Well my first attempt at promoting a race has finally come and gone. We had 54 solo riders and 10 teams come out for the inaugural Disc Burner 12 Hour Race at Panther Creek State Park, in Morristown TN. The heat was pretty oppressive, with afternoon temperatures staying in the mid to upper 90s. Without a single cloud in the sky, it definitely wore on the riders as the day went on. The race as a whole went well, and there were only a few minor snags. Some removed tape sent a few people on an additional mile or so off course the first lap, and we had some minor timing issues that had to be resolved early in the race. We had a few racers with minor injuries, but everyone stayed hydrated enough that we didn’t have heat exhaustion problems. The course itself was in perfect condition all day, and the racers put down over 3000 combined miles.
Promoting the race was a lot of work, but I definitely learned a good deal to improve on the race for next year. It was a strange feeling being on the otherside of a race like this as well. I almost feel like it’s more work to get stuff ready to go sit in the sun for 12 hours than it is to race for 12 hours. I suppose thats what happens when you get used to surviving for 12 hours with only a tub of powder and some jugs of water. Putting the event on definitely increases my appreciation to all the other guys running races in the southeast. Thats what keeps our sport growing for sure.
A big thanks to all the racers, volunteers, families, and sponsors that came out to the race. I hope you enjoyed it, and feel free to send me any comments, complaints, or suggestions for next year.
