So, this year, as last year, I participated in the Backyard to Vineyard Challenge which consists of running the Half Marathon event on Saturday and the Full Marathon event on Sunday. We arrived on Thursday afternoon to settle into the Inn at Biltmore and get an early dinner at Cedric's Tavern and visit the house. Packet pickup was Friday afternoon at the Double Tree hotel in Biltmore Village.
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| Inn on Biltmore Estate |
The weather on Thursday was a beautiful 72F. The forecast had the temperature dropping each day through Sunday with a chance of snow on overnight Saturday. At one point the total accumulation was as high as 12 inches but every time I checked it fluctuated wildly. As much as I didn't want the marathon on Sunday to get cancelled I tried not to worry about it since it was clear no one knew what was really going to happen yet.
Friday morning was a lazy morning, I slept in, had breakfast at the Inn and relaxed. I didn't go to packet pickup until about 2pm. In past years I always went when it opened at Noon and it was always crowded. This time I thought I would wait until after the lunch rush and it worked out great. Although I had to wait about 15 minutes to get out of the parking lot to get back to the Inn, I was able to get in and out of the expo quickly. There wasn't much merchandise I was interested in, although I did stop and get a jar of Betsy's Best almond butter with cinnamon and Chia seeds. After taking a taste I couldn't say no.
Friday night was dinner at Cedric's Tavern and I was looking forward to their Salmon dish all day. Salmon is one of my favorite dinners before a run. While I have had this many times before, there had been some changes to the recipe since my last visit and frankly it wasn't as good. While it wasn't horrible either, I don't think I will be ordering it again any time soon.
Running the Asheville Half and Full Marathon events and staying at the Inn on Biltmore Estate is a perfect match. The events are beautiful, well managed and staffed, and challenging. Staying at the Inn allows you to simply walk down the hill about 30 minutes from the starting time.
The air was crisp and cool so I had to wear a hat and gloves. The temperature wasn't going to rise high enough, or more importantly fast enough, to go without them. After getting ready and putting a Gu in my pocket just in case, I headed down to the starting line about 30 minutes early. Just enough time to get there, settle in and talk to a few fellow runners.
The Half Marathon started right on time and off we went. Knowing I had to run again the next day, I made sure I didn't go out of the gate too fast and I wanted to maintain as consistent a pace as possible. If you have never run around the Biltmore estate there are hills. Lots of hills. Very long hills. And I knew I was going to get to do them twice.
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| Asheville Half Marathon Strava Map |
As you can see from my Strava map and splits I didn't do too bad sticking with the "consistency" thing. Even given all elevation changes between miles one and six. This wan't anywhere near my PR pace, but again, that wasn't the goal here with the marathon the next.
Overall the course is great. The start and finish marked on the map is beside the Barn near Antler Hill Village. The start is a slight down hill before turning left towards the winery. Around the first mile marker you make left and work your way up hill to the Deerpark Inn. At this point you have crested your first of two main hills and also found the first water stop.
After the first water stop you turn left and head down hill for about a mile to the main entrance and ticket center. While it is tempting to really make up some time here, I have to recommend that you pace yourself and save your energy for the second main climb of the day. Once you reach the bottom of the hill you make a sharp right hand turn and start your way up Approach Road to the Biltmore House. This is a 1.5 mile climb to start at which point you make a right into some parking lots and find the second water stop around mile 5.1. You get to relax with some minor down hill sections before heading back up hill out of the parking lots and turning right twice to get to the Biltmore house.
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| Strava Elevation Map of the Half Marathon |
If the weather is cooperating, and depending on your pace, you are seeing the house as the sun rises. It makes for a breathtaking image. The "U" shape towards and away from the house is just shy of a half mile and a nice break after mastering the Approach Road hills. There are a few automated cameras around the house as well as a photography as you leave the house and turn right towards the gardens, so be sure to smile. After that right turn you will also cross the 10k timing mat.
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| Biltmore House during Half Marathon |
Leaving the house and running through the gardens is beautiful. Depending on the weather in the area up until the event, the flowers could vary, but since there were some warm days prior to this, there were several flowers in bloom. You also get to enjoy over a mile downhill through the gardens, past the bass pond, and over the brick bridge that was used in the movie The Last of the Mohicans.
At the bottom of the hill, right around mile marker 7.6, you turn left towards the equestrian center and you will pass water stop number three. This stop will also have water, Gatorade and Gu like the second stop, but will also have bananas and oranges as well. You do a quick out a back that is only about a half mile long on gravel, so you find yourself back at the water stop around mile marker 8.1.
At this point you head back towards the winery and Antler Hill village on paved roads. As you approach the Lagoon you make a left turn and go around the Lagoon counter clockwise. After making the left hand turn you are back on a gravel surface. At the top of the Lagoon you will find another photographer taking pictures with the back of the Biltmore House over your shoulder. Again, be sure to smile. Or at least have someone behind you in a really good mood.
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| Lagoon during Half Marathon |
There is another water stop around mile marker 9.3 with a variety of snacks and beverages. This is definitely one of those racing events where you really don't have to carry anything with you. While the spacing between the first and second water stops is long, especially given the long climb, in general there are plenty.
As you make your way along the French Broad river you will stay on gravel for several miles. You will pass another water station around mile marker 11 where you do another out a back along the river. You will find yourself back at this water station around mile marker 12.6 for your last water break. As with most other stations this one will have Gu, Water, Gatorade and bananas.
Since coming down from the gardens the course has been flat, but as I mentioned most of it has also been gravel. After passing this last water stop, there is a small climb that is about 3 tenths of a mile long before you turn right onto a paved surface and head slightly downhill across the finish line in the same manner you started.
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| Half Marathon Finish Line |
According to the chip time, I crossed at 1:57:11. About 13 minutes slower than my PR, but given my plans for running the marathon the next day, assuming the weather holds out, I was pleased with my performance.
The medals this year were once again wood, but this time they were simply slices of Walnut from the property that was laser engraved. Very unique, and very cool.
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| Half Marathon Walnut Medal |
I finished in time to get back up the hill to the Inn, shower and take in the breakfast buffet. All I can say is made-to-order Waffles and Omelets are awesome after a run.
Since dinner the night before at Cedric's didn't go as well as we had planned, we decided to try Village Social for dinner Saturday night. The food was good, but there wasn't anything specific that stood out at me as a must have before a really long race. That being said I did grab a dessert which I never do.
When I went to bed the weather was still iffy and I wasn't sure what to expect so I set my alarm a little earlier than I had too so I could see how things were playing out and if there was a delay or cancellation.
When I woke up I was pleased to see only a few inches of snow on the ground and all the pre-treatment they had done on the roadways and walkways looked like it paid off. I got ready and walked down about 20 minutes before starting time. It was a lot colder Sunday morning than it was on Saturday morning so once again I was wearing a hat and gloves.
The walkway down the hill to the starting area was slippery and slushy so you definitely needed to be careful and use the grass in places to keep from falling. Once I got down to the the starting area they had the portable propane heaters for runners to huddle around. The roads around Asheville were covered in snow, so they gave folks extra time to arrive and the race started about 15 minutes late.
The start for the full marathon is the same as the half marathon. If fact, the first 10.3 miles are exactly the same as above. At mile 10.3 you make a left and go over the French Broad river to the West side of the property where most of the farming is done as well as the vineyards.
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| Full Marathon Strava Map |
The one difference however was the snow. Everything was covered in white, it was absolutely amazing. The roads were slushy, but overall the staff on property did an amazing job keeping things relatively clear for the event. I know everyone appreciated their efforts; I know I did.
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| A snowy Full Marathon |
My photo near the lagoon wasn't as good as I would have liked given the snow but I bought it anyway. I am not planning on running this event in 2018 given some other race commitments, and who knows if I would ever get the chance to do this one in the snow again.
After crossing the river to the west side, you are still on gravel and/or dirt roads. There is a water stop until you come back over the river again around mile marker around mile marker 10.9. Shortly after you turn right away from the river and start your second longest climb of the marathon. After doing the two climbs towards the house, this is another 1.5 miles up hill. After passing another water station, you do a quick out and back that takes you over the 13.1 timing mat. After passing the water station again, there is a nice 1.5 decline that gives you a much needed break.
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| Strava Full Marathon Elevation Chart |
But just when you think you are rested up, there is a steep incline of about a half a mile as you go around the vineyards. This was an amazing view covered in snow so I had to stop and take a few photos.
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| Snow covered vineyards |
There is another water stop here, around mile marker 15.8. Again, stocked with water, Gatorade, Gu's and bananas. The volunteers at all the stops are full of energy and really help keep you motivated.
This is the last water stop on the west side of the property and your make your way slightly down hill into the woods and spend the next 2 miles on mostly flat terrain until you cross back over the French Broad river and then turn left following what you had done for the half marathon, doing the out and back, although this time the out and back is a little further (about an extra tenth of a mile).
However, when you come back towards the barn area, you don't get to cross the finish line just yet. At this point you are at approximately mile marker 20.4, so just about a 10k remaining. At least that is what I kept telling myself..."only a 10k remaining".
As I was running down the paved trail below the Village Hotel and Winery I saw my wife standing there with a big smile on her face. Was nice to see someone cheering you on personally. And to top it off she had some pancakes. So I grabbed a blueberry pancake as I ran by hoping to get a second wind.
As you run along the trail back towards the Lagoon you are following a similar path as you did earlier in the day, except this time you are on pavement next to the Winery Road versus on gravel along the river. When you finally get back to the Lagoon on gravel you stay along the river to the back side of the equestrian center and loop counter clockwise around the area you did the out and back on, past the water stop, then left again back to the river.
At this point you follow the same path back to the finish line that you just did from the barn where I got my pancake. I have to admit that I was feeling it. My right knee was barely working at this point, but I only had 2 miles left. In fact, my knee started to hurt at mile 2 right after starting. And having taken so long to write this blog entry I can safely say that it actually bothered me for about two weeks. Four weeks later and I am basically back to my normal running schedule with no pain.
The downside of the marathon is that instead of turning right near the end and running downhill over the finish line, you turn right and run uphill over the finish line since you are coming from the other direction.
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| Crossing the Full Marathon finish line |
After crossing the finish line I got my full marathon medal, again a slice of walnut from the property that was laser engraved. They also handed me a nice blanket. Since I did the Backyard to Vineyard Challenge I made my way over to the gazebo at Antler Hill village and received a nice wind breaker jacket and a third medal.
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| (left to right) Full Marathon, Background to Vineyard Challenge and Half Marathon |
All in all, I love this event. And while I am not planning on doing this event in 2018 at this point and time, I wouldn't be surprised at all if I change my mind at some point and sign up for at least one of the runs. I highly recommend this event, especially if you have never visited the Biltmore Estate in the past. It is definitely worth the trip. And I can't stress enough that staying on property at either the Village Hotel or the Inn on Biltmore Estate. The convenience of the location and the quality of service is totally unique.
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