The Most Horrible Thing Ever
In February, bikers attempted The Most Horrible Thing Ever, widely believed to be the hardest mountain bike race in the region. The race calls for over 36 straight hours of pedaling in six stages through North Carolina’s Pisgah National Forest. For the second year in a row, no one was able to complete all six stages. Here’s a rundown of the carnage.
29: Bikers who started the race.
0: Bikers able to finish all six stages.
5: Bikers who finished 5 stages.
175: Miles the first place biker (Dave Anderson, Raleigh, N.C.) pedaled and hiked to win the race.
21,500: Feet of elevation that Anderson climbed during the race.
37.5: Number of hours Anderson was on the course.
4: Hours it took before the first set of bikers quit.
11: Hours it took one team to finish the first stage.
5: Gallons of veggie chili eaten by competitors.
Evil Genius, Dr. Evil, the Black Wizard: Nicknames given to Eric Wever, the race promoter and course setter, during the event.
Southern Long Trail Speed Records
Allegheny Trail, W.Va.:
4 days, 13 hours, 33 minutes, set August 2008. Bradley Mongold owns the record for this little-known 302-mile trail that traverses the Monongahela National Forest in West Virginia. Some of the trail follows country roads, but most consists of little-hiked singletrack, demanding bushwhacking and navigational skills.
Cherokee Foothills Trail, S.C.:
16 hours 42 minutes. In 2005, Matt Kirk ran the 76-mile trail which travels through remote state parks, national forests, and wilderness areas.
Appalachian Trail:
47 days, 13 hours, 31 minutes. Andrew Thompson set the current record in 2005. The record withstood a challenge by Karl Meltzer in 2008.
Tuscarora Trail, Va.:
3 days, 16 hours, 8 minutes. The record for this 250-mile side trail of the A.T. was set in 2005 by Sean Andrish.
