know that you’ll wish it was a road bike by the end of it.
Sunday September 24, 2017 at approximately 8:00am: Trail run (8-10 miles). Uphill. Post-race festivities/recovery/awards/probably pizza at Wolf Hills Brewery.
Awards
Most awards are locally made goods so you can take a little bit of App(ugh)lachia home with you. Participants must complete both events per race rules to be eligible for awards.
First Place Overall:
- Placing top overall (lowest combined time) in any race gives you one free entry into a future race (a year from your winning race date).
- Custom pair of Lavelle Denim jeans. Made in Glade Spring, VA. ($150 value)
Top Five Overall:
- Medium pizza from Bella’s
- Locally roasted bag of coffee from Zazzy’z
- Antimicrobial wool shoe inserts from Dreamland Alpacas
- More prizes to come
Note: Only those who have survived and satisfactorily completed both events will be given a badass, Savage Apparel Co. t-shirt signifying that you are indeed App(ugh)lachian! Those who don’t will receive a different t-shirt…
Want to know more? You Should’ve Signed Up!
Two States/Two Hells – TBD Spring 2018
Bristol VA/TN is where you can reenact the Geico commercial and be in two states at once; or claim to be in Virginessee, your choice. It’s also the birthplace of country music, having hosted the 1927 Bristol Sessions featuring The Carter Family and Jimmy Rogers. As such, it now has a large music festival called Rhythm & Roots in honor of this heritage.
Oh, and there’s NASCAR.
But, what you’ll be doing in Bristol is deciding which state’s terrain you hate the most.
Have fun!
(Don’t worry, it doesn’t say swimming in this event…yet)
Details of Events:
Friday: In the spirit of “It’s Bristol Baby!” we will have our own Friday qualifying. For those of you who don’t know what the hell we’re talking about, it’s a NASCAR reference. Since Bristol is home to ‘the world’s fastest half mile’, we will be doing our own short track qualifying on Friday to determine how much of an advantage or disadvantage you may get in the Bristol events. Package pickup and pre-race meeting/hangout will be at Studio Brew this day.
Saturday: Running (less than a half marathon). Uphill. And Down. And Up. And… Post race festivities/recovery at Studio Brew.
Sunday: Hiking (less than 5 miles). Uphill. Fast (a.k.a. timed event). Post-event licking of wounds at Studio Brew.
Want to know more? Sign up and find out!
Proud to Be A Certified Virginia Green Event!
At App(ugh)lachian we believe in doing things in a way that not only benefits our community, but others as well. Sustainability is at the heart of that responsibility.
Sustainable practices:
- Certified Virginia Green Event www.VirginiaGreenTravel.org by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality
- Benefits Appalachian Sustainable Development
- T-shirts printed by Savage Apparel Co. in Richmond, VA
- No plastic water bottles (jugs to refill participants bottles only)
- Locally made goods for awards
- Local energy bites from Blue Hills Market for participants
- Participants bring old race bibs to swap with others for the race
- Electronic delivery of race information and sign-ups
- Prints flyers and posters on post-consumer recycled paper
- Uses a different local brewery for pre- and post-race functions
- Supports many locally owned businesses
- Recycling of all race materials and/or utilization of reusable items.
- Supports parks, natural preserves and natural forests
- Encourages and arranges carpooling to race sites
