31st Annual Mountain Mist
One of the Southeast's Oldest and largest trails runs, Mountain Mist features a tour of the Monte Sano State Park and the Huntsville Land Trust Trails of North Alabama. Rocky, rough well maintained trails through the State park among rock walls, stone cuts, sink holes and to the very bottom of the mountain. Runners work their way back up through Land Trust trails from Oak Park eventually up the infamous Waterline Trail and finishing up the last 6 miles through the brutal McKay Hollow.
Registration
Online entry at Ultra Signup.com will open on October 1, 12:00am central time. No paper entry forms will be accepted whatsoever.
Mountain Mist 50km accepted 525 registered runners.
There will be no refunds, no race day registration and no race entry transfers to another runner and no deferals.
The race management reserves the right to deny entry to anyone not demonstrating an appropriate background in endurance activities which would allow them to complete this race in a safe and timely manner. Time limit is 9:30:00, Time limits are strictly enforced. The entry list will be updated weekly on Ultra Signup.
Start Time
7:00am CST
Course
This course consists of extremely rocky mountain single track trails, mud and creek crossings. There is around 4,300' feet of climb. There is a vertical climb on the course that requires the use of your upper body going up the infamous Waterline Trail. The final 6 miles drops into and back out of McKay Hollow, very rugged trails.
Registration Qualifications
We will rely on your good judgement on whether you believe you can finish this race or not, but BE WARNED... Posted Checkpoint times will be STRICTLY ENFORCED. Anyone caught not following volunteer instructions and bypassing a checkpoint will be banned from coming back. Our volunteers are there to help you so please do as they say. Be nice people.
Please refer to Time Limits below for Checkpoints
Course Maps
31st Annual Mt Mist course will be the same as last year.
The 2024 Mountain Mist Course (GPX) is available on Garmin Connect:
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/course/241091247
Packet Pickup
Packet Pickup will begin on Thursday Jan 23 from 11am to 5pm at Gold Sprint Coffee, 2515 9th Ave SW in Huntsville. Friday Jan 24th from 12pm-8pm at Monte Sano Lodge at Monte Sano State Park. Late packet pickup will be Saturday from 5:30am-6:30am at the Lodge.
Conditions
Expect anything...including cancellation due to inclement weather (the mountain can ice over)! Temperatures can range from 10 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit. The race may be cancelled due to snow and ice conditions. If roads are impassable the race may be cancelled. This situation is beyond our control and is not predictable. The decision to cancel the race will be made by the HTC board. The race has never been cancel and only delayed one year by 24 hours
Special Rules
Please note: Due to our liability insurance and safety concerns the following are not allowed during the race: strollers, baby joggers, skateboards, bicycles, animals, rollerblades, unauthorized vehicles, unentered runners, etc. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated. Violators will be DISQUALIFIED. Headphones are strongly discouraged.
Directions
From I-65 take I-565 East to Memorial Parkway South. Continue South on the parkway and exit onto Governor's Drive. Turn left (East) on Governor's Dr. then drive through downtown and up the mountain. Turn left (North) at the stop light on top of the mountain onto Monte Sano Blvd. Continue on Monte Sano Blvd. to Nolen Dr., the entrance of Monte Sano State Park, which will be on the right (East) side of Monte Sano Blvd. Enter the park and the race start will be down on your right at the second road to your right in front of the Lodge.
Time Limits
Per the State Park rules the race must be finished at 4:30 pm, which gives the runners 9:30:00ish hours/minutes to complete the race. In order to make this happen there will be five checkpoints along the course with time limits in order for folks to make the finish before the trails close. Those who do not make the checkpoints in the allowed times will be removed from the course. NO EXCEPTIONS! O'Shaughnessy point, Closed Bankhead, Oak Park Ball Field, Land Trust Aid Station, Trough Springs Aid Station on Monte Sano Blvd THIS IS NOT A HIKE! Cutoff times will be enforced for your safety and to meet the state park guidelines.
Race Starts at 7:00 AM!
| Cutoff Time | Overall Miles | Segment Miles | Overall Pace | Segment Pace | Overall Gain | Segment Gain |
|---|
| Oak Park Ball Fields | 10:50AM | 13.97 | 13.97 | 16:28 | 16:28 | 1638' | 1638' |
| Land Trust | 12:40PM | 20.23 | 6.26 | 16:48 | 17:34 | 2544' | 906' |
| Trough Springs | 2:15PM | 25.2 | 4.97 | 17:16 | 19:07 | 3418' | 874' |
| Finish | 4:30PM | 31.08 | 5.88 | 18:20 | 22:58 | 4383' | 965' |
Results
Race results will be posted at the Huntsville Track Club website, here on Ultra Signup
Awards
Every finisher gets a hand made Finisher Slate from Smokey Mt Slate Co, Age group awards will be available when results are compiled at the Lodge.
Top 3 Overall Male/Female
Top 3 Overall Male master / Female master
Top Grand Masters Male/Female; Age Group awards as follows Male/Female 19 & Under, Top 3, Age 20-24, Top 5, Age 25-29 Top 5, Age 30-34 Top 5, Age 35-39 Top 5, Age 40-44 Top 5, Age 45-49 Top 5, Age 50-54 Top 5, Age 55-59 Top 5, Age 60-64 Male top 5, Female Top 3, Age 65-69 Male/Female Top 3, 70+ Male/Female Top 3
Medical and Aid
The HEMSI HART Rescue Team www.HEMSI.org, and Huntsville Cave Rescue Unit www.HCRU.org will be providing medical / evacuation assistance again this year.
There will be six major aid/check-in stations equipped with the usual stuff, water, Powerade, Coke Products, candy, pretzels, Oranges, etc. It is recommended that you carry at least one bottle of fluids with you the entire run
Aid Stations:
- O'Shaughnessy Point - 4.3 miles
- Closed Bankhead - 11.4 miles
- Oak Park Ball Fields - 14 miles
- Land Trust - 20 miles
- Trough Springs - 25 miles
- Rest Shelter Hill - 29.5 miles
- Finish - 31.1
Aid Station Captains have the right to pull anyone from the race whom they do not feel capable of continuing in a safe manner. This includes medical conditions, disorientation, and even excessively slow pace that would impact future cutoffs.
Statement on Headphones
The use of personal music devices is strongly discouraged at this race. To enjoy all that our race has to offer and for the safety of all participants, the Huntsville Track Club encourages a headphone-free environment during the running of its events.We believe your race experience and those around you will be greatly enhanced by leaving the headphones at home or in the car. Running headphone-free allows opportunities to develop camaraderie with your fellow runners and to enjoy everything the race has to offer. Plus, volunteers and spectators will be on course cheering you on and providing directions to help get you to the finish line.Runner safety has always been, and will continue to be, a top priority for our event. Please be mindful of the other participants and respect the race personnel to ensure a safe and enjoyable race for everyone.
Event's current local time: 3:16 PM CT
