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<\/a><\/p>\nUnfortunately, despite overflowing with runners when I arrived, a frazzled bartender was tasked with telling us the place wasn’t open. We didn’t have to go home but we couldn’t stay there…<\/p>\n
The heat lamps by the start were lit but… ineffectual? Comically un-heating? If flammable and inflammable mean the same thing perhaps heat lamp and no heat lamp mean the same thing here. But I digress. I did eventually find a surprisingly warm barn area to camp out in… but I found it’s drinking fountains sorely lacking.<\/p>\n As I posted to Facebook whilst waiting, my brother and I have long dreamed of writing a ZAGAT-style book reviewing drinking fountains around the world. Biltmore Estate – I award you zero points.<\/p>\n I was cold waiting to run but the crowd seemed friendly … and the sun was rising. I just wasn’t feeling the run. I don’t normally need to run in pants and the pant cuff, hem, bottom? Whatever the final length of fabric kept rubbing my shoelaces and untying them so I probably had to stop and retie my shoes four or five times along the route.<\/p>\n It was a lovely place to be running, even if the initial 6 miles had two surprisingly tiring inclines.<\/p>\n And the Biltmore House IS quite impressive. It reeks of old money to be sure… and while I’m more a Team Gatsby man as opposed to Team Daisy\/Tom, I admit I was impressed with the opulent exteriors and gardens. Wrong side of the pond but it felt very Downton Abbey-ish.<\/p>\n Once onto the gravel trails surrounding the house and into the fields, I mentally noted how tough this might be tomorrow with snow and\/or melted snow creating muddy ruts. Today though it was perfectly pleasant… if a bit headwind-y.<\/p>\n Despite promises of warming temps before plummeting this evening, the thermometer reading never really moved up. Indeed, there were a few flurries as I rounded the final turnaround and I heard a few runners saying, “oh what lovely cherry blossoms!” only to be corrected by other runners that what they were witnessing were actually falling snowflakes.<\/p>\n Crossing the finish, a waiting spectator graciously offered to take my photo. I didn’t realize as I layered up this morning just how many shades of blue I had on–I look like Violet Beauregarde after she eats Wonka’s Magic Three Course Dinner Chewing Gum.<\/p>\n The post race food tent, sponsored by local supermarket Ingles, offered their own brand of cola products… and Perrier.\u00a0 I can only assume the Biltmore Estate was explicit in their ground use permit — “Let them drink off brand cola…” the major domo probably sniffed, “but WE only serve PERRIER at the BILTMORE!”<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>\u00a0 <\/a><\/p>\n<\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a>\u00a0 <\/a><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/a><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0 <\/a> <\/a><\/a><\/p>\n<\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a><\/p>\n<\/a> <\/a> <\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n
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