The Mount Mitchell Heartbreaker is a 55K and 50 Mile distance event put on by Tanawha Adventures, the same crew that puts on the Hellbender 100 Miler in North Carolina. This race starts at the foot of the mountains in Old Fort, NC at Camp Grier and takes runners up and down some of the most stunning, quad-busting, and heart-pounding trails in all of Western North Carolina, eventually taking the 50 milers over three 6,000 ft+ peaks including Mount Mitchell itself, making this the highest 50 miler east of the Mississippi! Highlights of the course include Snooks Nose, Green Knob, Black Mountain Crest, and Heartbreak Ridge Trails. Runners climb a total of 12,000 feet during the course of this event that is now in its second year. In just its second year, this race is quickly becoming a Beast coast classic.
Unfortunately, we were not blessed with good weather conditions this year. As a result, the views were not quite what they can be on a clear day. Nevertheless, the climbs were epic and the single track is absolutely mind-blowing.
Timeline:
00:00:00 - Travel to Old Fort, NC
00:01:55 - Packet Pickup
00:04:56 - Race Start
00:05:31 - Curtis Creek Campground Aid Station
00:08:16 - Blue Ridge Parkway @ Green Knob Aid Station
00:10:59 - Neals Creek Aid Station
00:14:02 - Buncombe Horse Trail Aid Station
00:20:34 - Big Tom Summit
00:21:39 - Mount Mitchell Picnic Area Aid Station
00:22:54 - Mount Mitchell Summit
00:25:40 - South Toe River Rd Aid Station
00:26:13 - Blue Ridge Parkway 2 Aid Station
00:28:55 - Jarret Creek Rd Aid Station
00:30:04 - Race Finnish