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Rachel Carson Trail Challenge

TNT Nutrition
TNT Nutrition

TNT Nutrition's Shelby McDaniel gives insight to her experience and tips to help complete the one-day challenge.

1 of 42
The Rachel Carson Trail Challenge June 22, 2013 North Park, PA
WARNING: Some of the pictures you are about to see may be blurry. Its quite hard to competitively hike 34 miles and also have time to stop to take pictures!
3:30 a.m. Wake-up call, 4:30 a.m. pick- up time to the race Since you start/end in two different places, you need to either drive near the start Point and take a shuttle to the starting line, or get dropped off. Yep, we chose option #2.
5:45 a.m. Lets do this! Waiting our turn to have our competitor number/tag scanned to start. You have to be scanned at every one of the 4 check points to ensure you were still alive and not stuck in the woods! We had no idea what we were in for! The first few miles your adrenaline is pumping, the runners are flying by you in efforts to get ahead of the 600 other hikers attempting to finish the challenge by sunset. Braggers!
First mile: everyones pace is swift. Easy tour of the woods, no big hills, easy stuff
Still trying to break away from the starting packGo Go Go!
Hello Sunrise! Humidity was already on the rise. Our sunglasses were continuously getting fogged up at 6- 7:00 a.m.
68 year-old-dad and his daughter. We ended up having a silent competition with them . Only 9 men in their 60s attempted the challenge, my dad, at 62, is one of them.
We tracked through many types of terrain. Temperatures already in the 80s before mile 7
Made it Mile 7 Check point #1. We didnt need to refuel yet, we were prepared and eating/drinking properly. (Hmmm, wonder why.) We thought, That wasnt bad! We got this! Little did we know The Rachel Carson Trail was silently laughing at us.
Met some great people along the way, great stories to share, everyone was extremely encouraging!
Back in the woods we go. Next stop: Checkpoint #2, 7 miles away. This poor guy got left in the dust by his girlfriend
Still keeping a good walking pace, and still trying to break away more from the pack
Little preview of hill #1. The best part is that these hills have duplicates. You think youre done, but you get to the top and then, Ta-da! Theres another one just like it!
Time for the Go-Cam
Baby steps up the slippery slope. In the hot sun.
Up 遜 way. Hey, theres our 68 year-old again! We officially made a new friend here
Were heading to somewhere over there
Check point #1 snack I forgot about in my pocket. Good timing, needed the salt and something other than my endurance gels
We made it to Check point #2. 14 miles in! Only 20 more to go? Yikes! Salted potato chips were amongst some of the check point snacks. A good one too, considering it was getting close to 88 degrees, and the 2nd half of the course was the toughest
Our first 5 minute rest in almost 5 hours. The bottoms of our feet are getting hot
Immediately after Checkpoint #2 is a huge ski hill. This is just the latter half
Thank goodness for the popsicle lady! We came across 3 volunteers giving out free popsicles throughout the day. Perfect on a hot day!
Headphones on: Got our second wind around Mile 15, almost 遜 way there!
Constantly in the sun here on out.
More hills along the power lines
Check point #3, We made it! 20 miles in! People were starting to get heat exhaustion, some dropped out. People were moaning about the upcoming hills in the course and praying they make it through. RCT staff was so nice to hook up a hose so we could get sprayed down to cool off. A change in socks and band-aids and off we go. The next 14 miles would be more than we expected.
A quick shot of us in the do-rags before the last 14 miles
Road + sun = blah The road was tough on the feet that were hot, sore, and full of blisters
Just gotta give my dad some props on those guns! Finally off the hot roads and on our way to the finale of hills.
After a local allowed us to stop and use their hose to cool off, back to the tower lines. Heading heredont forget its still 90 degrees outside!
The first hill full of shale and rock I had to basically bear crawl up. My dad is starting to feel light headed going up the hills. The goal now was to just take it slow, and hope we finish by 8:58 p.m.
Yep. More hills along the tower lines. Yay! These hills were so steep I fell a couple times, and had to slide down some on my rear-end. Headed here
Heading towards final check point at mile 27. Back into the blistering sun, will soon re-enter the woods somewhere over here
Exhausted, we needed to get through one more final hill before the final check point. Yep, you guessed it, headed here
Down the hill we go, luckily theres a small stream to soak our head wraps before trekking uphill..
No pictures were taken from the stream to check point #4. We were so hyper-focused on our health and heat exhaustion. This is the first phase of the LAST huge hill we had to get past to get to the finish line 6 miles away. This is also the last road available for emergency pick up between here and the finish line. Many people stopped here, and chose not to continue. The heat was just awful.
We were very nervous, my dad was showing signs of heat exhaustion. We baby stepped it every inch of the way. Go dad go!
The Beer Guy. 3 miles from the finish line, he offers free beer to passing hikers. For 31 miles all we heard about was this Beer Guy so we just had to stop! Beer Guy
FINALLY!!!!!!
The last quarter mile was the longest! We made it!! Up to the checkered flag we go
Our Finish Time : 14:32:11. 8:14 pm Too bad you cant see my missing shoe :) Out of 600 participants, 157 did not finish. But we did!

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Rachel Carson Trail Challenge

  • 1. The Rachel Carson Trail Challenge June 22, 2013 North Park, PA
  • 2. WARNING: Some of the pictures you are about to see may be blurry. Its quite hard to competitively hike 34 miles and also have time to stop to take pictures!
  • 3. 3:30 a.m. Wake-up call, 4:30 a.m. pick- up time to the race Since you start/end in two different places, you need to either drive near the start Point and take a shuttle to the starting line, or get dropped off. Yep, we chose option #2.
  • 4. 5:45 a.m. Lets do this! Waiting our turn to have our competitor number/tag scanned to start. You have to be scanned at every one of the 4 check points to ensure you were still alive and not stuck in the woods! We had no idea what we were in for! The first few miles your adrenaline is pumping, the runners are flying by you in efforts to get ahead of the 600 other hikers attempting to finish the challenge by sunset. Braggers!
  • 5. First mile: everyones pace is swift. Easy tour of the woods, no big hills, easy stuff
  • 6. Still trying to break away from the starting packGo Go Go!
  • 7. Hello Sunrise! Humidity was already on the rise. Our sunglasses were continuously getting fogged up at 6- 7:00 a.m.
  • 8. 68 year-old-dad and his daughter. We ended up having a silent competition with them . Only 9 men in their 60s attempted the challenge, my dad, at 62, is one of them.
  • 9. We tracked through many types of terrain. Temperatures already in the 80s before mile 7
  • 10. Made it Mile 7 Check point #1. We didnt need to refuel yet, we were prepared and eating/drinking properly. (Hmmm, wonder why.) We thought, That wasnt bad! We got this! Little did we know The Rachel Carson Trail was silently laughing at us.
  • 11. Met some great people along the way, great stories to share, everyone was extremely encouraging!
  • 12. Back in the woods we go. Next stop: Checkpoint #2, 7 miles away. This poor guy got left in the dust by his girlfriend
  • 13. Still keeping a good walking pace, and still trying to break away more from the pack
  • 14. Little preview of hill #1. The best part is that these hills have duplicates. You think youre done, but you get to the top and then, Ta-da! Theres another one just like it!
  • 15. Time for the Go-Cam
  • 16. Baby steps up the slippery slope. In the hot sun.
  • 17. Up 遜 way. Hey, theres our 68 year-old again! We officially made a new friend here
  • 18. Were heading to somewhere over there
  • 19. Check point #1 snack I forgot about in my pocket. Good timing, needed the salt and something other than my endurance gels
  • 20. We made it to Check point #2. 14 miles in! Only 20 more to go? Yikes! Salted potato chips were amongst some of the check point snacks. A good one too, considering it was getting close to 88 degrees, and the 2nd half of the course was the toughest
  • 21. Our first 5 minute rest in almost 5 hours. The bottoms of our feet are getting hot
  • 22. Immediately after Checkpoint #2 is a huge ski hill. This is just the latter half
  • 23. Thank goodness for the popsicle lady! We came across 3 volunteers giving out free popsicles throughout the day. Perfect on a hot day!
  • 24. Headphones on: Got our second wind around Mile 15, almost 遜 way there!
  • 25. Constantly in the sun here on out.
  • 26. More hills along the power lines
  • 27. Check point #3, We made it! 20 miles in! People were starting to get heat exhaustion, some dropped out. People were moaning about the upcoming hills in the course and praying they make it through. RCT staff was so nice to hook up a hose so we could get sprayed down to cool off. A change in socks and band-aids and off we go. The next 14 miles would be more than we expected.
  • 28. A quick shot of us in the do-rags before the last 14 miles
  • 29. Road + sun = blah The road was tough on the feet that were hot, sore, and full of blisters
  • 30. Just gotta give my dad some props on those guns! Finally off the hot roads and on our way to the finale of hills.
  • 31. After a local allowed us to stop and use their hose to cool off, back to the tower lines. Heading heredont forget its still 90 degrees outside!
  • 32. The first hill full of shale and rock I had to basically bear crawl up. My dad is starting to feel light headed going up the hills. The goal now was to just take it slow, and hope we finish by 8:58 p.m.
  • 33. Yep. More hills along the tower lines. Yay! These hills were so steep I fell a couple times, and had to slide down some on my rear-end. Headed here
  • 34. Heading towards final check point at mile 27. Back into the blistering sun, will soon re-enter the woods somewhere over here
  • 35. Exhausted, we needed to get through one more final hill before the final check point. Yep, you guessed it, headed here
  • 36. Down the hill we go, luckily theres a small stream to soak our head wraps before trekking uphill..
  • 37. No pictures were taken from the stream to check point #4. We were so hyper-focused on our health and heat exhaustion. This is the first phase of the LAST huge hill we had to get past to get to the finish line 6 miles away. This is also the last road available for emergency pick up between here and the finish line. Many people stopped here, and chose not to continue. The heat was just awful.
  • 38. We were very nervous, my dad was showing signs of heat exhaustion. We baby stepped it every inch of the way. Go dad go!
  • 39. The Beer Guy. 3 miles from the finish line, he offers free beer to passing hikers. For 31 miles all we heard about was this Beer Guy so we just had to stop! Beer Guy
  • 41. The last quarter mile was the longest! We made it!! Up to the checkered flag we go
  • 42. Our Finish Time : 14:32:11. 8:14 pm Too bad you cant see my missing shoe :) Out of 600 participants, 157 did not finish. But we did!