Blazing the Silver Comet Endurance Trails
These are course layouts for anyone who wants to do a sorta kinda pretty much real Xterra, Ironman, or Triathlon, using the Silver Comet. It uses wildhorse creek trail to connect to a pool that is located within bike distance, and a BMX park for XTerra. Its bike to start, then Swim-Bike-Run.
- Start: Silver Comet trailhead, (Nickajack) to mile 8.8 / turn onto WildHorse Creek Trail
- Turn Right: WildHorse Trail, 3.3 Mil to WildHorse Park, (Lancer) turn right and go 1 block to Macedonia, Turn right another block, to Hopkins Rd.
- Turn Left:Hopkins Road. Stay on sidewalk for as long as you can then stay right. Not much car traffic. total distance from Wildhorse Creek Trail to Pool is 2.1 miles
- Turn Left: Macland Road. Get out to the right edge of the road. This is a busy highway. Heads up.
- Turn Left: West Cobb Aquatic Center: Competitive Lanes Open/ Nice Pool / 25 yard (I asked them twice) length on the lane
- Total Distance to Pool: (aprox.) 14.1 miles from TrailHead , Distance from Pool to Silver Comet Trail: 5.4 miles
- Triathlon : Start Swim at West Cobb Aquatic. Transition. Then reverse the distance from the pool, to wildhorse creek trail (macland-hopkins-macedonia-lancer-to trail) , to the silver comet. You will be at mile 5.1 when you hit the marked trail, turn left onto the Silver Comet and head west until you hit mile 14.3 marker - That is the halfway point of a 25 mile bike.Run the trailhead to mile 3.05, this is just about the first small tunnel before the depot.
- Xterra : Start Swim at W. Cobb Aquatic, then reverse distance (macland-hopkins) but keep going straight on macedonia past lancer and take the next right into a parking lot. Follow the lot around the baseball park about 1 block. Wildhorse BMX course will be located on your left. This will work, for XTerra work esp. the very steep whoop de doos that are on the end of the trail. Those things are sketch on a mountain bike. At time of writing, unsure of exact XTerra Distances but see above Triathlon distances for a guide if they are the same. To do an XTerra trail run simply break away from the SC Trail at or around mile 2.2 (bridge) and head up into the trails in the woods on the left side.
- Iron Man : Triathlon, Distance modified. Swim, begins at West Cobb Aquatic. Transition and reverse distances above back to the silver comet (macland-hopkins-macedonia-lancer-wildhorse). This will be mile 5.4 when you begin. Bike to Rockmart, break off the trail before it ends, in Rockmart just after I think first bridge, but before the second - and go up Harmony Church Rd. (steep) left off the trail at about the center of town. This will take you up onto a highway that will go to Cedarton , which will be about mile 50. There is a convenience store on the right about 5 miles out of town that can be used to refuel. Another one in cedarton, turn right when you get there and go into the center of town. Pick up trail near the railroad, Left. Once you are back on the trail again the approximate 50 mile turn around should be just outside of town somewhere,just about 10 miles or so before Alabama state line (there are huge power lines on the right of the road. ) This is your 100 Mile halfway point. Use the Marathon Convenience store in-town to refuel again on the way back. The ride out and back is classic Polk County, Cows. Horses. and the occasional "pace dog". :-) Reverse the distances back to the trail head, and then transition to your run. The Run will start at the trailhead and go to mile 13.1 which for some reason I call "sparks" - I think it has to do with a road sign on the right, not sure. Refuel at the Silver Comet depot mile 5, there and back. Pool opens at 9 am
- Trail Markers for all of the above: Yes, please.
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