45 - Asheville Marathon, Asheville, North Carolina

The Asheville Marathon was a challenge, but it was well worth it. Carol, my close friend from NYC, choose this as her second marathon and suggested it as the one I should do for my North Carolina marathon.  In addition to getting to run with Carol, another big selling point for this marathon is that Asheville is known as beer city!


We arrived late Friday morning in Charlotte, rented a car, and drove to Asheville.  The weekend was filled with carbo loading, hydrating, and napping...

Carol

Friday: 
Lunch: The Blackbird - Battle of Brocks Mill Smoked Porter
To hotel (Marathon host hotel - Doubletree) for nap...
Waiting for table at Tupelo Honey Cafe: Beers at some dive bar that we never got the name of
Dinner: Tupelo Honey Cafe - Rye Ale
After dinner: Browsed the books at Battery Park - a Book Exchange, Champagne, Espresso and Dog Bar

Carol

Saturday:
Breakfast: Early Girl Eatery
Back to hotel for nap...
Afternoon: Run/walk around Biltmore Village
Late afternoon: Catawba Brewery
Early dinner:  Corner Kitchen



Sunday:
Early morning: Took a bus from our hotel to start of marathon at the Biltmore Estate; the entire marathon was run on the grounds of the Biltmore Estate.

Carol in front of the Biltmore House

"This country retreat, built for George Washington Vanderbilt III, is located in the scenic Appalachian mountains in western North Carolina in the town of Asheville, known in the late nineteenth century as a health resort. This large estate was planned as self-supporting with gardens, a nursery, farms, and forests surrounding the estate.  The name Biltmore derives from 'Bildt,' Vanderbilt's ancestors' place of origin in Holland, and 'More,' Anglo-Saxon for open, rolling land.

(http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/ncarolina/biltmore/biltmoreintro.html)

It was a chilly, cloudy morning with 100% rain expected by 10 AM.  When we started at 7:30 AM it was drizzling, by about 9 AM it was rain, which continued for the entire marathon. Two-thirds of the marathon was on a dirt trail/road, which soon become slippery mud. This was one of my first marathons where I got colder and colder as the marathon went on.

Blankets were given out at the finish line, thank goodness!  

We were soaked and cold by the time we crossed the finish line and the blanket was perfect finish swag. We grabbed some food and our can of free beer and returned to our hotel for hot showers as soon as we could. Horrible was the word that came immediately to our minds to best describe the experience, all because of the weather.  But that "horrible" experience did NOT keep us down...




After we warmed up, we enjoyed our free beer in the room and then snacks down at TGI Fridays, which was conveniently attached to the hotel.  Then is was time for NAPS!

Marathon celebration dinner that night was at the Wicked Weed Brewing.

"King Henry VIII declared hops 'A wicked and pernicious weed' destined to ruin beer. Independent brewers were driven by their rebel integrity to defy the king, embrace the hop and create beer for the untamed palate. Today, rebel integrity drives our defiant beer." 

Wicked Weed Brewing Mural

Monday:
Flew home.