SCAR (TN, NC) « Thread Started on May 26, 2011, 1:18pm »
David Worth holds the supported FKT, 14h50m22s, set 5/19/11 Will Harlan has the unsupported FKT, 15h45m07s, also set on 5/19/11
The Smokies Challenge Adventure Run (SCAR) is an unofficial 70+ mile traverse of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park along the Appalachian Trail, starting at Fontana Dam and going to Davenport Gap. The total elevation gain is 18,660', 12,800' in first 40 miles and 5860' in last 30 miles. On course aid and bail-out is only possible at 40 miles at Newfound Gap Road, and maybe not even there. All food and gear must be carried and water must be pulled from streams. The trail is technical, and there are a lot of steep climbs and descents all on singletrack. Several people have completed the SCAR under 24 hours, including Scott Brockmeier and Matt Kirk, David Horton, and Charlie Roberts (19h45m, July 26, 2008). Charlie had also run the route in 2004 in a time of 30+ hours, and in his report refers to "...shallow promises to each other that we would never make another attempt at this brutal run." On July 26, 2008, Adam Hill ran the route in 17h28m, which I thought was the FKT until I got the following email from former Knoxvillian John Cobb:
This section has been run by a number of runners from Knoxville Tennessee over the years, usually in the direction of Davenport Gap to Fontana Dam. The first I know of was by Vicki Johnson who did the run as a training run for the Western States in a time of 18h50m. This was either in 1985 or 86, both years when Vicki won the Master's division at Western States. Then another guy [John Cobb] ran it in 18h10m in 1995, and then what should be the FKT was in 1996 by Knoxvillian Jon Lawler who completed the run in 17h02m. At least 6 others I know of have done the run in about 24 hours. -- John Cobb, 3/22/2009
Jon Lawler remembers it slightly differently, putting his FKT run in 1998 ("I think", he says), and "I think my time was right under 17 hours" (Lawler email to Bakwin, 4/13/2009). With this information, it appears that Lawler held the FKT for the SCAR at something close to 17 hours.
More recently, Bobby Adams ran the SCAR in 16h53m on May 16, 2009, a new FKT. Adams started at Davenport Gap with Bobby Holcombe, Will Jorgensen, Jeff Woody, John Cobb and Jim Cobb, at 4:45 a.m., and had support of several people along the way. His report is on the Knoxville Track Club website.
Will Harlan ran the SCAR in 16h53m on June 25, 2009, Matching Adams' time to the minute. He was supported by a friend during the run. Harlan did his run to bring awareness to "the devastating and deadly effects of mountaintop removal mining in Appalachia." See ilovemountains.org for more information on that. Harlan's report is available on his blog and on the Ashville Citizen-Times online site. Harlan had attempted the SCAR 6 years prior, this time to promote clean air but, ironically, high ozone levels triggered an asthma attack.
Jon Lawler reports retaking the SCAR FKT on May 15, 2010, with a time of 15h57m01s. His brief report is as follows: "I began the run at 2:00 a.m. and finished at 5:57 p.m. Despite one encounter with a stubborn black bear that blocked my progress for about five minutes (I would have given him longer if he needed it), the run was challenging but uneventful."
New supported and unsupported FKTs were set on May 19, 2011, by David Worth and Will Harlan, respectively. Worth's report with photos and splits is here. Harlan started at Davenport Gap, and Worth ran the opposite direction, and the two encountered eachother near Newfound Gap. Worth started his run with Brian Williams, who completed the route in 16h45m. Harlan's heart-felt report is here.
Just a few miles away, mountains as beautiful as these were being dynamited and dumped, poisoning the communities that live near these operations, just to get at the last remaining seams of coal. My 72-mile run would probably do nothing to stop more mountains from being beheaded and more people from dying. I never felt so small. And at the same time, in the shadows of ancient mountains, I never felt more inspired to keep fighting. -- Will Harlan
« Last Edit: May 31, 2011, 7:17pm by Peter Bakwin »
The links listed in this paragraph, "More recently, Bobby Adams ran the SCAR in 16h53m on May 16, 2009, a new FKT. Adams started at Davenport Gap with Bobby Holcombe, Will Jorgensen, Jeff Woody, John Cobb and Jim Cobb, at 4:45 a.m., and had support of several people along the way. His report is on the Knoxville Track Club website." are bad.
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