New River Trail Races 50K 2026 – Back to the Original

Posted on April 12, 2026 by Jake Kim

Remembering the beautiful scenery last year, I knew I would and did sign up for my second 50K at the New River Trail Races in as many years, hosted by Southwest Virginia Running in Fries, Virginia, on April 11, 2026. The differences would be that the course would return to the original–last year required a slight modification due to the ongoing effect of Hurricane Helene–and the much hotter forecast. For a couple of weeks, my legs felt fatigued not during but after each of my relatively short runs in my new snug ASICS sneakers, and I initially blamed the shoes being too tight and became concerned prior to realizing I likely just did not give myself enough break following the recent 25K race on a technical trail.

My COROS PACE 2, as has been the case frequently as of late, refused to lock my heart rate for minutes leading up to the run, so I had to start the watch without it; I did not care as long as my distance was accurate. Conservatively, I planned on running in the upper 9:00/mile pace until my body told me to slow down, but my legs would effortlessly carry me much faster, and I recorded the first half marathon just past 2:05. Nevertheless, around 15 miles in, my body abruptly felt heavier, and my slowing down became inevitable, evident beginning 20 miles. I spoke to many participants post-race who said the exact same, that they felt fresh for the first 15 miles then bonked, and we theorized our bodies were not yet accustomed to the heat this year, with the high likely reaching 80 degrees. The pebbles became more noticeably painful, and some sections felt hillier than I recalled. Like I do in all races, I continued to ask God for help and to send His angels my way to run with me. I found it entertaining that supposedly my bib number of 111 is a number that symbolizes angels or some such nonsense; I would take it more seriously if this concept originated from the Bible, which of course it did not.

We shared a lot of mileage toward the end!

On this original course, the initial turnaround came sooner at 15 miles and the segment that was omitted last year appeared at 25 miles, which felt to be all climbing. Here, I ran into a young lady running her first-ever ultramarathon, and we shared over 5 miles toward the end, conversing about a variety of topics. I can confidently say that, without her, I would not have pushed as hard. I crossed the finish line, 31.44 miles on my COROS, officially in 6:16:50.6, merely 47.9 seconds slower than the previous year and probably a stronger performance factoring in the new hilly segment and the temperature. I thank my Lord for this unique hobby that is such a powerful metaphor for life and always watching over me.

Cliffs of the Neuse Trail 25K 2026 – Trail Running Is Hard

Posted on March 22, 2026 by Jake Kim

In my typical fashion, I signed up for the newly added 25K at TRAIL:30’s Cliffs of the Neuse Trail Run & Hike, taking place on March 21, 2026, mere minutes before the registration deadline, primarily as I had a couple of other races on my radar the same weekend. As I have not participated in many legitimate, technical, though runnable, trail races, I spent the entire morning leading up to the start asking people about the likelihood of getting lost. I had already decided to run slowly, or jog, assuming this to be a difficult trail with a significant elevation gain and abundant roots and rocks, which relieved some pressure.

The 25K and 50K participants would start together, the former running the loop twice and the latter four times. I figured I would have runners in sight the entire first loop and could learn the patterns of the white flags and signs I was to follow that way, which proved to be inaccurate; with frequent sharp turns, I was often by myself from early on. I had several close calls, the first being the entrance to a lollipop section these two distances had to complete. One lady passed by it moving straight instead of turning, and a man behind her yelled at her to come back, followed by my repeating the same. I could have easily struggled here without the man as well, for which I repeatedly thanked him. Secondly, albeit I knew I was going the right way, all of a sudden I saw countless runners coming my way from the other side, at first not realizing they were 4-mile and 8-mile participants who started 30 minutes later and making me question if I went the wrong way. Lastly, toward the end of the second loop, as I did the entire race, I went through the two white flags then saw two separate paths without any sign, so I ran in place, yelling where I am supposed to go, a few seconds after which I saw a couple of runners popping out from farther down that told me to keep going straight. Though this all worked out, my initial navigational concerns were justified. I even kicked a root so hard running down and barely saved myself from falling.

Lap #2! PC: Last Light Productions

I may have started out too ambitiously in the first loop, as I ran much faster than I intended and never took any walking break even in major climbs. Completing the first lap, I still felt strong, then after going up and around the picnic shelter and back down to begin my second lap, my body instantly felt heavier. The increase in temperature likely contributed to this, but I was relegated to walking here and there, especially during steeper climbs. I crossed the finish in a gun time of 2:45:51, with an elevation gain of 1,293 feet according to my COROS PACE 2. I had zero expectations going in, as I did not know how to strategize my pace without even knowing the difficulty of the course beforehand and not being an experienced trail runner. My legs felt fine, but my vomiting at a gas station on my way home tells me my body must have been fatigued. I simply take this as a learning experience and a fun long run.

Sole Mates 6.5-Miler 2026 – Fastest by a Mile

Posted on February 14, 2026 by Jake Kim

PC: Fit & Able

My rapid increase in speed has remained consistent for the past several months, and I have been eager to put this to the test with a support of race adrenaline. For my first race of 2026, on Valentine’s Day, I debated between a 10K on a flat, easy course in Greenville, a 1.5-hour drive, and a 6.5-miler on a much tougher cross-country course, with an elevation gain of 433 feet according to my COROS PACE 2, in my neighborhood of Cary. I could not justify driving that far for such a short distance, so I chose the latter, to return to Sole Mates at WakeMed Soccer Park, hosted by Fit & Able Productions. This would be my fifth race on this exact course.

Final climb and sprint to the finish. I was thinking, “Please, move out of the way!” 😂 PC: Fit & Able

PC: Fit & Able

Starting downhill, I clocked 7:36 for the opening mile; I cannot recall running such a quick full mile in any of my previous races, but I was not surprised based on my recent runs. In spite of the continuous rolling hills on uneven trails, some steep and some muddy, my pace never fluctuated wildly, as I pushed harder climbing, often passing runners, and relaxed coming down to catch my breath. I was encouraged by the noticeable improvement in my running economy. Perhaps greedy, I even asked myself multiple times during the race if I actually could have set a new personal best in the 10K had I chosen to participate in the other flatter event. Conquering the final 0.3-mile climb with relative ease to conclude the race, having to go around countless 5K walkers occupying the entire path that likely cost me a second or two, I crossed the finish in 53:46.27, nearly 5 minutes faster than my second-fastest time on this course and sufficient for 1st in my age group. It may not be a stretch to consider this performance comparable to my 10K PR of 48.42.8 from 2018 on completely flat concrete. I know running at this pace will become difficult once the temperature spikes in a month or two, so I would like to squeeze in a couple of shorter (than ultra) races prior. Happy Valentine’s Day!

2025

Posted on December 30, 2025 by Jake Kim

2025, easily the most difficult year for my family, is coming to a close. Humorous timing, I have also fallen ill with uncontrollable chills, only a couple of weeks after I dealt with a lighter illness and its remnants for several weeks, the earlier through Thanksgiving and the latter approaching the end of the year. Over the past decade I have rarely gotten sick, so this caught me off guard.

Celebrating my 30th birthday with my parents in Korea, nearly 7 years ago.

Earlier in the year, my father was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. I refused to consider the possibility his time in his earthly body would end so suddenly and so soon. He had been on dialysis and unable to consume many calories, and for a year and a half, calling my mother every evening, I would always start out anxious to hear her tone and connect that to how my father must be doing. Even when I returned to Korea in May, the thought this would be my last time seeing my father in his right state of mind never crossed my mind. On September 15, when my mother informed me I should come home, by the grace of God I located a nonsensically affordable roundtrip ticket that departed the following morning, and I was able to spend my father’s final week by his side, until he went Home on September 24. Next to me on these two separate flights home, God placed first the pastor of a church in which a former colleague was involved as a youth pastor prior to relocating (he recognized my company backpack) who prayed over me and second a woman with whom I discussed the Bible after seeing we were both carrying and studying Scripture.

My reading streak continued. Based on the several books last year that helped me dive into the Word more deeply, I was eager to keep going. Finishing Tim Keller’s The Meaning of Marriage to start the year, I stuck mostly with other books by Pastor Keller, namely The Prodigal God, Forgive, Rediscovering Jonah, Encounters with Jesus, Counterfeit Gods, Every Good Endeavor, The Reason for God, Generous Justice, Hidden Christmas, and Preaching, as well as C.S. Lewis’ Reflections on the Psalms, Thom Rainer’s Becoming a Welcoming Church, John Piper’s Risk Is Right: Better to Lose Your Life Than to Waste It, and Robert Jeffress’s How Can I Know? (gift from a Christian colleague). While I search for the next book to help me grow spiritually and interpret the Bible more accurately (I am always cautious, to avoid false teachers that fill the Religion section at Barnes & Noble), I resumed rereading the second book of my grandfather’s autobiography.

I did not race as frequently this year for obvious reasons but nonetheless managed seven strong performances, including a couple of ultramarathons, a couple of half marathons, a 6.5-miler, and a couple of 10Ks. I attribute much of this to weight loss, but over the past several months, my speed rapidly and steadily increased, to the point I may look toward attempting to set some speed PRs, or at least come close, in the not-too-distant future.

Work has remained the same, with my still consistently placing #1 on the leaderboard yet no consideration for a bonus, even a slight raise, or a promotion that almost never happens by merit here. Albeit I did not express this to many at the time, a part of me did not think to look elsewhere because I did not know what would happen to my father; if anything did happen, at least I had the flexibility to go to him immediately. I no longer have that holding me back, but I plan to follow the will of God. Whatever I do, I work at it with all my heart as working for the Lord, not for human masters, so I will continue to give my best no matter how unjust these past three years have been; I trust that God sees all that is going on that I cannot. After all, I never weigh success on a worldly scale, and Jesus has always provided for me. I do hope and feel 2026 will bring a lot of change.

Cape Fear Holiday Run – 9 Hours 2025 – Ultra Cough

Posted on December 13, 2025 by Jake Kim

PC: Laurie Matecki

With a minor illness that initiated a persistent violent cough that has lasted over a week, albeit not sick, I was concerned the day before if I could even participate in the inaugural Cape Fear Holiday Run, held on December 13, 2025, at Cape Fear Shiner Park that I registered for the evening of the online registration deadline. This event would replace the longstanding The Nutcracker Endurance Run in the neighborhood I took part in last year. I chose the longest of the three timed events offered, 9 hours, an odd one to figure out how to pace. I simply hoped I could come close to 40 miles.

Shared a lot of mileage with these kind folks!

I opened up the first three laps of 1.17 miles with a kind gentleman who recently picked up ultrarunning, talking about the different races and distances we have finished. After a little while, this slower pace made running more difficult, so I let him know, sped up drastically, and spent the next handful of miles alone, observing nature and rarely listening to music. Here and there I ran into new runners with whom I chatted extensively, helping take my mind off the suffering, which I have become accustomed to ignoring. When alone, I would continue to pray, thank God and His angels for protecting me, and think of my father who recently went to Heaven and my mother who has been alone; this event coincidentally took place on my mother’s 71st birthday. Shockingly, I remained #3 male overall for over 6 hours, which made me push harder and run more than I intended to at this stage of the race to try to maintain that position. Once I was overtaken, I felt relief and started confidently incorporating walks that I planned to begin much sooner. I recorded the first marathon distance almost right at 5 hours as well as one of my fastest 50K splits, around 6:10. With a couple of hours left, I was relegated to mostly walking. With an hour and a half to go, I realized, because of the “.17” next to “1,” officially securing at least 40 miles became verging on impossible. I completed my final lap of 34 with nearly 16 minutes to spare, bringing my total official mileage to 39.78, while my COROS PACE 2 reads 40.55, but I did not have enough left in my legs to try to squeeze in another loop before time ran out. I am still beyond grateful and content that I was even able to run for the entire duration without any issues, let alone virtually achieve my goal. Now to continue to focus on Advent, reflecting on the arrival of the Savior of the world.

Skinny Turkey 10K 2025 – Fastest under the Weather

Posted on November 27, 2025 by Jake Kim

A turkey trot the morning of Thanksgiving has been a tradition for many years, and for 2025, I decided to return to FS Series’ Skinny Turkey 10K in my city of Raleigh for the third time in four years. I had been under the weather for a couple of days, so I became concerned if my body would allow me to hold my standard pace on these intense rolling hills. Clocking 8:06 for the opening mile, I got my answer early on. Just over two miles in, thanks at least partly to the heavy wind, I dropped my left earbud that felt loose in my ear the entire race, ironically after telling myself this would never happen because it never had in my last hundreds of runs. I turned around, retrieved the earbud, and sprinted forward to catch up to and pass the runner who had been right in front of me, and I needed the following half a minute to catch my breath and regain my composure and rhythm. In spite of the continuous ups and downs, my pace never fluctuated wildly, and I recorded my fastest mile of 8:01 in the final full mile, pleasantly surprised by how little fatigue I felt.

Nearing the end, already knowing this was my fastest time yet on this course motivated me to push even harder in an attempt to blow the previous two comparable times out of the water. Maneuvering around countless 5K participants, I crossed the finish officially in 52:13.810 with an elevation gain of 489 feet according to my COROS PACE 2. Albeit far from my PR, considering all of my PRs came from much easier and flatter courses, I do not believe reclaiming my speed from just over half a decade ago to be out of reach. I will have to find out in the next several months, before Raleigh becomes insufferably hot again. Happy Thanksgiving!

Mayberry Half Marathon 2025 – Hottest and Slowest Yet

Posted on November 8, 2025 by Jake Kim

PC: Mayberry Half Marathon

For the past month or two, my speed noticeably increased, and I would have to go back many years to find this level of consistency; consequently, to put this to the test, I was eager to participate in the Mayberry Half Marathon in Mount Airy, North Carolina, for the third time, on November 8, 2025. However, the weather irritatingly decided to turn on this one day, with the feels-like temperature forecast to reach nearly 70 degrees, and I almost did not sign up until reasoning with myself I would regret more if I let this opportunity go. I woke up just before 4:00 AM and drove to the race venue over two hours away, and, seeing the unanticipated dense fog that made driving inconvenient and lasted through the first several miles of the event, I knew I was dealing with nearly 100% humidity in addition to the temperature spike.

I trusted my fitness and enthusiastically started out fast and clocked 8:10 for the first mile. For the majority of the race, my pace did not fluctuate too wildly. Suddenly, with four miles to go, my body felt much heavier and slowed drastically, and I attribute this partly to the weather. The short inclines here and there near the end became more challenging than I had anticipated. My focus shifted solely to running the entire way, no longer caring about my pace, and I had to continue to search for positive thoughts to keep going. I expected to run significantly faster than 1:58:07.7 (gun time), but I was relieved to at least score another comfortable sub-two-hour finish.

Memorably, a high-school girl with an inhaler ran in front of me for the first four miles. After she waved at her family, she suddenly had an asthma attack, and I was caught off guard and reacted, “Oh, no.” I was concerned for her, until I saw her not too far behind me at the 7-mile turnaround. After she finished (her first half marathon!), I checked up on her, and we congratulated each other. On my way back to the shuttle, she came over to say good job again, and I gave her a hug and chatted with her family and friends. I also at the starting line ran into the race director of the Danville Half Marathon, a race I’ve completed four times including just three weeks ago, and we cheered one another on throughout. This is what I love about the running community and continues to have me register for races nonstop.

Danville Half Marathon 2025 – Fastest Yet

Posted on October 19, 2025 by Jake Kim

My fourth Danville Half Marathon since 2021, on October 18, 2025, in the titular city of Virginia, became my first race back since my most recent ultramarathon over six months ago, a long hiatus by my standards but not odd factoring in the inevitable insufferable heat and humidity during the summer months where I reside. The conditions felt almost identical to last year, starting in the mid-40s and shooting up 15-20 degrees throughout. Because I have not entered a half marathon for an entire year, which is not far if I run slowly as during an ultra, I became anxious about how to efficiently pace. I would have been content with a simple sub-2:00, so I was pleasantly surprised when I, without exerting much energy, started out in the mid-7:00/mile pace and could maintain a mid-8:00/mile pace for the vast majority of the run, albeit I unsurprisingly decelerated the final 5K. I set a goal to run my fastest time on this course, which seemed doable considering I never ran a fast time here, and I managed to do so, officially in 1:56:59.2 and first place in my age group of 35-39, more than content for the day.

This marked my first running event following my father’s recent sudden passing from his earthly body and into his heavenly body, worshiping and rejoicing in the presence of Jesus. In addition to continuous prayer, I spent a lot of this run reminiscing about my father’s final moments. Though I know he is more alive than he has ever been and has more joy than I can ever imagine in this world as a foreigner, I as his son cannot help but still feel a vast void and sorrow in my heart; nevertheless, far greater has been my gratitude to Jesus for giving us eternal life by dying in our place, not because of anything we did but by his grace alone and our faith in Him alone, that He chose to reveal Himself to us so that we never lose hope and we as family in Christ will all see each other again one day, this time for eternity. God’s thoughts and ways are higher than I can fathom (Isaiah 55:8-9), and it is His purpose that prevails (Proverbs 19:21). Without Jesus, everything is meaningless, and all I care to do in my brief moment in this earthly body is meditate on His Word, pray, seek and do His will on Earth as it is in Heaven, and glorify Him in all I do. I find peace and comfort no matter the circumstance, resting in Jesus’ faithfulness.

New River Trail Races 50K 2025 – Bird Poop

Posted on April 13, 2025 by Jake Kim

Reading about the flat, scenic course of Southwest Virginia Running’s New River Trail Races in Fries, Virginia, slightly modified for 2025 due to the ongoing impact of Hurricane Helene and taking place the day before Palm Sunday, perfect timing as I did not want to do anything selfish during Holy Week, I committed slightly earlier than typical for a race to secure an event shirt. Driving to a nearby hotel over three hours away the day before in dark, heavy rain through rural areas, albeit stunning, made me feel lonely unexpectedly and eager to get the trip over with. Whether from the lengthy drive or altitude, I had a minor headache that lasted a few hours once I checked in.

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A bird pooped on me.

I normally would have appreciated the sudden close-to-freezing temperature, but the feels-like temperature resting significantly below freezing and at times the powerful winds may have done more harm than good. Over the past couple of weeks leading up to race day, I have had digestive issues each time I went for a run, which made me uneasy about tackling an ultra distance without knowing the underlying reason. Coincidentally, on mile two, a bird pooped on me, hitting mostly my left glove, which I initially thought to be water from the rain. I instinctively reacted, “Eww, what the fxxk,” then told a few runners, “Better my glove than my head.” From waterfalls to a dark tunnel to horses and even a donkey, fitting with Palm Sunday coming up, this course was breathtaking, and I absorbed the beauty as much as my fatiguing body and mind let me. I kept a slow, steady pace, not entirely certain of my current fitness for such a long run. My stomach solely continued to occupy my mind, and starting mile nine, I began pondering if I had to excuse myself shortly to explode, a reason I carried some toilet paper from the motel in my hydration pack. Following miles and miles of this internal warfare, around sixteen miles in, to my relief, the symptoms mostly faded after I took a #1 break. With my legs being at their ideal shape, I did not allow any lengthy walking breaks and slowly ran the vast majority of the first 22-23 miles.

Outside my stomach ordeal and the pain standard to running this kind of distance, I felt as strong as ever and naturally was not surprised to secure my second-fastest 50K by a large margin, officially in 6:16:02.7 at 31.49 miles on my COROS PACE 2, in my ultramarathon #15, marathon+ #20, and race #112. As I do in all races and life in general, I continued to interact with God and ask Him for help throughout the entire journey, one of my favorite aspects of this unique hobby. To Him be all glory.

Granville Ambulance Chase 10K 2025 – Hill Chase

Posted on March 15, 2025 by Jake Kim

Fast people!

When the Granville Ambulance Chase & Food Truck Rodeo Facebook page read and ignored my message of a few simple questions, I had moved on, until I noticed the unusual start time of 11:00 AM in Oxford, North Carolina, a 45-minute drive, that would allow me to sleep in as well as a relatively low cost for an event that offers a T-shirt and a medal (to most). I decided to consider the race, on March 15, 2025, the day after my birthday, if I woke up unprompted by an alarm with sufficient time to make it to the site, which I did. I would have driven to run either way, so I figured why not and registered and headed out.

PC: Granville Ambulance Chase

Overall winners!

One of the unanswered questions concerned the elevation profile, as I only thought about another short race to put to the test my recent consistent increase in speed; had I known about the extent of these hills earlier, I may have opted out. When I asked around, many warned me about the hills for the 10K, but without a number, “hilly” is subjective and I remained in suspense. My now-obsolete COROS PACE 2 would not lock in my heart rate for several minutes leading up to the start, making me nervous about pressing the go button anyway. After logging the first mile just under 8:06 and feeling strong, I ambitiously hoped for an unrealistic result before encountering nonstop rolling hills and frequent extensive downhill running for the first couple of miles, anxious about the inevitable climb back up and slowing down. Halfway through, I began dealing with stomach cramps that never fully went away, and I shifted my focus to closing each mile comfortably under 9:00, which I managed. Considering the conditions, I am content with a 53:36 gun-time finish and third place in my age group. Based on how I felt prior to the ceaseless climbs, I am confident I could have run roughly 20 seconds per mile faster had the course been what I expected coming in, flat, silly on my part since no such place exists in my vicininty.