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The Lake Martin 100, 50 & 27 Mile Trail Race
March 17th and 18th, 2018, Russell Forest Trail System on Lake Martin
In East-Central Alabama near Alexander City
Start of the 2018 Lake Martin 100 UltraRuns (by Suman Silwal - MarathonRuns/UltraRus/MRuns.com)
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Suman Silwal's amazing video of his 5th Finish of the Lake Martin 100.
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Map of Harbor Lodge area
Packet Pickup and Meeting Location, coming from Alexander City. Turn in 0.4 mile past Kowaliga Bridge at the second Children's Harbor entrance. Enter and take immediate right. Park anywhere you can find a place. |
Parking for Motorhomes and Vehicles with trailers
Drive 7/10 mile past Kowaliga Bridge to 3rd Children's Harbor Entrance (Construction Entrance). Walk through the gate and follow the path to Meeting Center. |
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Learn more about the upcoming 2018 Lake Martin 100.
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2018 Manual is now available.
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We have just added an option for a pre-race dinner at Harbor Lodge before the race.
The dinner will be $13.00 per person (including $2 gratuity) and you must make reservations no later than March 6th. Logan Cook is a professional caterer who prepares food for all Southeastern Trail Runs races and he is good. He will have a Chipotle style Mexican dinner with good pre-100 mile race food with several options including vegetarian selections. Dinner will start at 5:15 PM. The pre-race meeting will follow immediately.
Click on image to view the 2017 Lake Martin 100 video on YouTube
About the Lake Martin 100:
The Lake Martin 100 was designed from the ground up to be the perfect step-up from a 50K to a 50 mile or from a 50 mile to your first 100 mile trial race. Our goal is your success. We promise to do everything in our power to help you accomplish your ultra goal, whether that goal is to run your first ultra, the 27 Mile Fun Run, or to break 21 hours in the 100. We also pledge to make your race experience Fun! The race will be hard. All those beautiful hills become steeper and longer with each successive lap. Those gentle carriage paths become very long about mile 80. But if you have put in enough training miles, we will encourage you, push you, help you, and even yell at you if necessary, to get you to the end. We might even let you rest occasionally. If you are ready, you can do it.
Non-Technical Defined: I describe the Lake Martin trails as non-technical. If you the regularly run ultras on single track trails, you will agree the LM100 trails are non-technical. If you're a road runner or only run on trails groomed by machines, you may not agree. Some Russell Forest Trails have lots of small rocks on them about the size of your fist. There are also roots on all the single track trails. You simply have to pay attention where you step. I was one for 35 years. For a roadrunner, it's like running down an old sidewalk with a few crack, holes and uneven blocks. Watch where you step.
For experienced 100 mile runners the lake Martin 100 is no “Walk in the Park.” My Suunto Ambit 3 Vertical GPS watch shows almost 14,000 feet of elevation gain. Probably the true elevation gain is more like 13,000 but the course is very hilly. There are virtually no sections that could be called flat. There are also no big climbs. Almost all of the hills range from 50 to 100 feet of elevation gain but those small hills are relentless. If you alternate walking and running, you will not need to time the cycles. The Lake Martin 100 Official Cutoff is 32 Hours. The 50 Mile and 27 Mile Cutoffs are16 Hours. Actually, we don't enforce any cutoffs at the Lake Martin 100. If you require 20 hours to reach the 50 mile mark, you are a finisher. Same with the 27 Mile. Also, if you register for the 100 or 50 and have to drop down, you are still a finisher if you cover at least 27 miles. (Exception, You MUST be off the trails before sunset Sunday. That's a Russell Land's Rule)
Start and Finish Location: The race starts at the Cabin, Located in Russell Crossroads. This is also the location of the Cabin Aid Station:
Address: Russell Crossroads, 288 Stables Loop, Alexander City, AL 35010. GPS coordinates are: 32.763937, -85.945281
Registration at Ultrasignup: Registration now
1st Price Increase - February 1, 2018: Entry fees will increase so sign up early.
2nd Price Increase - March 1, 2018: Final Entry fees increase.
Getting to the Lake Martin 100 start at the Cabin at Russell Crossroads:
The Lake Martin in run on the Private Lands of the Russell Forest Trail System at Starts at Russell Crossroads, 10 miles south of Alexander City, Alabama, in east-central Alabama. The closet airport is in Montgomery, Alabama, 49 miles southwest of Lake Martin. Birmingham's Shuttlesworth Airport is 89 miles to the northwest. Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson airport is 137 miles east northeast.
Children's Harbor is the location of the iconic Lighthouse on Lake Martin 100 Buckles and Shirts. It is also a camp built and donated by Ben and Luanne Russell to provide special services to kids with serious illnesses. Children's Harbor is the location of Camp Smile-A-Mile, Alabama's camp for Kids with cancer , one of 20 organizations that use the camp. Smile-A-Mile is the recipient of the money raised from the first race Southeastern Trial Runs created in 2011, the Run for Kids Challenge. To date RFK has raised over $40,000.
We have reserving Harbor Lodge at Children's Harbor located just 3 miles for the start of the Lake Martin 100 at Russell Crossroads. The lodge has 11 separate cabins in a beautiful setting by the lake. Each cabin has 4 individual rooms. Each rooms has a private entrance, private bath and sleeps up to 5. Each room has two twin beds and a bunk bed plus a pullout sofa bed. The rooms are basic but neat and clean. Each room will rent for $80 per night. That's the entire rental price. No additional taxes or fees. We have reserved the entire Harbor Lodge, 44 rooms, for Friday and Saturday night so we can only accept reservations for both nights. Additional nights before or after the race will likely be available for $30 per night per person, subject to availability. Additional night can only be reserved 8 days before the race. We will send out an email the week before the race with info on additional nights.
Race Weekend Schedule
Friday, March 16th - 3:00 PM. to 5:00 PM - Package Pickup for all races will be Friday afternoon at the Harbor Lodge at Children's Harbor. There will also be late registration for the 50 mile and 27 mile races if they are not sold out. When you pick up your packet you will be required to sign a release form for Russell Land's. We will accept drop bags for 50 and 100 mile races only, for the Heaven Hill Aid Station during package pickup. Be sure your bags are properly labeled with Name, Bib # and Aid Station. Drop bags for the Cabin Aid Station should be taken to the start Saturday morning. Be sure to place dropbags for Heaven Hill in the designated location. Drop bags for the Cabin may be left on the porch of the cabin or in your car if it's convenient. Your crew is welcome to set up personal aid stations along the gravel road or in the field across from the cabin. We will not accept dropbags for Heaven Hill from 27 mile runners but you may leave a bag at the cabin. Here is a link on Google Map to the Meeting Center at Children's Harbor from Russell Crossroads.
GPS Coordinates for The Cabin at Russell Crossroads: Lat. 32.763928, Lon. -85.945330 - Link to Google Maps Cabin Start Location.
Dr. Beau and Dr. Sloan Beard, owners of the F.A.R.M. Chiropractic Center in Birmingham, will be at the Harbor Lodge starting at 4 PM on March 16th providing pre-race soft tissue, stretching, taping and minor injury care. Use the link below to schedule a time. This service is provided to all registered runners at no charge.
GPS Coordinates for The Cabin at Russell Crossroads: Lat. 32.763928, Lon. -85.945330 - Link to Google Maps Cabin Start Location.
Dr. Beau and Dr. Sloan Beard, owners of the F.A.R.M. Chiropractic Center in Birmingham, will be at the Harbor Lodge starting at 4 PM on March 16th providing pre-race soft tissue, stretching, taping and minor injury care. Use the link below to schedule a time. This service is provided to all registered runners at no charge.
Friday, March 16th - 5:15 PM - Following package pickup we will have a pre-race dinner in the Harbor Lodge dining room at Children's Harbor. The meal will be catered by Logan Cook who provides food for all Southeastern Trail Runs races. The meal will be hot, Chipotle style Mexican Dinner dinner with several options including vegetarian fare. Following dinner there will be a pre-race briefing for ALL 100 MILE RUNNERS. It is not mandatory but we highly recommend being there if at all possible. We will cover such things as trail marking, course conditions, any last minute changes, etc. and answer any questions. We also encourage all 50 and 27 mile runners to attend. If you arrive late you may pick up your race packet Friday night after the meeting.
Saturday, March 17th - 5:30 to 6:25AM - No race day registration - Race packets for the 100, 50 and 27 mile races may be picked up Saturday Morning at the Cabin Start area. If you arrive later than 6:25 AM you may not be able to get your race packet until after the race start. Your start may be delayed as much as 15 minutes so please arrive early. 100 mile and 50 mile runners may bring drop bags to the start Saturday Morning but if you wish to send a drop bag to Heaven Hill aid station please have it there by 6:15 AM. 27 mile runners may only have a dropbag at the start.
Saturday, March 17th - 6:45 AM - Start of the 100, 50 and 27 mile races. (Sunrise - 6:49 AM - Sunset - 6:54 PM) If you expect to take more than 11 hours to run the 50 you should have a flashlight or headlamp with you or have one in your dropbag at the Cabin.
Saturday, March 17 - 10:45 PM - 50 Mile and 27 mile races will end. (16 hour cutoff)
Sunday, March 18 - 2:45 PM - Race course will officially close. (32 hour time limit) There will be mandatory cutoffs in place at the start finish area at the start of the third and fourth laps of the 100. The cutoff will be very generous. Awards will be presented as runners finish. Any 100 mile runners are not required to stop at the 32 hour cutoff. As long as you can make it back to the Cabin before sunset you may continue running. We are required to dismantle and clean up the star/finish area so everything may be gone when you finish. You are still a 100 mile finisher and receive a Lake Martin 100 Buckle and finisher hat. If you think you may need more than 33 hours to finish you need to have crew members to stay at the Cabin until you make it back.
Saturday, March 17th - 5:30 to 6:25AM - No race day registration - Race packets for the 100, 50 and 27 mile races may be picked up Saturday Morning at the Cabin Start area. If you arrive later than 6:25 AM you may not be able to get your race packet until after the race start. Your start may be delayed as much as 15 minutes so please arrive early. 100 mile and 50 mile runners may bring drop bags to the start Saturday Morning but if you wish to send a drop bag to Heaven Hill aid station please have it there by 6:15 AM. 27 mile runners may only have a dropbag at the start.
Saturday, March 17th - 6:45 AM - Start of the 100, 50 and 27 mile races. (Sunrise - 6:49 AM - Sunset - 6:54 PM) If you expect to take more than 11 hours to run the 50 you should have a flashlight or headlamp with you or have one in your dropbag at the Cabin.
Saturday, March 17 - 10:45 PM - 50 Mile and 27 mile races will end. (16 hour cutoff)
Sunday, March 18 - 2:45 PM - Race course will officially close. (32 hour time limit) There will be mandatory cutoffs in place at the start finish area at the start of the third and fourth laps of the 100. The cutoff will be very generous. Awards will be presented as runners finish. Any 100 mile runners are not required to stop at the 32 hour cutoff. As long as you can make it back to the Cabin before sunset you may continue running. We are required to dismantle and clean up the star/finish area so everything may be gone when you finish. You are still a 100 mile finisher and receive a Lake Martin 100 Buckle and finisher hat. If you think you may need more than 33 hours to finish you need to have crew members to stay at the Cabin until you make it back.
The Lake Martin 100 Course, 25 Mile Loop on the Russell Lands Map.
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Terrain Map of the Lake Martin 100 Course.
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Elevation Profile of the Lake Martin 100 Course - 25 Mile loop. The Profile is color coded to the Russell Lands Map above.
Good video of the 2017 Lake Martin 100, 27 Mile Fun Run.
by Bradley Gann and Eagle Film.
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An interview with Karl Meltzer by Marathon Runs at MRuns.com before the 2016 Lake Martin 100. Karl set a new course record, 16:56:57.
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Photos by MRuns.Com from the 2017 Lake Martin 100.
Another video by Suman Silwal (MRuns.com) made as he ran and finished his 4th Lake Martin 100. Interesting insight into running a 100.
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This is a link to a very good post by Worth Parker about running and finishing the 2017 LM100.
MRuns.com images from the 2106 Lake Martin 100.
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