Fierce competitors showed up for our first race of the Summer Duathlon Series earlier this month, and we’re hoping to see even more athletes on the mountain for the second round. The course winds through some favorite mountain trails and the event got great reviews from the trailblazers and their families.

The racers left the starting line in the base area at 6 pm and started with a two mile run. After that, they hopped on their bikes for a five mile ride.

 

Our racers ran through shady forests, biked over running water and saw some of the best views from all over the mountain.

The race wrapped up with another two mile run to the finish line.

Yadi Spangenberg finished in first place with a time of 1:04:15. Impressive!

When all of the racers passed the finished line, they had great things to say about this course. It was challenging, fun and family members enjoyed watching while dining at Smoky’s or playing lawn games.

Our next race in the Summer Duathlon Series is Friday, July 15th. Registration starts at 5 pm. Be sure to mark your calendars and please leave a comment if you have any questions.

Summer Duathlon Series Dates:
July 15th
July 24th
August 12th

All these training races lead up to our marquis event, The Big Mountain Du, which takes place Saturday, September 3rd. It starts with a 5K trail run then a 12 mile mountain bike ride and finishes with a second 5K run. Learn more.

We are also adding a new type of race to the mix this Summer! Our Sun Up to Sun Down Mountain Bike Challenge is 12 straight hours of bike riding. Competing in teams of three,  mountain biking fanatics will pedal to see who can complete the most laps in the quickest time! It’s going to be a lot of hard work, but also a lot of fun! Learn more. We hope to see you there!

• Madeline Pike