Please note: For the safety of all runners and due to liability insurance requirements the following are not allowed during the race: strollers, baby joggers, skateboards, bicycles, animals, roller blades, headphones, iPods, MP3 players, unauthorized vehicles, unentered runners, animals, etc. Anyone violating this policy will be DISQUALIFIED (no posting in results, no awards, no refunds). Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.

Wait list (how it works): If you want, I will put you on the wait list in the order I receive your entry form/fees. Those who are already entered: if you discover you cannot attend, you can earn the admiration of your fellow runners by letting me know; I will remove you from the "Who's Entered" list and move up the next person on the Wait list. If you do not get into the race, or you don't want to deal with the uncertainty, I will tear up your check. We usually get 6-10 folks into the race this way each year.

Waiting List:

Moved to race:

Date/Time Latest News Distance Location Course Description Time Constraints Aid Cost Packet Pickup Facilities Lodging Trail Etiquette Miscellanous

Date & Time: Saturday, November 19th, 2011 at 6:30 a.m.  top

Latest News: Loops must be run in the proper order (i.e., L,N,S,N,S,N,S,...) to be eligible for a finisher's award. A runner who realizes their mistake can correct it, but the timing table will not be responsible for keeping up with which loop each runner is on: that is the responsibility of each individual runner. No changes are forseen for the course.  top

Distance: The Dizzy Fifties is 50 kilometer trail run with 40 and 50 mile options. Loop Mileage Little Loop 2.30 North Loop 4.00 South Loop 5.59 1 Lap* 11.89 2 Laps 21.48 3 Laps 31.07 4 Laps 40.65 5 Laps 50.24 *The little loop is only done at the beginning of the first lap. Afterwards, everyone runs the same North and South Loops.  top

Location: The Pavilion adjacent to the Park Office of the Monte Sano State Park in Huntsville, AL. From I-65, take I-565 east to Huntsville. Take the South Memorial Parkway exit, and then exit off the Parkway at the Governor's Drive exit. Turn left (east) underneath the Parkway onto Governor's, and head through town towards the mountain. When you get to the California Street intersection, it is 3 more miles to the top of Governor's. There, you will take a left at the light at Monte Sano Boulevard. Continue on this until you see signs for the park; turn right on Nolen Avenue, and it is about 1 mile to the park entrance. Continue into the park on Nolen until the road forks; the Park Office is just ahead on the left fork, and there is parking to the right or left.  top

Course description: A 9.59 course consisting of a northern loop on the Blue Trail with extensions on the Mountain Mist Trail and the Sinks Trail (~4.00 miles), and a southern loop on the White Trail and various single-track bike trails between the Hiker's Parking Lot and O'Shaughnessy Point (~5.59 miles). The course has been rolled with a wheel, so the distances should be fairly accurate. The northern loop is the hillier of the two, with one long downhill section, and one long uphill section. Elevation data will be available later, but this is nothing like the Mountain Mist - very much flatter / easier! I have been told by Joe Kallo that the total elevation gain for the 9.59 mile loop is 700 feet. The southern loop is extremely flat, following the White Trail and a number of the new bike trails that have been cut in the area inside the White Trail loop. The southern loop has 0.3 miles of paved road, 0.75 miles of fine gravel / dirt road, and the rest is dirt trails with a lot of it being single-track trails. The northern loop has two sections of paved road totaling 0.2 miles, 0.1 miles of small gravel footpath, and the rest is dirt trails, with the majority being single-track trails. A little loop, run before the first big loop only, is 2.3 miles long, with the first 0.1 miles on pavement, the last 0.1 miles on gravel, and the remainder on dirt trails.  top

Time constraints: The park is only open from sunrise to sunset. According to the U. S. Naval Laboratories, sunrise is at 6:24 a.m. and sunset is at 4:39 p.m. so this will be a 10 hour race. We will start at 6:30 a.m. and impose cutoff times as follows: 3:30 p.m. - starting sorth loop of 5th lap; 3:00 p.m. - starting any other loop/lap. The cutoff times are firm; we need to make sure everyone is off the trail by 4:30 p.m. to prevent wearing out our welcome at the park! The clock will be left running after 4:30, but the race director reserves the right to pull someone from the course if it is clear that they are not going to be finished anywhere near 4:30 p.m.  top

Aid provided: Aid will be provided, but probably limited to: bananas, peanut butter and honey/jelly sandwiches, pretzels and/or salty crackers, bite-sized candybars, and Poweraid and water. However, because parking is adjacent to the aid station, it will be very easy for runners to access their custom-made burritos, turkey and avocado roll-ups, sushi, and other exotic foods they wish to bring.  top

Cost: The entry fee is as follows: $24 if postmarked by October 1, 2011 $32 thereafter. No day-of-race registration! Runners will be entered in the order their registration forms arrive at my house! Pacers are not covered in this cost. You are free to run part or all of the course, but you must pay an entry fee. This race will be limited to the first 108 entrants.  top

Packet Pickup: Packet pickup will be at Fleet Feet Sports, located at 2750 Carl T Jones Drive, in the Valley Bend Shopping Center, from the hours of 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday, November 20th. Packets can also be picked up before the start of the race, starting at 6 a.m.  top

Facilities: There are separate men's and women's bathrooms at the Park Office, which is directly adjacent to the start of the run. These will be open starting at 6:00 a.m. There are also bathrooms at the Country Store, approximately 50 yards from the aid station.  top

Lodging: For those interested in staying within the State Park, there are cabins for rent, as well as RV hookups and primitive campsites. Contact the Park Office at (256) 534-3757 for more information.  top

Trail Etiquette: A few items are worth mentioning: Passing slower runners: Yup, it's bound to happen. With some runners doing 5 laps in as few as 6 hours, and others taking nearly 10 hours to do 3 laps, there's going to be some passing involved. Some of the trails on the loop are very narrow, and will require a bit of coordination between the passer and the passed. Consider the following protocol: Faster runners should first look ahead and see if there is a place to pass without requiring the slower runner to step off the trail; If the trail is narrow, and no easy place can be found to pass, the faster runner should call out "On your left", or perhaps something even more cordial such as "Hey, can I come by on your left?" The slower runner should then make an effort to move to the the appropriate side, or step off the trail to that side if necessary. The faster runner should make sure that the slower runner has heard and moved before barreling past. Yes, there are time limits, but let's keep it civil, even friendly out there! If you run 50 miles, but knock 5 people down in the process, you'll be remembered a lot less for the former, and a lot more for the latter. Littering: We're very proud of our State Park, and want to keep it beautiful. Please DON'T drop your trash on the trails: empty GU packs, paper cups, candy wrappers, etc. Accidents happen from time to time, but let's keep it clean out there!  top

Miscellaneous: A t-shirt will be provided to all participants. A finisher's award will be provided to all runners completing a distance of 50K or more. Results will be posted on the website, and will be submitted to ultrarunning.  top