SYLVA — A dozen N.C. Department of Transportation Division 14 employees
experienced a variety of roads from various perspectives along a 206-mile
stretch.
The team of 12 employees completed the Smoky Mountain Relay in their first
attempt on April 20-21. They traversed conditions many of them had never faced
in their running careers. Then ran long distances uphill, downhill, on dirt
roads, gravel roads, paved roads with one goal in mind.
They desired to complete it as a team.
“We did it,” said Division 14 Construction Engineer Ted Adams who organized
the attempt. “The training paid off for some of us. Some of us should have done
more training. But we all made it to the end.”
They finished in 39th place out of the 50 teams that began the adventure.
They completed the course in 34 hours, 20 minutes and 14 seconds.
The race is promoted as a “…scenic, wild, team adventure.” It started at Pink
Beds State Park, meandered through the Nantahala National Forest on service
roads, state roads and a section of the Blue Ridge Parkway before concluding at
the Nantahala Outdoor Center.
“Everybody is talking about doing it again next year,” Adams said. “Well,
almost everybody.”