I've tried to design this blog to provide information in addition to that found at the official website for Louisville's Lovin’ The Hills 50K and 15M. **** ed ****
A clear cool day with a very light breeze greeted a record number of runners for the 10th annual running of LLTH. Some arrived concerned about mud due to the recent rain & the above normal temps. There was a little mud here and there, but it was not a factor on this day like it's been in the past.
With the good weather & trails conditions, times were very fast overall & some in record fashion:
50k: Scott Breeden of Bloomington, obliterated the LLTH 50k record of 4:39:35 set by Eric Grossman in 2007 with an incredible 4:07:38! Troy Shellhamer, 2011 winner, also broke the 2007 record with a very fast 4:37:06.
Andrea Ring of Duluth made her first visit to LLTH a winning one with a time of 6:11:37.
15m:
Ryan Althaus of Louisville, winner of the 15m last year in a record 1:56:50, broke his own record with a time of 1:53:55. Ryan now has a streak of 3 straight wins.
Rebecca Boyle of Indianapolis crushed the 15m record of 2:13:25 set by Alicia Heyne last year with a time of 2:07:53.
6m:
Daniel Blandford of Louisville, easy winner of the inaugural 6m race last year in 40:38, repeated with a win in similar fashion with a time of 40:39.
Rella Faye Hamon of Clarksville, blasted past the record of 57:57 set by Jenny Trevathan last year with a time of 52:58.
Congrats & Thanks to all runners who made 2013 LLTH a success this year! Thanks also to Headfirst Performance & to all the dedicated volunteers. Special Thanks to Cynthia Heady who seemed to be everywhere getting things organized & once again provided some great homemade soups for everyone.
goodies:
For 2014:
It is highly unlikely the last remaining hill with narrow single track (and one of the most scenic parts of the Forest) on the 2nd leg in the Yost section will be available for the race next year.
There were mixed thoughts about the new, wider & flatter trails in Yost. Surprisingly, some liked them. Most, though, were saddened by the loss of the hilly single track there and the ongoing REMOVAL OF ALL challenging trails in the Forest. LLTH will never be the same.
If anyone has pictures they wish to share with others, post your link or send it to edibo@insightbb.com -- Thanks.
Online registration from the Headfirst Performance website closes tonight at 11:59 pm PST. Late registration is also available at packet pickup on Friday at Ken Combs Running Store from 12 noon to 6:00 pm EDT and on race morning from 6:30 - 7:30 am EDT at the Horine Center at the FINISH area. A map of the Start/Finish area can be found under FAQ.
Quest Outdoors recently announced they're having a FREE pre-race pasta dinner again this year at their old store at 2330 Frankfort Road in Louisville (same location as last year) from 5 to 8 pm EDT Friday night (8th). A feature running movie will be showing. They're also offering registered runners a 20% discount on their shoes.
Trails are damp/wet but in good condition today with only a few muddy areas. A quarter mile section of new trail cut last December in the Yost section (2nd leg) remains very muddy at present. The current forecast is calling for a chance of rain Thursday (tomorrow) night, so trail conditions could change. It looks like the weather for race day will be sunny with cool temps. All the streams have been low or dry this week.
On the 2nd leg at the dam this morning:
Flagging will be pink again this year. Trail junctions will be marked with several flags & major junctions will also have signs or a volunteer on site. Intermediate flagging is spaced approx. 100 to 200 feet along the entire course.
Registration is still available from the official website of LLTH. Entry fees increase after tomorrow, Sunday, the 20th. Late registration is also available at packet pickup on Friday, Feb 8, at Ken Combs Running Store from 12 noon to 6:00 pm EST and on race morning from 6:30 - 7:30 am EST at the Horine Center (Lodge) at the FINISH area.
Each year the Forest Service removes, closes or replaces steep or narrow trails in the Jefferson Memorial Forest in order to provide more "family friendly" trails. The new standard is 4 feet to 8 feet wide & about flat enough to be handicap accessible. Unfortunately, they outdid themselves this year & replaced 7+ miles of challenging trails in the Yost Section of the Forest, including all of the 2nd leg (5 miles) of the LLTH course.
However, for this year, all of the original LLTH course in this section is not lost: after negotiating an agreement, including a donation to the Forest, 1.25 miles of the Yellow Trail on the 2nd leg will be re-opened just for the race. Once the final connector trail in the Yost Section is completed this summer, it's likely this 1.25 miles will also be closed off permanently -- so enjoy the last remnants of the old course while you can.
Can you tell just by this Yost Section profile where the old trail ends & the new trail starts? profile courtesy of Bob Walker
The new trails in Yost are not only flatter & wider, but they are also shorter in total length. An out'n'back has been added for the 15m only. The out'n'back branches off the 2nd leg & proceeds to the rear of the Welcome Center and back. 15 mile runners will either have to give up their bib tab, have their bib marked or otherwise be confirmed that they reach the turnaround point at the rear of the Welcome Center. Since the 50k was long last year, the new shorter 2nd leg will bring the race distance closer to 50k. The 6 mile fun run course remains the same & is the 1st leg of the 15m & 50k and finishes at the Horine Center.
Last year some video was taken and it seems that the short clips from that video were popular to some runners. Since I plan to run this year, I'm looking for someone to take video at a couple locations. It's not an easy task standing in the bitter cold all day -- it's easier to run. If you're interested, contact me at edibo@insightbb.com. If several should happen to respond, I would prefer someone who has run the race or is very familiar with the course. I can offer a gift card (dinner for 2) and race benefits for next year. I could also use someone to re-check critical course signs before the race since I won't be doing that either.
Race registration is open at the HeadFirst Performance official website for LLTH. You will need to create an account with HeadFirst Performance if you
have not already done so. There are no extra signup fees as with
Active.com in previous years. The first 200 people who sign up for the
50k and the 15m will receive buffs.
Entry Fees
Jan 20 and before After Jan 20
6 Mile $30 $35
15 Mile $50 $60
50K $60 $70
Updates on the 2013 event will be forthcoming, including maps for the new courses for the 50k and 15m.
A big question mark each year for LLTH is: What kind of weather & trail conditions will be encountered this time? Well, after a fairly mild winter so far, a strong cold front arrived on race eve, bringing below normal temps, a dusting of snow & alot of wind. With temps starting in the low 20's, the wind chill made it feel like in the single digits. The cold & wind may have been a blessing in disguise though as the wet & muddy trails on Friday began to dry out and/or freeze overnight. So trail conditions were pretty good compared to the last couple years.
results:
The 50k winners' times this year were the fastest since the re-introduction of the Scott's Gap loop in 2010. Very impressive since the course has also become longer in each of the last few years. It could be that the battle for 1st place was very close this year too: Eric Grossman (founder of LLTH & now a 4 time winner) won out over Troy Shellhamer (last years' winner) and Traci Falbo edged out Sharon Hathaway -- both divisions were won by the smallest margins in the 9 years of LLTH.In the 15 miler, Ryan Althaus defended his win of last year in record fashion. Alicia Heyne picked up her 1st win at LLTH, also in record fashion.
In the inaugural 6 miler, Daniel Blandford & Jenny Trevathan set the standards.
Results, photos & race reports from previous years can be found on the side bar of this blog far down on the right side. Photos & possibly a video will be inserted into this post & added to the photo library as soon as they can be sorted out (had a problem with the camera freezing & the auto-focus not working). If you ran in the race & you'd like a picture or video clip of yourself, I can email it if you will send me your race number (as long as it was visible during the race), or a description of what you were wearing. Note: these are not done professionally as the 2 other photographers on the course. goodies: in summary:
2012 LLTH went smoothly & I would consider this year to be a big success. Thanks go out to Todd & Cynthia Heady of Headfirst Performance once again for putting on a first class event. Thanks also go out to the Forest Service, EMS, to all the hearty volunteers & to all the great runners! Race Directors Cynthia & Todd Heady: In 2013, we're hoping the Forest Service will be thoughtful enough to allow us to use the same trails as this year, elsewise many miles of challenging trails (2nd leg) will not be included in the courses. Thanks again everyone!
Online registration on Active.com closes tonight at 11:59 pm PST. Late registration is also available at packet pickup on Friday at Ken Combs Running Store from 12 noon to 6:00 pm EST and on race morning from 6:30 - 7:30 am EST at the Horine Center (Lodge) at the FINISH area.
Quest Outdoors (Frankfort Road location) just recently announced they are throwing a pre-race party & pasta dinner at their store from 5:00 - 9:00 pm Friday night (10th) -- no charge. You can also register here & receive a $5 discount on the entry fee.
Trails are wet today & muddy in places. The forecast for the race has been changing almost daily, so you may want to check the forecast before heading out. As it looks now, trails could be partially frozen on race day. All the streams are currently low or dry.
on the 2nd leg near the dam this morning: Flagging this year will be glo-PINK with most of it stamped with MONTRAIL. Due to the ongoing trail construction on the 2nd leg of the race and due to property owners marking their boundaries, there will be several different colored flags around (red, orange & blue/white striped). Just think PINK & you'll be OK. If you go more than a couple hundred feet without seeing a pink ribbon, something's wrong.
on the 2nd leg at the dam: When you're on the Yellow Trail on the 2nd leg of the race, you will see & run on short segments of the new, very flat, double wide trail intended to replace all of the narrow, hilly, single track currently in place. Sadly, this may be the last year for the most challenging section of LLTH -- so you may want to enjoy it while you can.
One last item: There may be horses & hiking groups using the same trail as the race Saturday. Please share the trails, especially the narrow single track sections that don't allow much room for passing. Thanks.
May everyone have a SAFE & FUN race!
added 2-9-12 :
The forecast has changed dramatically since yesterday. Currently, a weather advisory has been issued for tomorrow (Friday) night. Of course, the forecast could change again.
There will be a change from last years race on the 1st leg of the 15m/50k courses due to a recent trail re-alignment by the Forest Service. This small change will bypass the steepest portion of the 2nd downhill and add 0.2 miles to each race distance. The 15m and 50k course maps have not yet been updated to reflect this change. Unfortunately, the Forest Service has kept to their ongoing program to remove ALL steep or narrow trails -- so the course continues to change year to year.
A last minute addition this year: There will be a "fun run" option for those who would like to run just the 1st leg of the 15m/50k course (about 6 miles). Let the volunteers know at the registration desk on race day that you'd like this option. The fee is $35. You will receive a shirt, but no race buff.
For those who wish to become familiar with the course, training runs have been set up for this coming Sunday (22nd) and on Saturday (28th). The 1st run will be leg 1 and leg 2 of the 15m & 50k courses beginning at 8 am EDT from the official race start area. The 2nd run will be on most of the 3rd leg of the 50k (Siltstone Trail & Scotts Gap Trail) beginning at 8 am EDT from the Welcome Center . Anyone is welcome to run all or any portion of the run or course. A permit will not be required for entering the Horine Section on the 22nd or on race day.
The Interstate 64 bridge over the Ohio River just west of Louisville is CLOSED. For those using I-64 west of Louisville to travel to and from the race will need to follow the detour (I-265 & I-65). This will likely add 10+ minutes to your travel time.
Scott Breeden of Bloomington, obliterated the LLTH 50k record of 4:39:35 set by Eric Grossman in 2007 with an incredible 4:07:38! Troy Shellhamer, 2011 winner, also broke the 2007 record with a very fast 4:37:06.
