It was the worst of times, it was the best of times…
And so goes this race series.
RUNNER-UP for BEST TRIATHLON/MULTISPORT EVENT by Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine in 2018!!!
Current Race
Virginessee – Bristol VA/TN – April 27-29, 2018
*All proceeds benefit Appalachian Sustainable Development*
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, there’s no swimming in this event…yet.)
Details of Events:
Friday April 27, 2018 @ 6:00pm: In the spirit of “It’s Bristol Baby!” we will have our own Friday qualifying (optional). 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 (10 minute AMRAP) to determine what start time you’ll get for Saturday’s hike. Even though you don’t have to do this, trust us, you’ll want to qualify well. Participants who don’t participate in qualifying will be assigned a start time for Saturdays hike based on how much we like or dislike you.
7:30pm: Package pickup and pre-race meeting/hangout at Kil’n Time Ceramics – 818 State Street in downtown Bristol.
Note: All participants will receive a brand new pair of Thorlos performance socks in their packets along with many other goodies.
Saturday April 28, 2018 @ 9:30am: Hiking – 2 miles uphill with time restraint. We will have yoga provided by Bristol Yoga on top of the mountain post race. Post-event licking of wounds/BBQ at a nearby park.
Sunday April 29, 2018 @ 9:00am: Trail Run – 8 miles with a little bit of everything. Post-race awards/recovery/food to follow.
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 – $250 Gift Certificate to fly fish with South Holston River Company
Top Five – Antimicrobial wool shoe inserts from Dreamland Alpacas.
Most Suffering Overall –
- The ‘UGH” Trophy
Registration:
Please note: In order to comply with certain park rules for this race, we had to go old school and do mail in forms. PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU WRITE YOUR EMAIL DOWN ON THAT FORM. Otherwise, you will not receive important race updates. Thanks!
- Early Bird – January-February – $49
- Regular – March – $59
- Late – April 1-20 – $69 (register by April 6th to be guaranteed a t-shirt)
- Registration closes April 20th. Be sure to put it in the mail by that date.
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 Savage Apparel Co. t-shirt…
Want to know more? Check out our About page or sign up for the race!
Past Races
Muster Grounds – Abingdon, VA – September 22-24 2017
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 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 at 10:30am: Road bike – 2 miles uphill with a time restraint. 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…
2 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 at 9:00am: “Kleine Klimb” trail run – 8 miles uphill (mostly). Post-race festivities/recovery/awards/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:
- Custom pair of Lavelle Denim jeans. Made in Glade Spring, VA. ($150 value)
Top Five Overall:
- Locally roasted bag of coffee from Zazzy’z
- Antimicrobial wool shoe inserts from Dreamland Alpacas
Most Suffering Overall:
- The ‘UGH” Trophy
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? Check out our About Page, or sign up for the next race!
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 and the Virginia Department of Tourism
- 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 to refuel with
- Participants bring old race bibs to recycle for the race
- Electronic delivery of race information and sign-ups
- Prints flyers and posters on post-consumer recycled paper when possible
- 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 when possible
- Supports parks, natural preserves, wildlife management areas, and national forests
- Encourages and arranges carpooling to race sites
