H9 Fierce Dragon
Full Fury
Hard Times on the Dragon Spine
Well, well, well. Another calendar year is here with 2026, and I find myself repeating the same awesome mistakes I have continued to make over and over again. I found myself this amazing hard 200 Miler very few talk about or discuss in the realm of North America 200 milers, even though it maybe the hardest by the statistics and numbers. I signed up on the last day of registration - which of course means I am running it the following week.
I read the following about the race description and the type of conditions:
...and with that I was convinced. Yup...do not follow me for typical race planning!
Off I went to Northern Georgia for this stout challenge. I left my home in Texas and drove Sunday and broke it up with a car nap and finished up on Monday to arrive for check-in. I very casual check-in at the Group Lodge where I was greeted by a volunteer who helped me gather some shirt, a new mug, and some stickers - lots of neat swag. I drove back into town after to load up on a big dinner as my final pre-race preparations in civilization.
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| checked in at Vogal State Park, Blairsville, GA. |
The race was set to begin on Tuesday morning with sunrise (08:00 est) at Vogal State Park just south of Blairsville, Georgia. A decent night of sleep in my car with only a couple of interruptions due to the cold temperatures. I choose to stay in my car instead of putting up the tent due to the cold (yeah, I am becoming less and less of a hardened Canadian as I age...or perhaps I am just getting soft overall). Did I ever mention I need to purchase a van -- I remind myself of this every time I go on one of these trips.
With about 2 hours until the scheduled start I took in the remainder of my gear into the Group Lodge - which was going to be homebase for the next few days. I fully assumed control of the small corner of the big open room and arranged my sleeping pad, blankets, all my electronic cords, and my gear. I was settling in as best I could. With about 40 minutes to go or so my first fellow runner arrived. It was the infamous Walter Handloser whom was at the beginning steps of his year of 200s. If you have ever run a lot of 100 Milers or even 200 Milers, chances are you have run with or met Walt at some point in this niche ultrarunning community. He came into the lodge and sat down as he was ready and settled with his sprinter van (outside in the parking) as his homebase. We chatted for a bit as I continued to ready the last few things into my race vest for the first loop. The last of my peer competitors arrived in the last few minutes as well - Matthew Holappa and Mike Davis. We all introduced ourselves and like that the entire field of 4 runners were ready to take on the Full Fury of the Fierce Dragon.
The weather was looking pretty solid for the first 24 hours which we were going to need to take advantage of, since the forecast said that was unlikely to last. I had checked the weather one last time before tucking my phone into my vest. It confirmed what I had researched the night before, which was "clear sailing" for the first 24-26 hours before the temperature started to dip and potential precipitation came in on the second night.
LOOP 1
With literally 3 minutes to go before 08:00 am, Brad Goodridge (assistant RD) came over and informed us of the limited but well-marked course - basically only flagged at trail crossings and intersections. I recall him saying we could only get lost if we really tried, which in the end proved to be true since the route is very straight forward being a out & back with only 1 deviation: a pointless climb along the way (more on that later). Perry Sebastian, the Race Director, then called out 30 seconds in such a casual way and walked over and opened the door of the Group Lodge. The 4 of us runners followed him outside into the parking lot and with a simple message of good luck, he sent us off on our way with no fancy countdown, no actual start line, just an old school sendoff fit for this type of grassroots event.
The four of us then lined up in a row and walked along down the paved park road heading towards the trailhead at the far end of the campground area. There was very little actually running for a good while as we all chatted and got to know each other a bit more as we settled in. Matthew, whom was running this event for the 4th time (hunting for his third finish), took the lead once we got to the actual trails just a short distance away from the Group Lodge. We all trotted together slowly uphill on the trails still sharing stories, past ultras and events as we moved forward. Just over a mile into the race we crossed the road at Wolf Pen Gap where a volunteer was there to ensure we took the correct direction (this was one of the few intersections). Single file we continued on downhill slightly now as the trail began to flow on a little wider section. People started to shed some layers as the sun was peeking out between the trees and the hills behind us. It was going to be a beautiful day! Matthew has to make a pitstop, and Mike took over the lead as I followed behind him, next was Walter, and then Matthew was at the back once he started moving again. As the pace quicken slightly on the downhill segment were chatted a little less. This section of the course (Coosa Backcountry Trail) was somewhat enjoyable as it was this long gradual winding double-wide road/trail that eventually bottomed out near a creek and crossed West Wolf Creek Road before shooting straight back up the other side of the valley and continuing the Coosa Trail. I had taken the lead from Mike as we started to ascend again. I lead the pack as we trekked up steadily. There was only one questionable trail "fork" that could of went to the right (but did not look well-travelled), or to the left which was indeed the continuation of the main trail. I stopped here and waited to confirm with Matthew (the resident H9 expert) before continuing on, just to be sure. We did not need extra miles right off the start. After that I put my head down and just led the group upward again. With the warmth of the day starting and the buzz of the start of this multiday event my adrenaline was definitely flowing at this point. Sooner or later, I found myself looking back and realizing I was on my own. I was 3.98 Mi into the race once I knew this fact, as I recall looking at my watch and just mentally noted it. The Coosa Trail climb seemed to go on forever as the top of the mountain was looming in the distance above but never quite within reach. After crossing the trail intersection of the Calf Stomp Rd I knew it could not be too much further since the distance towards the declared AS distance was slowly being closed in on. The trail topped out at Coosa Bald 4,274 ft+ and I took a moment to enjoy the views and the sunshine - what an awesome time to be out on the trail!
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| Coosa Bald 4,274 ft+ |
A mere fraction of way into the race but I was on a high. I sent my wife a picture (the one above) and a message of my progress. Since a lot of the running of this route ended up being on the ridgeline, there ended up being cell service like 95%+ of the time (that was a nice bonus). Very shortly after Coosa Bald the trail joined the Ducan Ridge Trail (DRT) proper and maybe a mile from this point, mostly straight downhill I arrived at a small table set up at a crossroads. This was the first aid station: Fire Pit. Perry was there to greet us as we came through. He was unloading and setting up the area, prepping for the next few days of support to us and the other eventual distances. I don't think I even took anything during that first stop. I did stop and chat with Perry briefly as I passed through.
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Day 1 was the warmest, but ice was still
present in the shady areas. |
Continuing on the DRT passing over Buckeye Knob (3,733 ft+), Buck Knob (3,533 ft+), and West Wildcat Knob (3,526 ft+) and the trail bobbed and weaved among the trees following the natural contours of the mountains. This section became my favorite on the route only because it was the shortest segment of only 5 miles between the 2 aid stations. The second aid station was Mulky Gap located at another backroad intersection. I arrived and Brad the assitant RD was there still setting up this site. There was a small uHaul trailer and a simple table set out, but I could he was unloading all the supplies and getting this station set up just like the last one. Brad had water and Tailwind set out along with a couple of snacks for us on the table to ensure we had something to pick from. I opted for Tailwind to refill my flasks at this point and then proceeded to continue on. Glancing at my watch I was approximately two thirds of the way to the turnaround (assuming a nice even 20 Miles as advertised - but I was not falling for that round mileage just yet).
The day was nice and warm nearing the 50f mark in the sun and was near perfect running weather. There was little to no clouds at all in the sky from what I recall on this first day, it was just so nice to be out on this adventure in Northern Georgia. As I continued along the DRT, Brad had warned me of the next portion where I would need to follow the signs and get my bib punched, so I was on the look out for that to ensure I did not miss this on my first loop. About 1 mile from after the Mulky Gap AS I came up to the top of Akin Mountain where a slight clearing was which provided one of the few unobstructed views on the course. It happened to look back onto a lot of the route I had taken to get there so it was neat to take a minute and admire then trail from a distance. Coming down off this peak I continued on the DRT further and went up and down a couple more peaks Clements Mountain (3,490 ft+), Fish Knob (3,336 ft+), and High Top (3,293 ft+) before finally coming to the signs I was looking out for. The signs and markings were clear as this was the PEC (Pointless Elevation Change) as noted in the race description that I was warned about. Apparently the DRT used to go this way directly over this peak but it had to be rerouted a couple years ago, and since they wanted to ensure we didn't miss any elevation gain (?) he added the out & back bib punch...well just because (got to love ultrarunning!).
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PEC (Pointless Elevation Change) | Payne Knob 3,412 ft+
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I turned off the main trail and followed the well flagged PEC straight up Payne Knob and this very steep grade. It was nearly exactly half a mile up to the peak where the bib punch was, which meant it was about an exact 1-mile roundtrip on this PEC deviation. As I rejoined the DRT proper at the bottom again, I looked at the sign and confirmed that YES, I in fact that to do this PEC each way of the route every loop. This meant I had 10 Pointless Climbs in total to complete.
1/10 Pointless Climbs complete, only 9 more to go.
On the main Duncan Ridge Trail again I looked at my watch and knew it was around 2 miles to the turnaround. Coud this be true? Was it that close? Couple miles down the trail running on the side of the mountain it seemed with a never-flat footing I eventually came to a trail intersection flagged very well pointing me down the Benton MacKaye Trail. From here it was just over a mile, more or less straight down on windy trails. Finally, the road came into view after running in the tunnel of trees coming down the mountain. I had arrived at the turnaround and far end of the course at Skeenah Gap. My Garmin watch informed me that the outbound distance was about 23 Miles, so I knew the course was obviously going to be well over 200 Miles at this point, even though I was not only 10% progressed through my adventure. In my mind I would focus on loops, not the actual distance as there was no point to focus on these futile details like that.
Both Brad and Perry were there this time trekking up items from their vehicles to setup this aid station which was on a flat perch just above the Skeenah Gap Rd below. Had a very brief chat with them here as they gave me encouragement and greetings up to this point. I was on a blazing pace feeling good at right around 6 hours elapsed for this outbound portion of the course. I turned around to retrace my steps and return back to Vogel State Park.
I can't recall exactly where but I passed Matthew, then Mike, and finally Walter on the inbound as they were making their way to the Skeenah turnaround. I climbed back up Payne Knob and completed my second Pointless Climb. Once I got to the clearing up back on Akin Mountain peak I took in the views again and grabbed a couple pictures on this first loop in the daylight.
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| Akin Mountain 3,533 ft+ |
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| view from Akin Mountain 3,533 ft+ looking back across to the Duncan Ridge Trail (DRT) |
Passing through the 2 aid stations on the inbound they were both now unmanned, but they had drinks and snacks set out for us to grab. There was no/limited outside volunteers on the first couple days of our race but the Race Directors (Perry & Brad) were busy getting these various aid stations setup throughout the first 2 days and got more and more substantial every time we would come by, eventually being a full-on mini encampment safe havens from the wind and elements.
Leaving Fire Pit aid station on the inbound direction I ascended back upto the Coosa Bald peak and then started my final descent. The sun was setting and I did have to dig out my headlamp for the last bit of this first loop. The temperature started to drop quite fast as well now that sun had disappeared behind the mountains. Only a short while after I found the signs pointing down the "Road" section back. The course followed Calf Stomp Rd which was a double wide old jeep road winding along side of the mountain all the way down towards Wolf Gap. The race description warned us of this endless road, which certainly felt like it continued on the gradual descent never seeming to come to a conclusion. Finally, the rocky gravel road joined a small paved road which continued for maybe half a mile before returning me to Wolf Pen Gap which was just above the park. I knew I was close now to finishing my first full loop and being 20% complete.
Running through Vogel State Park in the darkness just sauntering along the park roads alone with no one around was a lonely excursion but very peaceful - right where I was supposed to be. I opened the door to the Group Lodge and came into the warmth after about 12.5 hours elapsed. I got my phone out and called my wife and kids to chat with them as I changed my clothes and ate some food. It was a nice brief dose of reality to check in with my kids before they went off to bed for night and me back into the darkness of the mountains. Overall, I was there for about 40 minutes before starting back out on my second loop. I put on my full lighting system, kogalla waist light and headlamp, as I prepared for a full night ahead. I layered up as it was slightly cooler now as well. My new plan was to finish off the next loop and then I'd lay down for a nap in my makeshift corner of a homebase in the Group Lodge. Based on my first loop timing I knew it would be well over 26 hours or so total before being able to get back. I equipped myself with some podcasts on my playlist queue and headed out.
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Loop 1/5 = 20% Complete | 12:26:54 elapsed
My Garmin stats: ~44 Mi & ~11,750 ft+ |
LOOP 2
Leaving the park after the mile of park roads and back into the engulfing darkness of the mountains. My momentum was still on a high at this point having the feeling on just finishing off a complete loop, only 4 more to go...eeek! It was going to be a long few day(s). The fist full night was fairly pleasant and free of the sleep depravations demons that eventually show up in these multiday ultras. I was still moving well and determined to keep my pace up best I could while feeling well early on. I listened to my podcasts which occupied from mind as I navigated the steep terrain now in adverse conditions of night versus the prior daylight when I had seen these trails prior.
I not sure I passed anyone here as the first 6 miles of the trail is where the course deviates before rejoining near Coosa Bald peak. I don't recall on this loop if I met my fellow runners here or not. I pressed forward through the aid stations, which were still unmanned at this point but much more set up and substantiable than the first loop. Passing through the Mulky Gap and the Pointless Climb (again) my focus was on getting to the far end turnaround point of Skeenah aid station. This run "down" to this point on the course seemed like the loneliest and that you were in the middle of nowhere.
The biggest thing I recall about loop 2 was that the wind started to pick up and was now whipping especially up high on the ridges. I wore a couple of long sleeves and my rain jacket to help deflect the elements. I stayed alert throughout the night and eventually the sunrise was here. I got the nice boost of the circadian rhythm alertness from the new daylight. I finished off loop 2 in the daylight of the morning coming in around 29.5 hours total elapsed time. Loop 2 took me near exact 16 hours roundtrip this time, which meant it was just after 13:00 local time by the time I arrived back at the Group Lodge. Nancy the main Start/Finish volunteer was there to greet me and ensure I had everything I needed as she assisted in getting me some warm food and sustenance before I laid down for my planned nap. I slept for a nice solid 82 minutes.
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| Loop 2/5 = 40% Complete | 16:19:41 loop2 time | 29:26:55 elapsed |
LOOP 3
After this refreshing break I awoke naturally and got up to eat some more food, assisted by Nancy who was there at the Group Lodge still. She made me a fresh burger which definitely hit the spot! (It was the first of many burgers in the next couple days). I gathered up my remaining gear and packed extra layers as a storm was scheduled to come in starting during this night bringing along with it lower temperatures as well. I sent another text to my family letting them my progress and then got ready for another full night.
As I set off into the light misty rain and passed Matthew coming into Vogal Park right as I was leaving, right near the Wolf Pen Gap road crossing. We had a brief hello and words of encouragement to each other. Only a couple hours of daylight persisted on the start of my third loop before the sunset became a reality. The trails were dark and peaceful out there as it was still only us 4 runners taking up the entirety of this DRT section. (I don't recall ever even seeing another hiker or trail user out there at all). At some point the weather had turned for the worse and the storm was rolling in and brought heavier rain, which turned to snow on the higher peaks. The wind was really whipping as well, which caused most of the chill. As long as you kept moving it was not too bad overall as the wind persisted and was bad more in the gaps and between the mountains.
Loop 3 seemed really lonely in my mind as I had passed the other runners and was on my own outbound journey to the far end of Skeenah Gap to the small empty tent of an aid station at the bottom of that long hill. It was cold and dark and there was nothing out there but me, myself, and I. Pressing on I persisted and turned around and headed back towards Vogal State Park yet again. Technically I was now halfway complete the Full Fury. At least I felt accomplished in this point. One of my water bottles had frozen up on the underside of the lid, yeah it was that cold out, but at least I was not needing alot of hydration in the colder temperatures (besides my other bottle was still good at that point).
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| Overnight rain turned to snow on night#2. |
This loop dragged on and seemed to progress slowly but I was still moving forward the entire time. I took some time at the aid stops on the inbound miles which I hadn't done too much at this point. I was utilizing these points as true rest points between my progress now at this point in the race. Daylight was coming again so I just wanted to keep moving and get back for my next nap. I had planned to nap now at each loop which should give me enough cumulative rest (based on my prior 200+ experience) to complete the event efficiently.
It was mid-morning when I finished off Loop 3. I was now officially on the "downhill" side of the event with only 2 loops remaining.
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| Loop 3/5 = 60% Complete | 18:27:54 loop3 time | 50:27:00 elapsed |
LOOP 4
My nap after loop 3 turned out to be 85 minutes, again waking naturally. Somehow, I've done enough of these mid-race ultra naps that my body knows to get up after one RE cycle of sleep (~90 minutes). For me this works best, so I don't even set an alarm anymore. I simply press start on my stopwatch and then track my total time resting by stopping it once I get up (this is why I reference nap times down to the minute). I ate another awesome hamburger made by Nancy after I had gotten up along with a small cup of coffee and some coke, along with some other bars and snacks they had. I had my fill and was ready to go again.
With a little more daylight on my side for the start of loop 4 I felt a renewed sense of optimism heading out. Since the prior night was so cold and windy I packed for the worst again assuming I'd have to layer up fully. The temperature in the daytime was not even getting that warm anymore, but at least it was above freezing (32f). Passing through the 2 aid stations I made decent stops again and got some warm food and chatted with the volunteers. There was now different shifts of volunteers covering all the aid stations in preparation for the other distances that would be joining the festivities. Each aid station also was now fully built up and fully tented in with heaters, chairs, and propane stoves to make up various warm foods for the runners. I was starting to enjoy a warm cup of ramen noodles or a burger at almost every aid station now to try and keep the calories pouring in. I was alone in the dark and trying to keep myself awake, so when I came upon the Pointless Climb for the now 7th time I left my race vest at the bottom and carried my bib up with me. To keep my mind sharp and occupied I took the opportunity on the climb up to rearrange and reflag all the flags that had been knocked over and were hidden off to the side. This concentration on this small side task kept me busy as I made the climb. It seemed to work as I no longer felt like I was sleepwalking like I had been just prior. Just one more of the little tricks I've learned over the course of many multiday ultras.
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| One of many AS made-to-order burgers. Yum! |
Coming down the PEC and back onto the Duncan Ridge Trail and onto the far end of the course to try and reach that lonely pointy end of Skeenah Gap aid station. This time the tent was no longer an empty desolate place, but had a couple volunteers there, including photographer Pete Schreier. So it was nice to sit down, get another fresh burger, a full can of LMNT (cherry lime !), and share some conversation with humans again. It was sometime in the middle of the night again...I had lost track of time, but I just know I still had 1.5 loops to go. Heading back from Skeenah the sleep demons were chasing me the whole way. I was just trying to get back where I could then focus a dedicated sleep again at the Group Lodge. I passed back through Mulky Gap AS inbound and that is where I met Walter (coming outbound). We were sitting and chatting inside the warm tent area awaiting warm food and such and I just realized I needed sleep as he was talking I started to doze off. So after Walt got up and headed on his way, I opted for a quick chair nap there in the aid station just sitting with a blanket on me. I closed my eyes set my iPhone stopwatch and next thing I knew it said 42 minutes once I came to - man, guess I really was tired. This unplanned sleep got me the boost I needed to get back and finish off the loop. I did finally pass a couple of the 100 Mi/100 km runners whom we just starting their 2nd loops as I was coming in from the last aid station heading back.
Arriving back at the Group Lodge for the finish of my 4th loop I decided to stick to my plan and maintain my planned sleep again here. I lied down and slept for another solid 84 minutes this time.
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| My little corner of the Group Lodge. |
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| My sleep setup in the Group Lodge. |
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| Loop 4/5 = 80% Complete | 19:57:49 loop4 time | 73:03:18 elapsed |
LOOP 5
With now four out of five loops complete the sense of accomplishment was there, but the job was not done yet. I still had to log in more than 60 mountainous km's before I could call myself a H9 finisher. It had also already been more than 3 days elapsed (73 hrs+) so it was hard mentally a little bit as this was going to be one of my longer 200-ish efforts. I knew at this point I'd be around 93-ish+ hours for the complete effort based on my current pace and last loop time.
With daybreak upon me after my nap I felt another fresh sense of adrenaline even if my body was not fully ready. So much of these long ultras is to convince your body that were still doing this and just to press on, sooner or later your legs fall into line if you mind is on track for forward progress - which is why that end goal is really the only thing we need to focus on and will into fortition. Seeing yourself finishing these hard events, and eventually you will find yourself doing just such things.
I don't even recall a lot of things that occurred on my final loop. I know that it was a nice sunny day when I started and my mind was in a good place (as noted above) so I kept moving forward, albeit slowly at this point. Eventually I passed Walter & Mike somewhere along the way as I was outbound and they were both on their inbound miles to finish off their 4th loops. Getting all the way to Skeenah for the final time felt like a huge accomplishment. Now it was just a simple 21 Mi-ish long run back to Vogel State Park.
I felt like I was simply running burger-to-burger at this point getting one at each chance I could at the various aid stops. Around Mulky Gap or so rain started to fall, as mother nature wanted to ensure my finish was not too easy of jaunt in. The ambiant temperature dropped below freezing again and the rain turned into heavy wet snow up on the high points of the course. This time the rocks and terrain was actually made a little bit slippery so my pace slowed considerably as I planted and intentionally placed my feet especially heading downhill. I did not want to slip at this point. I did encounter a couple of the other runners (most likely 100 Mi) & their pacers(?) as well. I simply gave a wave and nod as we passed since everyone was just moving forward to get through the rain/snow progressing the best they could. After the very last aid station, at Fire Pit AS, the volunteers told me Mike David was about 30 minutes ahead of me, so there was a chance I could catch him before getting back. That was not my goal but once I got to the final road section (Calf Stomp Rd) and turned down this route I noticed a headlamp bobbing ahead of me in the distance. I caught up to Mike in the rain which was steadily dripping down now at this point. I came up on him and started to chat. He was clearly in a sleep deprived mode finishing off his 4th loop at this point. I recall it being around 05:30 in the morning when we were running side by side down this never-ending rocky, rutty road. I could tell Mike was not quite to keeping up with me even after we chatted for about 10 minutes. I'll sure I helped him wake up a little, but I was being called by the finish and so my adrenaline was starting to surge. I wished Mike luck and told him I'd see him back at the Lodge. He wished me luck back and gave me early congratulations.
Sunlight was barley starting to make an entrance into the day yet, but signs of it appeared behind the mountains. Official sunrise was around 07:50 and I was coming into the State Park roads around 06:30 and finished before 07:00. The rain continued to slowly pepper me as I trotted into the finish round the last gradual turn before I could see the Group Lodge. No fan fair, no official line, I came up to the Lodge opened the door and walked in and stopped my Garmin. There was a small gaggle of ultrarunners forming as the last event (the 40 Mi) was about to start at 08:00 so they were all gathering, checking in, and prepping. Nancy Lewis the aid station head volunteer then recognized I had arrived admits the other runners and came directly over to hug me and congratulate me. Naturally she was offering me all the food fixings right away as well. I had to turn that down for the immediate time as my priority resided in getting out of my wet layers and into something dry and maybe more importantly simply get off my feet.
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| Loop 5/5 = 100% Complete | 19:13:07 loop5 time | 94:41:13 elapsed |
Perry was there as well getting the last event off, but he came over and shake my hand and made sure everything was ok on my side. Once the other runners got sent off Perry came over and chatted a bit more and ensure I had gotten my finishing swag: a nice hand-made jug, hand-welded H9 plaque, and a 200 Mi custom print. We took a couple finisher photos as well at this point.
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| Me with RD Perry Sebastian after finishing 2026 Fierce Dragon (H9). |
H9 FINAL THOUGHTS
The Dragon is Fierce indeed!
Grassroots: This event is one of those lesser-known niche events, but if you are a true 200 Miler adventure seeker this might be one to put on your list. It is possibly one of the (if not THE) hardest 200+ Miler in North America. The only other one comparable in stats I can find is of the course the grad daddy of 200s (TdG: 208 Mi, 85-90k ft+). I am sure there are others, perhaps in Europe, but none that I personally know of.
Distance: This course is closer to 235 Mi which is (~47 Mi per loop). Overall my Garmin settled right around this mark. I know that Walt's distance was 231 Mi I think I recall, and not yet been able to confirm or find Matthew's activity. However based on some of the talks of prior years the race ranges between 230-245 Miles.
Sleep: In retrospect the start finish Group Lodge was really the only spot to get a proper dedicated sleep since it is easy to have a sleep pad/bag etc right in the Group Lodge itself (like I did), or in a support van (like Walt), or even if you are staying in the campground cabins (like Matthew). Otherwise, you rely on the mercy of the aid stations where it is noisy with generators and elements like the wind could very easily disrupt proper rest. But as most people may know in the 200-niche, sometimes you don't have a choice of where you choose/get to sleep.
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| Vogel State Park Group Lodge. |
Fellow Runners:
- Matthew Holappa- Wow! A now 3-time finisher of the Fierce Dragon. Truly incredible once you understand the course and weather conditions out there.
- Walter Handloser- Congratulations on your 2nd 200(+) already in 2026 and best of luck on your continued success on your "year of 200s"
- Mike Davis- very valiant effort sir. Well done on completing 80% of the course and probably logging close to 200 Miles anyway.
RESULTS BY THE NUMBERS
- Distance: 237.56 Mi (382.31 km)
- Elevation: 60,656 ft+ (18,488 m+) a mere double-Everest!
- 1st overall
- Total Sleep Time: 4h 53m (5.16% of my total race time)
- 82m nap (~94 Mi after loop2) at the start/finish Group Lodge AS
- 85m nap (~141 Mi after loop3) at the start/finish Group Lodge AS
- 42m chair nap (~177 Mi) at Mulky Gap AS inbound loop3
- 84m nap (~188 Mi after loop4) at the start/finish Group Lodge AS
- Total Aid Station "stopped time": 8h 16m (8.73% of my total race time)
- This was my 131st ultramarathon run, my 10th 200 Mi(+) and my 49th 100Mi(+) completed.
- My STRAVA: H9 Fierce Dragon 200 (1st overall), Blairsville, GA | Run | Strava
- HAE Results: Fierce Dragon
- UltraSignup: 2026 Fierce Dragon (H9) 200 Miler - Results
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| My own data analysis based on my Garmin recorded stats. |
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| Finishers feet. |
GEAR
- Jackets- rabbit Treeline rain jacket (rabbitELITEtrail team kit), rabbit Let ‘er Zip
- Gloves- BOCO/rabbit, The North Face The Apex
- Lighting setup- kogalla RA Adventure Light (waistlamp) & Nathan Sports Halo Fire (headlamp)
- LS Shirt(s)- rabbit LS (rabbitELITEtrail team kit), rabbit Layer One (rabbitELITEtrail team kit), rabbit UPF 30 Deflector (hood)
- Shorts- rabbit 5" shredders 2-in-1 trail
- Pants- rabbit Runners (rabbitELITEtrail team kit)
- Headwear- rabbit/rnnr (rabbitELITEtrail team kit), BOCO/rabbit beenie
- Eyewear- goodr
- Shoes- rabbit High Country (rabbitELITEtrail edition)
- Socks- injinji (5 pairs - one each loop)
- Hydration- NATHAN Trailmix 12L race pack with x2 20oz soft flasks
- Anti-Friction Lube- Squirrels Nut Butter
- Foot Tape- Trail Toes
- GPS tracker- provided by the event
- Watch- Garmin fēnix® 6X - Pro Solar Edition
- Cell Phone- apple iPhone 16e (also with Gaia GPS app)
- Gear Bags- Victory Sportdesign (Grizzly Backpack)
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| Enjoying some nice warm coffee back home in TX out of my new hard-earned mug! |
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Thanks for reading my race recap & learning about H9.
Next up: Rocky Raccoon (t.b.d.??? 2026-Feb-07), High Lonesome 100 (2026-Jul-17)
Sam's Last Stand
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