Swimrun NC Course Preview
Welcome to episode ninety-four of the Löw Tide Böyz - A Swimrun Podcast!
On the show this week we have our course preview for Swimrun NC. We're joined by Co-Race Director Herbert Krabel, Marcus Barton, and Bronwen and Greg Dierksen of the Boston Wet Sox to share everything you need to know about this epic ÖTILLÖ Merit Race in beautiful Hanging Rock State Park in North Carolina.
THE STORY
Swimrun NC has a really cool history. Check out our interview with co-race director Herbert Krabel to get the origin story of this cool race. Now in its 5th year, Swimrun NC offers Swimrunners a unique challenge. We asked Herbert to come on the show to share with us why athletes should have this race on their bucket list.
Starting and finishing in Hanging Rock State Park, Swimrun NC is just 30ish miles north of Winston-Salem. There are several airport options to get to North Carolina in Charlotte, Greensboro, and Raleigh. Lodging near Hanging Rock is sparse unless you’re ok with a campground. Otherwise look for lodging in Winston-Salem.
THE RACE
The course is 16ish miles with 14 miles of running and 2 miles of swimming broken up into 11 runs and 9 swims with significant elevation thrown in. This isn’t your beginner’s Swimrun race but it does start and finish at a brewery so there’s that.
Annotated Leg By Leg Breakdown
Run 1: Green Heron Ale House to Hanging Rock Lake (4.5 miles)
First .4 miles are on a gravel road and that’s where teams sort themselves out before hitting the single track
Along the way climb through Window Falls which is one of the most picturesque parts of the course
If you’re racing, make your move before you get to the waterfall because it will bottleneck and slow you down
Swim 1: Hanging Rock Lake (500m/547yd)
This is one of the main aid station/checkpoints in the course that you pass several times
Run 2: Northern Lake trail (.2 miles)
Swim 2: Cut across bay (25m/21yd)
Run 3: Traverse waterfall (.2 miles)
Swim 3: Hanging Rock Lake (500m/547yd)
aid station/checkpoint
Run 4: Northern Lake trail (.2 miles)
Swim 4: Cut across bay (25m/21yd)
Run 5: Traverse waterfall and continue to Moore's Wall (2.1 miles)
Moore’s Wall has a 642 step stair climb but there’s a lot of climbing before getting to the steps
Don’t burn all your matches on this leg of the race
small aid station/checkpoint (the aid is rationed at the top so make sure you take some extra hydration at the previous aid station)
Run 6: Traverse of Moore's Wall and descent to lake (2.2 miles)
Some tricky trails here so watch your footing
Consider untethering here because of the technical descend
Swim 5: Hanging Rock Lake (500m/547yd)
aid station / checkpoint
Run 7: Northern lake trail (.2 miles)
Swim 6: Cut across bay (25m/21yd)
Run 8: Traverse waterfall (.2 miles)
Swim 7: Hanging Rock Lake (500m/547yd)
aid station/checkpoint
Run 9: Northern lake trail (.2 miles)
Swim 8: Cut across bay (25m/21yd)
Run 10: Traverse waterfall climb through Cascades Falls and descend to Dan River (5.7 miles)
The Cascade Falls are about half a mile into this leg
This is an out and back so you might see people running in the opposite direction (Up or down depended where you are on the out and back)
Consider cabbing down if it’s a warm day
This is the last time to gain any ground on other teams if you’re racing
Swim 9: Rock walls to Green Heron Ale House (900m/984yd)
Longest swim of the day
The river can be pretty shallow at points
Try to swim the river the day before the race if you can to get a good sense of what to expect on race day
Run 11: Stairs to finish (50yd)
THE STRATEGY
We asked The Deirksens for their strategy tips for approaching the unique challenges that Swimrun NC presents to teams. They outlined where to make moves if teams are racing, how to approach the toughest parts of the course, and where to make sure that you take on bonus hydration. As usual, they dropped some major knowledge bombs and we are grateful for their willingness to share their experience with us.
THE TRAINING
We asked Marcus Barton (three-time race winner of Swimrun NC) to share his thoughts about how to approach training for the unique features of the race. He recommended training on hills both uphill and downhill and on technical trails as much as possible. He also recommends having confidence in the shoes that you will be using for the race which means practicing simulating race conditions if you can to gain confidence in your shoe choice.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
We hope that this course preview gives everyone a good sense of what to expect on race day and how to prepare for the challenge that this ÖTILLÖ Merit race offers to Swimrun teams.
These episodes are an iterative process so please let us know what you think about this evolving format.
That’s it for this week’s show. If you are enjoying the Löw Tide Böyz, be sure to subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast player and leave us a five-star review. You can find us on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google Podcast, and on YouTube. You can also follow our meme page on Instagram. Email us at lowtideboyz@gmail.com with any feedback and/or suggestions. Finally, you can support our efforts on Patreon…if you feel so inclined.
Thanks for listening and see you out there!
- Chip and Chris