Magnus Gluteus Maximus

Magnus Gluteus Maximus is the VHTRC’s annual “Fat Ass 50.” In prior years, to be different (who us?), we used various languages — French, German, Italian, Vietnamese, Latin, Swedish, Jamaican Patios, New Guinea Pidgin, Chinese, Hawaiian an anagram from “Fat Ass Fifty K” that came out as “Fat Taffy Kiss,” Thai, Ukrainian, and Japanese. After a while, we decided to pick one name and stick with it. So we choose Latin. If it’s good enough for the Catholic church, it’s good enough for us.

Parking can be tight at Hemlock. We will use the close-in parking within the Hemlock campus behind the start and finish area, as well as the small lower field used for carpoolers at the Bull Run Run 50 miler. There will be volunteers to help maximize the parking while keeping the fire lanes open. So just drive on in and follow their instructions. Do not park in the nearby Paradise Springs winery parking lot! Do not park in the areas along Yates Ford Road that are marked for hikers to use. Make sure you park inside the Hemlock Overlook park campus, even if you arrive late.

This is an “official” Fat Ass run: so there is no entry fee, no awards, and no wimps or whiners. There is some aid and some post event refreshments. We will be back in the lodge at Hemlock with a fire and bathrooms for the start and finish. It’s an out and back course so you can do any distance you want. If you look at past results, you will see that many take advantage of this option - the finishing percentage tends to hover at 50% or even lower. This is not due to the course difficulty, but instead to the varying distances that participants choose to run.

The Course

From Hemlock Overlook, the course follows the Bull Run-Occoquan Trail (BROT) downstream to Fountainhead Regional Park and then out to the Do Loop. The BROT is blazed blue — follow the blazes (it will not be marked with ground chalk or ribbons). We do not do the White Loop, and we do not go on the Fountainhead mountain bike trail. We do not go upstream from Hemlock. NEVER cross a stream on concrete cylinders!

We will have some extra course markings at two points in the run: to go under Old Yates Ford Road along the Bull Run just downstream from the Marina aid station; and then to use the Horse Trail and to navigate the Do Loop, between your two aid stops at the BROT trailhead alongside the big parking lot at Fountainhead. For those of you newer to trail running in general or the trails that we use for this event, it is highly recommended that you take the time to download the gpx file and use that to confirm that you are on course during your run. This is always a good idea for any trail event, but particularly so with one that is as lightly marked as MGM will be.

There are four aid stations evenly spaced out along the course. The one at Fountainhead will be run and fully stocked by Eric Levy-Myers, and the one at the Bull Run Marina will be run by a volunteers to be determined closer to run day. They are located roughly at miles 5, 11.5, 18.5, and 25. Note that you run through each aid station twice - outbound and then again on your return leg of this lollipop course. The aid stations will have water, Gatorade, and soda. In an effort to cut down on trash there will be no cups at the aid stations. You will need to run with a water bottle or reusable cup.

Each aid station will have a closing time - those will be posted here and in the aid station chart below once they are determined. While we do not have formal cutoffs at this run, our goal is to get all the runners in off the course prior to dark, if possible, and to close down the Lodge that serves as the host site around 6 pm.

If you would like any other aid at either of the two aid stations (Marina, at 5 and 25, and Fountainhead at 11.5 and 18.5), then pack one or two Ziplock bags, labeled with your name, and filled with aid items that you would like to access at the aid stations. These bags will likely come back to Hemlock late in the afternoon and you can pick them up then if you like, or they will otherwise be disposed of. So you will not want to put anything in your Ziplock bag at either the Marina or Fountainhead that is not a food item and that you cannot afford to never see again.

Register

In 2010, 200 people RSVPed for the MGM. We prepared for 150. About 100 showed up (in good weather). This is a huge waste of post-run food, and makes it very hard to plan the aid stations. So we went to a $10 refundable “hold my spot” fee for many years. However, we’ve decided that it’s a huge pain to collect money and issue refunds. We are NOT collecting the $10 sign-up fee anymore. We are instead trusting YOU to PLEASE let Katie know if you sign up and then decide you will NOT be running. This helps with planning tremendously. Those of you not used to the VHTRC trail event culture may not be used to sending this courtesy “regrets” note to a run, but in the club these short email or text notes are expected, and most appreciated by those who are putting in the work to host the run. Thank you!

On December 12, 2009 and on December 11, 2010 a bunch of people started and some finished. We don’t have results for either year. See the sidebar for all the other results. We generally post the results a day or so after MGM Saturday is over, and those results likely will include a report and some photos. We very much welcome additional reports and photos, so reach out to RD Katie if you want to share after the run!

List of Worldwide Fat Ass Events

Be sure to wear seasonal colors!