THE COVE 50K | The Hidden Gem

—NOTE: Some of the footage may appear grainy, dark and sometimes shaky. This technical issue was related to the weather conditions which provided only limited daylight, especially during the early miles.— This is a newly created southeastern 50K tucked away in a hidden valley in Georgia. McLemore Cove is a 15 mile long valley in the “V” between the Lookout Mountain to the west and Pigeon Mountain to the east. It is about 45 minutes from downtown Chattanooga, TN and Fort Payne, AL and about 1 hour from Dalton, GA. I had the opportunity the run its second edition earlier this year. It fit my early training schedule perfectly as I like to use 50K races as long runs in preparation for a schedule filled with 100 mile and longer events. While the weather conditions were less than ideal this year obstructing some of the beatiful view this event has to offer, I still got to experience a newly created ultra that I'm sure if just going to continue to grow, especially when it is put on by a bunch of fellow ultrarunners who want to share their stoke for this place. While I was still struggling with my current fitness, this race provided just the kind of experience I needed, from start to finish. I can only recommend it for anyone wanting to experience true Southeastern trail running culture.