Liberty Bowl vs. Athens-Big Fork Marathon

I'm as big a Hog fan as there is, but I just haven't caught the fire to go to Memphis this weekend and watch us take on the Pirates of East Carolina. Instead, some running friends of mine mentioned that they're manning the aid stations at the Athens-Big Fork Marathon on an old postal trail on Saturday morning up in the Ouachitas in southern Polk County.

I'd never heard of that race, so after googling it, I found a website with this official warning:

"This event is NOT for trail-newbies." and "If you are not an experienced trail- or ultra-runner (or adventure racer), we happily invite you to one of the other UTS runs, BUT NOT THIS ONE. To further make their point they state, "This is a difficult event on a difficult trail that presents many opportunities for one to get lost, injured, exhausted, or incapacitated--with sparse access for rescue." To discourage the masochists they warn..."Please do not be enticed into trying this run because of the difficulty warning--it is merely an honest attempt at preventing the run organizers from having to find and rescue someone ill-equipped for the event. Then they even go so far as to say, "If you cannot find the Big Fork Community Center without further instructions--please disregard this race."

After I read that, I only had one question...where do I sign up?

I called the folks at the Hampton Inn on Poplar in Memphis and cancelled my room. I hope to be in my easy chair by kickoff on Saturday with an icepack on this tender hamstring rooting the Hogs on to victory.

I've always thought this part of Arkansas is as pretty as anywhere in the state: