I ran the Franklin Mountains 55K Trail Run this past weekend in the state park in El Paso, TX put on by Human Potential Running Series. It had been several years since I ran this course which circumambulates the Franklin Mountain Range with a climb to the highest point —N. Franklin Peak (elev. 7192’). The trail is rugged and gnarly with plenty of rocks to keep you on your toes (literally). The route is lined with jagged, prickly and pointy vegetation, but at least the rattlesnakes are mostly dormant this time of year…MOSTLY. The course winds up and down many steep hills, with some narrow trails with precipitous drop-offs. In other words, my main goal in attempting this race is simply to, NOT DIE!
 |
| I took this pic of a mostly dormant rattlesnake by the wildlife underpass a few years ago |
I have an advantage running here, in one of the largest urban wilderness parks in the US, because I train here in the Franklins almost everyday and have finished the 100K three times which is two laps around this ridiculously difficult course! This run should have felt like a stroll in the park, but it was far from it. I studied the course map since the direction and order of trails was a bit different than I had done in the past and I didn’t want to screw up and get lost.