The most interesting, adventurous and offbeat running events in Williamsburg are those organized and directed by Ellen Alexander of Happy Cat Events, a one-woman company whose races are ultramarathons or trail runs in parks like York River State Park, Freedom Park, Warhill Sports Complex and the Greensprings Trail. Her events have included the Singletrack Maniac 50K, the Midnight and March Maniac 11- or 13-hour races, and the Greensprings Trail 24 Hour Run.
The latest iteration of her creative mind was the Terrible 12 endurance test on Aug. 23 on the Warhill Nature Trail, which was the successor to last year’s Alphabet Soup 7-Hour Run at Greensprings. It was not exactly a 12 hour run, instead an 11-hour test, as all participants were required to take a one-hour break sometime overnight to volunteer, recording numbers and times, or just cheering on the others.
The race started at 7 p.m. from the baseball fields pavilion, and ended at 7 a.m., so participants could enjoy both a beautiful sunset, and a relatively cool morning at sunrise. The weather was perfect for an August race, temps in the mid-70s dropping into the 60s with lower humidity.
Runners saw this view of the sunset about 1.25 miles into Saturday’s event as they came out of the woods with the community garden on the right. Courtesy of Kevin Grierson
The site was a tradeoff, switching from Greensprings to Warhill. The crushed-stone surface at Greensprings is much easier on the feet than the all-too-often stony or rocky sections on the Warhill trail. And Greensprings is almost entirely flat, whereas Warhill has lots of hills every 3.7-mile lap. But the convenience of the baseball fields pavilion can’t be beat, with a clean spacious restroom (as opposed to porta-johns), and a lighted pavilion with tables for food and gear. The goal was to accumulate as many 3.7 mile loops as possible, with one-mile out-and-backs allowed in the final hour.
Five runners bettered 50 miles during their 11 hours of running or walking. Brendan O’Brien, 27, of Richmond totaled 57.5 miles, followed by women’s winner Justine Koksal, 33, of Coinjock, N.C. (51.8 miles), Noah Dahm, 27, of Hopewell (51.1), Matthew Duncan, 38, of Virginia Beach (50.1) and women’s runner-up Svitlana Honcharova, 27, of Williamsburg (50.1). Completing the top 10 were Ethan Ford, 34, of Richmond (49.1), Mark Titcomb, 32, of Williamsburg (49.1), Iryna Dorovska, 36, of Toano (48.1), Kevin Grierson, 60, of Virginia Beach (47.4) and Bobby Buchter, 40, of Norfolk (44.4).
Other Williamsburg runners above the marathon distance (26.2 miles) were Drew Skeens, 36 (37 miles), Tricia Wingard, 53 (33.3), Michael Hill, 54 (33.3), Roddy Broome, 71 (33.3) and Shannon Foxx Day, 43 (29.6). There were 56 official finishers, down to 7.4 miles (two laps).
Race director Alexander emailed, much in jest, “The cloud cover for stargazing was terrible, the humidity in the woods was terrible, the rocks on the trail were terrible, the awards were terrible (leftover from other races), BUT the people, the spirit, the inspiration. … anything but terrible! The mandatory volunteer hour was my favorite. Each runner had to spend one of the 12 hours in, what we now refer to as, “Trail Jail”. They helped me check in runners (and walkers) on their loops, but also talked, cheered on and met other participants. It was a great way to give back and a great way to cramp up in the middle of a terrible race. I look forward to next year!”
Men’s winner Brendan O’Brien emailed, “I liked the idea of an overnight run – I think it’s what attracted a majority of runners to the race. There’s nuances about running at night you typically wouldn’t consider until you do it. No sleep also brings a different level of difficulty to an ultra. Honestly, at first I didn’t care for the idea of a mandatory hour pause – I thought it would mess up my rhythm, but after stopping, getting off my legs for an hour, and adequately fueling for the next 5 hours – I was grateful for it. The trail was beautiful for the 2 or so hours of daylight we had. The terrain was great, crushed gravel, wide trails, and no roots. I enjoyed all the wildlife. Low point of the race was between 3-4 am. I was in the ballpark of 40 miles, tired, hungry, and my body was hurting. I was able to get some food and recover after an hour or so and finished the race strong(ish).”
Women’s winner and early overall leader Justine Koksal emailed, “I only ran until about 3:30 am. I was out of headlamp battery. I could have used my phone for light, but I felt like I got in a good, long training run in preparation for my race next month, and that it was a good place to stop. I didn’t want to be too beat up and have to take time off. My volunteer shift was from 6-7 am. I LOVED volunteering. It gave me the opportunity to meet and talk to Ellen and so many other runners. I particularly enjoyed getting to see all the runners and their enthusiasm as they went out for additional loops. Such a great idea, and I think more races should offer this. The rolling hills kept the race engaging. I enjoyed it a lot. It was my first overnight race, and I was nervous about feeling sleepy. I didn’t feel sleepy at all. The highlight was the volunteer shift and getting to cheer for the runners. That was a lot of fun.”
Svitlana Honcharova, who led the first two laps (overall, men and women combined), before doing her volunteer shift, texted, “It was my first time running all night, not sleeping at all. I wanted to quit after 8 laps, then got mad at myself for wanting to quit and wound up doing 13 loops plus out-and-backs. After I volunteered, I went back to running, I was third place, then I caught up as second female. After the race I went home, showered, ate and took a 2 hour nap before I worked from 11:50 a.m. to 6:10 p.m. with a lot of pain. My whole body was so sore.”
Third-place Iryna Dorovska emailed, “This is my second longer race (besides marathons). I completed a 24h endurance race last year in October and have covered 62 miles in about 18 hours. This time I had way less time and I feel I was way more successful! Finishing 3rd female and 8th overall is a big deal to me! I loved the trail despite how hilly it was! And I truly enjoyed the race overnight, my friends and family know I am not a morning person! The later the race starts – the happier I am! The volunteering hour turned into a “jail time”! I didn’t want to stop – everyone knows bad things happen once you stop/sit down! I desperately wanted to get going back on the trail but rules are rules and Ellen is VERY fair! I love Ellen, she is very well organised, easy going, friendly!!! She is awesome!!!”
Kevin Grierson emailed, “I like the idea of an overnight run, which avoids the heat issues we had with the Soupy 7 and its successor, the Alphabet Soup 7-hour run. Heat adaptation is not my strong suit. The volunteer hour was an interesting twist, but it definitely made the run more difficult. I volunteered from 9-10; the first two hours after my volunteer hour were a lot more difficult than I expected. I definitely prefer the Greensprings Trail course. The gravel surface on the Warhill trail is pretty unforgiving over the course of multiple laps. The “gravel” on the trail after you cross the road near the community garden feels more like the rocks they use on railroad tracks! Even with a max cushion shoe (Altra Olympus) my feet felt like hamburger by the end of the race. I almost quit the race about 5 laps in, in the second hour after my volunteer service. Everything felt sore, and a heel injury (the one that derailed my 5-year running streak a couple of years ago) was really starting to bother me. But then I got mad at myself for wanting to quit and pushed on for another 7 hours. I had another rough spot the last couple of hours of the race, when my calves started locking up. At one point my right calf cramped so hard I couldn’t walk. Thankfully pickle juice helped with the cramps, and I was able to run out the last few miles.
Rick Platt is president of Colonial Road Runners.
https://www.pilotonline.com/2025/08/28/runners-enjoy-endurance-event-on-nature-trail/
