Due to limited parking inside the park, the race starts outside the park at River Falls Lodge.



This was my first Jones Gap Trail Race, which is usually a half marathon in name but sometimes the distance is "close to" a half marathon. With some of the trails in Jones Gap State Park still closed after Hurricane Helene, this year's race course was a little over 12 miles (by my GPS). We ran on the road about 2 miles going into the park, then again on the return. The course had two large climbs... the first was up to Rainbow Falls and is the steeper of the two. The second was up Jones Gap Trail past two more waterfalls -- Jones Gap Falls and Toll Road Falls.

(If they use the same course next year, they could extend the out-and-back on the Jones Gap Trail to pick up the extra distance... that would mean some additional climbing!)



The weather was great on a beautiful cool morning. The race started and Neil Winter shot off the starting line like he was running a 5k. I got out smooth and quick but settled into a comfortable pace for this distance and knowing the climbs that were coming. Neil was long gone by the time we got to the state park entrance. When I stepped off the pavement onto the first bit of trail inside the state park, I was in 4th place.




It didn't take long for the Jones Gap Trail to become highly technical rocky terrain, with many different rock sizes and numerous rock waterbars across the trail for drainage. At this point I was just gliding along at my comfortable pace, happy to have so much trail running experience under my belt. The other runners ahead of me slowed down drastically to navigate the rocks. I quickly found myself in second place just by virtue of running a clean, smooth line.

I started up the first big climb to Rainbow Falls. I paced myself but pushed as hard as I could knowing that I could recover some on the way back down. I crossed paths with Neil on his return and I still had a bit of climbing to do to get to the falls before the turn around. Once I got to the falls I didn't waste any time sight-seeing (I've been there before!) and I started moving fast and efficiently back down the mountain. I wasn't taking any big risks but I was definitely moving really well. There were runners coming up the trail so I did have to be cautious about collisions with other runners at the many pinch points.

When I got to the bottom and started up the Jones Gap Trail I saw a runner ahead of me. Could that be Neil? I caught up to him in a very rocky section and I think we were both surprised by the situation. This obviously motivated him and he started pulling away as we started up the second big climb. He gapped me a bit but I worked hard to keep him in sight. After we passed Tollbooth Falls I knew it wasn't all that much further to the turn around point. Again, I felt I'd be able to recover on the way back down so I pushed hard to finish that climb. I caught Neil and passed him right before the turnaround point.

On the way back down the Jones Gap Trail I heard Neil right behind me. Whenever we hit a technical section I could pull away a little but but then he'd catch back up again. Then we started seeing the incoming runners and had yet another challenge. There are a few places where there is a single plank bridge across a creek or muddy section, and we had to wait for the upcoming runner to step off so we could pass. Similar challenges occurred where there are some large rock slabs at odd slops with weird angles that have one good line even though the trail is wide enough for multiple people here. It was darn tricky at times.


(Photo from a prior trail run)

I kept nailing those technical sections with little blasts of speed and eventually I didn't hear Neil behind me. Based on the way the race started I knew he was a fast road runner and he'd be coming for me once we got back onto the road section. I needed to gain as much time as possible before the road. When I hit the road I kept right on pushing. I looked back a few times and when I finally saw 2nd place behind me I had quite a large gap. After all that climbing the legs were feeling the earlier effort but those last miles were downhill almost the entire way and I was still moving well. I started feeling my calves about to cramp but was able to keep moving until I crossed the finish line.

I won the race!



I talked to Neil a little bit afterwards and he said that he had a few close calls (near falls) chasing me on that last technical section. I was surprised and pleased that my technical running skill was able to make such a huge difference.

The overall podium and awards photos:

Conquer the Rock - Foothills 50k was held at Table Rock State Park, South Carolina, on March 1, 2025.



This was one of my few Did Not Finish (DNF) results.

I tell the whole story in my youtube video:



I had my equipment, fueling, and hydration pretty dialed in before this race.



I talk a lot more about that in this youtube video:





More photos:

I ran The Pint Station Saint Patrick's Day 5k in Easley, South Carolina on a lovely spring day.

My leprechaun singlet is from Ultras.com.



This race had prize money on the line so I went out fast! Way too fast! My first half mile was at 5:14 pace and I definitely felt this mistake on the hills later on in the race!



Alas, there was no free beer but this was my first visit to The Pint Station and they have a good selection.



I enjoyed some Healthy Food Truck food:

Lifetime Personal Best at 15k!

This is the face of a personal best effort!



Based on recent training and race performances, I felt fairly confident that I could get a PR here. I knew what my target goal pace needed to be (6:15 per mile) and had a solid race plan... don't go out too hard, stay on pace. The first half of the race was fairly uneventful, I stuck to my plan and hit my planned pace, holding myself back during the first mile. The day started to warm up as the race progressed, I grabbed water at each aid station, and drank some and poured it on my body for cooling. Mile 6 was my slowest of the race and had a lot of parts exposed to full sun. That's also where I started to feel the discomfort of the effort. Special thanks to the lady with the garden hose in the final section of neighborhoods. I finally started up the ramp to the Hart Bridge.



Over the winter my training included running up Paris Mountain in Greenville, SC... and as I was making my way up the Hart Bridge I kept saying to myself "Paris Mountain! Paris Mountain!" because the Hart Bridge aka The Green Monster is not as big or steep as what I had been training on. But it still hurt! Over the top I pushed onward to get back up to speed, then cruised a little bit on the downhill to gather myself, and finally cranked hard over the final flat quarter mile.







I ended up out-kicking the two gentlemen in the yellow bibs:

My first Green Valley Road Race was 10 miles of challenging rolling hills on a beautiful perfect weather day... low 50s and overcast with a slight breeze.



Photo credit: Stephen Moore

I felt really good and strong during this race.


Photo credit: Stephen Moore



I am super pleased with how this race went. I am definitely feeling fit and this 10 mile race was a great challenge to have in the schedule prior to other bigger races coming up soon.

The race swag included a really nice Adidas pullover from the Greenville Running Company: