Originally Posted by grolby

It explodes on the first steep dirt hill, about 12 miles in; Juniper Hill or Swamp Rd. If you aren't in the first group, your race is likely over. I was toward the front of the first split; chasing as hard as we could on that dirt section just wasn't enough. So you could say that there's a break, but that would imply that it's a tactical race; believe me, it's not. You have to be very strong to do well, period. After a terrible base training period due to injury, I was not very strong. Hell of a race, lots of fun, and finishing it at all is something to be proud of, IMO. You should be prepared in case of weather, by the way. It started raining about halfway through last year, and rained on and off for the rest of the race. If ever an amateur race actually earned the title of "epic," Battenkill was it.