This race is the easiest in David Horton's Lynchburg Ultra Series, which also includes Hellgate, Promise Land, Mountain Masochist, and Grindstone (new 100M for 2008).  I guess the "++" is to account for "Horton Miles", which in this case was only about 2.5 miles extra.  The race is two 25K+ loops on jeep trails, fire roads, and single track, and a short paved road stretch.  There are lots of rolling hills, and a couple steep ones, but it's mostly runnable.  A few rocks and roots, and two above-ankle-deep stream crossings.  There would be some very muddy parts if it rains, but it's mostly dry today.  The camp includes bunkhouses and a campground for many to sleep, with the only drawback being not many facilities for people to, uh, do their pre-race preparations. I'd heard nothing but good things about Horton races, and was not disappointed.  Horton organized two training runs on the course the month before; quickly answered an email question I had about which shoes to wear (road shoes); handled check in for the 260 or so runners, greeting a lot of people by name and introducing himself to people like me who had not met him; handled the race start, of course; was at the first road crossing about 5 miles in, with a cowbell, making sure there were no road traffic incidents; and at the finish line greeted each runner by name, with a handshake or a hug.  You can see that he's a popular and well-respected guy in this running community, for more than just his amazing running feats.  Aid stations every 3-4 miles were well-stocked and well-manned with enthusiastic volunteers. About 42 degrees at the 6:30 start. 1/3 of a mile in you hit the single track, then it was over a mile of a conga line and still a bit dark.  My keychain light wasn't quite good enough, but it easily fits in my pocket after it got light, and others have good lights so I can see ok. On the crowded singletrack you really want to hold your place, so I got sucked into a bit faster pace than I wanted, even after we hit the jeep road.  I felt good in a long sleeve shirt and shorts except my hands got very cold, and stayed cold for 10 miles. 2 miles in I felt some pain in an ankle. Not too bad but I didn't like anything going bad this early. 8 miles in, and the pain moves to my hips.  I don't know if it is joints or flexibility or carrying extra body weight, but this is way, way too early for this to start.  It's both pain and stiffness, and it slows me down. A few more miles, and it's a knee that starts acting up next.  Looking forward to vitamin I at the end of the loop.  Loop 2 goes in the opposite direction, so I'm starting to wonder when the leaders will be coming back.  The longer it goes without seeing someone, the more extra distance I know there must be. Finally the leaders start coming.  As I get closer to the turnaround and more runners come, the course turns into single track, on the side of a pretty steep hill.  This is problematic.  You've got people running at you, on a narrow path. They hardly have room on their right since they'd slide off, so I have to step off on the uphill side, which is thick with leaves and brush and uneven, and now the serious knee and ankle pain is setting in.  I drop mostly to a walk, which means I also have to get off to the side for runners behind me.  I'm not having fun. I finally make it to the start. I'd love to end it right there, but stubbornness wins out.  I grab my mp3 player and a clif bar, pop some Advil and e-caps, and get back on the trail right at 3 hours.  I find out later the cut-off is 3.5 hours.  100 yards out I realize I still have my little flashlight, but I don't want to backtrack.  I decide to eat the clif bar while walking the single track section. Back on a jeep road, and my excuse to walk is gone.  I run and feel a pull in a butt muscle.  When did I get this old?  Small groups pass me and I try to hang onto them but they drift away, and I'm walking anything resembling a hill.  This is stupid.  I have hopes of working up to a 100 next year, and I can't even cover 20 miles on a pretty easy course without being miserable.  There's just NFW I can take 5X this.  Most of the field is now ahead of me.  Didn't I used to be pretty fast?  Why am I doing this? I hit the first return aid station at 21 miles.  A couple of the groups that had passed me are still there, so I take some solace that I didn't lose contact after all.  I'm in and out of the aid station before they leave, and all of a sudden I'm fired up.  I still feel the aches, but have stopped caring, and I WANT to run, dammit!  I wonder how long this can last.  First I'm just trying to keep ahead of those groups now behind me for as long as I can.  Then I'm starting to reel people in.  Soon, when I see someone ahead, I say to myself "they're toast, and they don't even know it yet."  At every aid station I pick off some lollygaggers.  I see a group rock hopping across a stream crossing, but I don't even break stride as I splash through it, and that's 3 more behind me.  Others are harder to catch because I'm not running terribly fast, but I patiently and relentlessly track them down.  I'm walking the steeper hills, but briskly. I'm realizing I probably won't find out how long this surge can last, because the race will be over soon. Back to the single track for the final 2 miles.  A couple places aren't well marked, and I start down one false trail, and in another place I stop to figure out where to go.  At that point another runner passes me, the first since mile 21, but he knows the way out, and I follow him to the road for the home stretch.  I believe if I'd have known the route I would've finished ahead of him, but that's the way it goes. 6:25 for the finish.  More importantly, I escaped the death spiral, even though the pain persisted. I spot the clear winner for "Best Blood".  He's got blood from a scraped knee at the way to his ankle.  I ask about the fall, and he says, no fall, rather than going around a gate at a jeep trail he tried hopping over it, and scraped the top bar.  Niiiice. Plusses: Nice course, great organization and support. Minuses: The logjam on the single track at the turnaround.  I don't know why both laps can't be in the same direction. Saw no beer at the finish. Next up: Bataan Death March marathon, end of March, then Rocky Hill Ranch 50 miler in April.  I'm so stupid.