by Malcolm White
Although this course is located in Raleigh, North Carolina, the
NC State cross country course that hosts the Wolfpack Invitational
every year is the hardest course I have ever seen. It is the slowest
course in the state by a minute at least. The course is set up next
to the Pet Hospital on the NC State campus and is composed of a
golf course and an old field which was once used by the university,
I believe.
The course starts downhill on the fairway of the golf course, before
taking a sharp turn left to continue downhill. The start is the
easiest part of the course and encourages fast starts. Woe to those
who do so for they will pay the price later.
About 600 meters into the race the runners are shot down a steep
slope of part of the golf course fairway before climbing a moderate
50 meter hill to return from the valley. After this, there is a
quick 90 degree right turn that leads downhill across rolling pastures
with the smell of manure reeking in one's nostrils. The trail is
made of thick packed dirt with gravel mixed in.
After these downhill slopes, runners trek over rolling up and downhills
that are not steep but consistent and wear on the legs. First mile
times are often fast but pace slows dramatically soon afterwards.
Shortly after the mile, there is the only straight flat stretch
of the course, a 100 meter stretch of rocky gravel path that leads
to a hairpin turn in very rough footing and a brief downhill before
the runners encounter the hill.
The hill looks steep from the bottom but short, only 15 meters
or so of very tough uphill climb. After the runner climbs the first
hill and feels encouraged, there is immediately a second hill that
looms right in from of him/her. It is the exact same type as the
one just conquered and provides horrible deja vu.
The second climb up the hill feels like a standstill, as already
tired legs seem to lock up with lactic acid on the climb. After
this demoralizing duo, the runner feels relieved to only have to
trek up another 100 meters of steady uphill that burns the legs
deeply from oxygen deprivation.
The runners take a 90 degree turn to their left after this and
run along a pretty area of the golf course that is the same section
as the downhill start. Only now it is a steady incline, with the
grass seeming to suck in
feet on each step and making it extremely hard to push off. The
runners cross back across the starting line for the two mile, and
promptly travel downhill to do the loop once again. The second attempt
on the hill makes one seriously question his dedication to the sport
he loves due to the excruciating physical pain.
Once up the hill, the final 600 meter loop around the edge of the
golf course is very soft grass and prevents many from any semblance
of a kick, as the final 200 meters are all slanting uphill in grass.
Not only is this course challenging, but it also happens to be,
on any given year, about 5240 meters. This race is run either the
third or fourth weekend in September, and temperatures in the past
two years have been 95 degrees at the start of more. There is no
shade on the course and the sun drains the energy very quickly,
while humidity makes the runner dizzy from the effort.
For comparison, there are not many record times set on this course.
Matt Debole finished 2nd in Footlocker South Regionals last year
with a 14:49 on very flat McAlpine park in Charlotte. This year
in 2002 at Wolfpack, he ran 16:34. A total of 12 competitors in
the Championship race were under 18:00, all of whom usually run
very low 16:00's on moderate North Carolina courses. I wish I could
see some other course in more mountainous regions, but I believe
this one in Raleigh definitely holds up to many others in difficulty.
Toughest Courses
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