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.

I may have started out too ambitiously in the first loop, as I ran significantly 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.