Mountain Masochist Trail Run 2009

As the days and weeks flow into history the 27th running of the Mountain Masochist Trail Run quickly approaches. The MMTR is one of the most competitive and prestigious ultras east of the Mississippi. One of only eleven Montrail Ultracup races ensures the competition will be fierce. The long history, precise organization, and accompanying events guarantees its status among ultras marathons. This is a true fall classic the draws from the a group of elite runners year after year.

MMTR was first run in 1983. Founder and organizer thru 2007, Dr. David Horton wanted to bring ultra running to the Lynchburg, VA area after competing in the 1979 JFK 50 miler. The story goes that as he was kicking around a name for this new race when his wife said "Call it the Mountain Masochist—that’s what you all are, anyway." Obviously the name stuck and fits the race extremely well. 2007 marked the 25th running of the race and the last year Dr. Horton was the organizer. The master handed over the reigns to his student Dr. Clark Zealand.

The running of the 27th  MMTR will commence on November 7, 2009. The activities of the weekend will begin with a pre-race gathering on Friday night. Saturday morning runners gather at 4 AM. at a local hotel to ride the buses to the starting line of the race. Last year this ride proved to be full of nervous energy as runners contemplated what lied ahead in the dark and cold morning.

I ran this race in 2008 and can attest to how well organized it is and the level of competition. This is a top notch race and is well worth the price of admission. If you find yourself in Lynchburg, Virginia on the first Saturday in November it is well worth the ride to check out the Mountain Masochist Trail Run, or even better RUN IT!