Frostbite Half

COURSE

Start and finish at the Inn of Montgomery Bell State Park, Burns (Dickson). Start with a steep uphill to mile 1, then down to the lowest point at mile 2. A 1-mile long steep uphill bring the course back to rolling grades. Turn left onto Hwy 47 and then left after the railroad underpass onto the golf course. At 6.5 miles the course turns left to join the 1 mile mark and continues for a second loop. At the return (mile 12.3) turn right, back to finish at the Inn. This is the largest and longest race on the Running Tour. Considered a challenging course because of the combination of the big elevation drop (twice) and the half-marathon distance.

COURSE HISTORY

FROSTBITE HALF MARATHON 1979-2007
This race is one of the original 4 races of the State Parks Running Tour, starting in the spring of 1980. The first race was held in 1979 with the help of Kent Rea at Nashville Downtown YMCA. The State Parks provided all the shirts and trophies. The entry fee was $7.00.
It was the only half marathon on the Running Tour and remains so to present day (2024). The Nashville Striders sponsored the race in affiliation with the YMCA. The race was postponed for 2 weeks in 1985 because of deep snow on the roads. The 1986 race had rangers on horse back as road monitors. They forgot to make the front runners turn left at the park entrance and had to chase them down on Highway 70. In 1988 and 1992 the start and finish were moved to the swimming area parking lot because of construction at the Inn. The 1993 event had no post-race food, only water. Scott Barrow was the Race Director. The 1994 event was canceled by the Striders, because of lack of profit. The course was certified in 1995 and the race resumed under new management (Lynda de Paulis, Frostbite Running Club). For two years (1999 and 2000) during construction at the Inn, the start and finish were held at the Rangers Visitors Center. In 1997 the overall finisher was a female runner, Bonnie McReynolds. The largest number of runners in any of the Running Tour events was recorded in 2000 with 672 registered. In 2007 a modified course was used, with the start and finish at the Rangers Visitors Center, in order to avoid using the Inn Area, were runners were no longer welcome. Participation peaked around year 2000, then declined until 2007, the last year at Montgomery Bell. Note, the low number of finishers in 2006, when the cold weather kept many preregistered in bed. Because of the problems with the Inn and the crowded condition at the Visitors Center, the race moved in 2008 to its current location at Cedars of Lebanon State Park.

Course Records
Men    1981    Randy Stroud    1:06:50
Women    1997    Bonnie McReynolds    1:16:54