From what I can tell there are about the same number of teams signed up for Palmetto as there were for the BRR which is about 160. Palmetto also offers a 70 mile relay so there are another 30 teams or so signed up for the shorter relay. Notably absent from the Palmetto race are the track clubs (Charlotte, Asheville, & Knoxville) which dominate the BRR and have a knack for providing that subtle reminder to the rest of us that we are, after all, just hobby joggers.
We've already starting sizing up the competition and so far we've determined absolutely nothing. The BRR seeds teams based on their average 10K race pace. The Palmetto race relies on teams to project their Palmetto pace either by adjusting their 10K race pace for the increased mileage or by using a Palmetto provided worksheet. Only one team is showing a sub 7:00 pace and they are predicting a 6:59 so I'm going on record as saying there is some serious sandbagging going on.
Anyway, it's just a relay race so who really cares about all of that pace and finishing mess right? Ha, yeah, I know that was a joke. Running as a team results in this strange phenomenon where you actually push yourself harder than you normally would if you were running solo. Unless maybe you're one of our guys (Mark Huegerich) that thinks it's perfectly fine to schedule a vasectomy 14 days prior to race day. Brilliant. And just for the record, his more intelligent and time conscious teammates successfully talked him into rescheduling that gem of an idea...
Teams are scheduled with staggered starts based on their submitted times with the hope that everyone finishes between 2:00PM and 5:00PM on Saturday. The first teams go out at 5:30AM followed by waves every 30 minutes until 7:00AM and then on the hour through 11:00AM. We submitted a 7:20 pace which puts us starting in the final group of 5 teams at 12:30PM on Friday -- a solid hour and a half behind the group in front of us. With this being our first Palmetto we really don't know what to expect in terms of pace. We've run the Blue Ridge Relay several times but we've never run with 7 and you can tell from the elevation profiles below that the Palmetto is a bit more 'runner friendly' than the BRR. So comparing a 12 man BRR to a 7 man Palmetto is pretty much useless but it's all we've got to go on so....
We ran a 7:28 pace through the BRR and hopefully the 7:20 target isn't out of the realm of possibility. We lost a few strong runners but this group seems to be in decent shape. I'll just be glad to catch up with some other teams because I am not looking forward to making up the 1.5 hour gap before we get to sniff the first sight of other runners. I've got to think running the back roads of the Palmetto state towards the coast is much less majestic than running the Blue Ridge Mountains but I'll take a less than scenic flat road over a breathtaking view and a 1,000 foot climb all.......day........long.
The cutoff for mixed versus full teams is 6 runners so with our random and rogue 7 we're considered a 'full' team. And we're all male although there are probably a few that would dispute that. At first glace there seem to be some faster mixed and ultra teams but the next highest seeded all male full team is a Columbia F3 team with a 7:56 pace projected. And no, I don't believe that 7:56 for a minute but I do believe we can win our division unless we just run like complete idiots or one of the other teams seriously told a whopper to get an earlier start time. Personally I was all for starting with the 11:00 group but by Saturday morning I'll be thankful I had an extra hour of sleep the morning before.
This course seems to offer a lot more civilization than the BRR which is a blessing and a curse. For example we managed to find a Mexican restaurant in the middle of nowhere during the BRR but this course will offer a variety spots including Waffle Houses, Steakhouses, BBQ joints and everything in between. With no resting van that should curb the temptation to belly up to a buffet but that remains to be seen. We're a pretty resourceful bunch when we get hungry. Either way it should be a blast and provide for a great race recap.
My pre-race predictions:
- Official Race Time: 7:26 Pace / 25 hours 35 minutes (ish) [I'm already starting to waiver on this]
- Sleep: 2.15 hours each
- Total Kills: 149 (of 160) [Teams we will pass]
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