Wednesday, February 1, 2023

Feb-1-2023 LLTH last minute notes

Online registration thru UltraSignup ends tonight (Feb 1) at 11:59 pm EST.

Early packet pickup is at QUEST OUTDOORS at 4600 Shelbyville Road in the Shelbyville Road Plaza in Louisville on Friday from 4 to 7 pm EST.  QUEST OUTDOORS will also be having their FREE pre-race pasta dinner again this year at their store location -- everyone is welcome.


You can also register and/or pick up your race packet at the Horine Center at the Start/Finish area on race morning starting around 7 am EST.  It's recommended to pick up your packet on Friday to avoid the rush & lines on race day.

Flagging will be pink 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. 200 to 300 feet along the entire course.

Out on the course flagging trails today, there’s a layer of ice at many locations on the trails from the sleet and freezing rain yesterday with a very light dusting of snow on top.  At times it was difficult to even hike. Forecasters say it will warm to the low 40's tomorrow (Thursday) & will do a lot of melting but I would not count on all of it melting & what does melt will probably refreeze Friday & early Saturday, so be prepared for ice.

At Mitchell Hill Lake mile 6.2 this morning:  


All main roads in Louisville are clear, although the 1st half mile of the race is on a gravel road that holds water in one area & it was a sheet of ice today, as were all the wood trail bridges.

Current local weather from the National Weather Service can be found here:   NWS Fairdale, KY

The course layout is unchanged from last year — not even minor changes, which is rare.  However, there are changes in the works.  One is a re-route on the Scott’s Gap trail (unaltered for 20+ years) that will bypass a steep incline and 2 deep ditches next year. You may see some wired flags in the ground veering off the trail -- ignore them & just follow the pink flagging on the well worn trail to stay on course.

50k runners will notice that one hillside on the Siltstone Trail was burned due to a small brush fire during the drought last Fall.  It looks like the trail worked as a small firebreak and also allowed quick access for firefighters.

As in previous years, in collaboration with the Land Between the Lakes (LBL) trail running event in western KY, a special award will be given to those who complete both LLTH (50k, 15m or 6m) and LBL (50m, 60k, marathon or 23k).  Information on LBL can be found here:  https://runsignup.com/Race/KY/GrandRivers/LandBetweentheLakestrailruns.

Good Luck & Be Careful!

 

 

update 4 pm Thursday, Feb 2 2023 :

With warmer temps today, most all of the course is no longer ice covered.  There are exceptions.  The ice in the photo above is now all gone.


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