Country Road Runner

The Mad Mallard trail race was this past weekend (July 10 & 11, 2026) at Henry Horton State Park in Chapel Hill, Tennessee supporting the SGT David Hierholzer Fallen Warrior Foundation.

I arrived a little early Friday to set up my canopy and help with any preparation the race director needed.

There were several other groups that set up tents for their runners.

The race started at 7pm, but we were able to get the first few laps done before pulling out our headlamps.

The 3.25ish mile loop included the wetlands and the woods. The trail included rocks and roots with some small inclines.

The photographer did a great job of capturing every moment. Pete with Schreiner Trail Photographer has been a few of the races I have participated in.

It was fun to have the girls run with me. They both signed up for the 12 hour.

Some additional pictures from the race.

My strategy for the race was in the cooler hours run the wetland and walk the trail and when it got hotter to walk the wetlands and run the trail. My hydration and fuel was on point for most of the race. Carrying a water flask with me while I ran and drinking electrolytes at the completion of every loop. Did several gels, but enjoyed the watermelon, quesadillas, breakfast burritos and bacon as well.

I managed to run for 20:55:33 and completed 63.3 miles. Hope to be back next year for a few more miles and hours.

Love this race. So many friends from so many running groups. The RDs are some of the best.

Faster For Foster” trail race benefiting New To You, Inc! New To You is a local 501(c)3 nonprofit that supports foster children in Middle TN. Some of the things provided to foster children include clothing, diapers, personal items, furniture, and tuition for trade school.

This was my 3rd year running Faster For Foster. I ran the inaugural 5k three years ago. Then last year I ran the 10k, winning and setting the course record. For 2026, I signed up for the 10k and signed my youngest up to run with our dog.

The 10k had several fast runners this year and I managed to come in 5th overall. Only 2 minutes slower than last year.

Always happy to support a great cause and enjoy seeing so many good friends out on the trails.

The Tom King Half Marathon was held on Saturday, February 28, 2026. This was my second time running the race as a part of the Corporate Challenge for First Horizon Bank.

Last year First Horizon came in first in their division, but with fewer runners this year, we ended up in 2nd place.

Due to the flat nature of the course, many runners come out for a PR. My time was not as fast as last year, but for a half marathon, finishing under 1:40 still felt pretty strong.

Started the race in the middle of the pack. Near the half mile mark I found myself behind a couple ladies that had a pace where I felt comfortable. However, when the time showed a pace of 7:05 at mile one, I knew that I needed to slow down if I was going to make it another 12.

Slowed it down a little and got into a rhythm. Managed to finish 52nd overall and first in my age group.

A few pictures from race day morning.

#TomKingHalfMarathon. #roadrace

Well, I have now run the Bell Ringer 6 times. The 50k three times, 25k twice and 15k once.

The race is well organized, the trail is challenging and the scenery is great.

We stayed at the hotel this year since we were running the 50k, I did not want to drive the hour up that morning and then run the race.

It is always fun to see which friends will show up and what distance they chose. Even had some mostly road running here this year.

This year I ran the 50k with my 2nd oldest and my youngest ran the 15k with a goal of getting on the podium.

I decided to wear my grinch shirt and socks along with a Santa hat. I even let my youngest put glitter on my face and on my hair.

Although a storm had come through the park and knocked down over 300 trees, they managed to clear most of the trails. There was some rerouting from prior years, but not much.

The race starts on a park road then moves to the golf course path before moving to the trails of the park. The trails include both single track and jeep.

Although it started out pretty cold, it did warm up nicely. Eventually took off the gloves and rolled up the shirt sleeves.

I believe the finish line was a welcome site for both of us. Excited to see what distance we all choose next year and who else will join us.

@bellringertrail @montgomerybellstatepark

The Natchez Trace trail run had a 50 miler, marathon, half-marathon and half-marathon ruck.

I signed up for the half-marathon to run with a buddy doing his longest trail race.

The race is done by Hardwin Adventures who puts on several great races here in middle Tennessee. I have to admit, I was hesitant as I have gotten lost at his Music City Trail 25k in the past.

My fear was not unwarranted as we all had to wear ankle trackers.

We all met at the Garrison Post rest stop and were bussed to the start line about 10 miles down the road.

We ran down the road a short distance and entered the trail in single file. We started out fast to get ahead of the slow conga line.

Yes, I am carrying a small plastic water bottle. I could not decide on wearing a vest or just carrying a flask, so I ended up just carrying the small bottle. Which was great for 5 miles until it was empty. There were a couple of aid stations, but we did not stop.

The course was well marked. A couple of road crossings slowed us down a little bit, but did not make a huge difference in our time or experience.

The trail was beautiful and challenging. The creek crossings added to the fun.

The Run Nash Half was October 25, 2025 and was another great race sponsored by First Horizon Bank.

We did packet pick up the day before and had some fun.

It was an early morning. Waking up at 5:00 to make sure I had plenty of time to find parking and get to the start line. Found Emma and we made our way to the starting line.

Emma and I had a goal of a couple hours and found a very comfortable rhythm.

Overall, the Run Nash Half is well done from the packet pick up to the end of race experience. However, I feel that there are one to many out and backs to make the race more enjoyable.

#halfmarathon. #runnashhalf. #skratchlabs

The race director for the Mad Mallard is also a member of the scal-a-wag trail run club. As a long time member of the group, I had to sign up to support him and the Henry Horton state park where the event was held. The money also goes to the Fallen Warrior Foundation in honor of Sgt. David Hierholzer raising money for the less fortunate in Marshall County Tennessee.

The race takes place at the Ronnie Bowers Wetland Trail at the Park. The trail consisted of about a mile of grass through the wetlands and two mile of trail as an out and back lollipop shape.

I signed up for the 24 hour race and 3 of my daughters signed up for the 6 hour race.

I took Friday off to help get our group ready for the start of the race that evening at 7pm. we packed two coolers of ice, all sorts of snacks and hydration as well as bug spray and suntan lotion to run through the next day. The chairs were also very important.

The race started at 7pm we had the National Anthem and then a brief word from the race director.

The girls and I all had different running strategies, so we did not stay together. However, we did see each other several times on the trail.

My original strategy was to run the wetland and walk the trail, but with my longest training time at 6 hours, I decided to walk the entire time.

Running through the night was an awesome experience on the wetlands with only the headlamps of the other runners out on the trail. Each lap that I finished I made sure I ate a watermelon on the way in, refilled my hydration and grabbed a quesadilla on my way out.

I managed to run 48 miles in 17 hours. I ended up having to stop due to some pretty nasty blisters. My daughter lanced the two on my heel, but I over compensated and ended up with a few on the balls of my feet. Great race and awesome time.

Did manage one change of clothes for the race.

Will come back next year and make it the full 24 hours. Will definitely be sure to take care of my feet before the race.

My employer had tickets to the #rocknrollnashville marathon and offered them four weeks out.

Not the normal amount of time needed to train for a race of this distance, but was curious to see what my base training would get me.

Took my youngest with me to the race expo and we had a lot of fun.

Getting ready for race day. Decided on the running vest to ensure I was able to use my favorite electrolytes (#skratchlabs).

With no corral number given and a goal of not DNFing, I started in the back.

This race was interesting in that I did not stick to the plan of walking gnome mile every six. Started out strong and kept going. ended up walking the last ten miles and that was rough.

Faster for Foster Trail Race 5k and 10k is a great event to raise funds for foster care in middle Tennessee. The race is sponsored by New to You and if you have an opportunity to support them or participate in an event, you should.

The race is held at Preservation Park in Thompson’s Station which is not too far from my house. This allowed for time to train on the 5k course. I started out with one loop and built up to 4 loops with a turn time of 30 minutes or less each.

The original race last year was just a 5k, so the 10k addition was two loops.

Some pictures from race day.

Yes, crazy! First place overall and as of 2025, current course record holder.