Laurel Highlands Ultra Review

This is a race that starts in the town of Ohiopyle Pa and goes just past Seven Springs Ski resort,  there is a 50K and a 70 mile version of this race.  I opted for the 50K version and signed up along with a buddy Wil who would then drop out about 15 minutes after registering, I'm running the Grindstone 100K later this year so I wanted a taste of Appalachian running and this race certainly does not disappoint.  I grew up not to far from Ohiopyle and have been going there since I was a kid and have always been fond of the region and the IC lights you can buy there.  
Being a hometown race my family lives pretty close so I was able to visit out there a couple times before the race and run the infamous "gate to 8" which is the first 8 miles of the course which are by far the hardest.  The out and back of this has 4100 feet of vert which is a ton for a guy who usually runs in Ohio but it was a blast to run and I plan on making it back a couple more times this summer to get some more Appalachian fun in before Grindstone.
Onto the actual race,  the first 8 miles are by far the hardest of the course with 3 steep climbs and descents all while navigating rocks roots and boulders.  It hadn't rained much in the weeks leading up to to Laurel so the trails were bone dry which certainly helped going down the descents.  At about mile 8 the course plateaus and you begin a nice 3 mile stretch to the first aid station which is at right about mile 11, I got to the aid station with legs intact still feeling pretty good.  The first aid station I dropped my vest and poles with my tremendous crew made up of my girlfriend Annie, my mom, and my dog Obi I also had a group of friends running the relay to encourage me at checkpoints David, Rob, Amber and Beth.  Drank some gatorade, ate some watermellon and a gel and grabbed my handheld.  The next 7 miles were still rocky and technical not nearly as steep untill right before the aid station at mile 19ish where there's a pretty steep climb right before you get there.  At this aid station got to see the crew again, had some ginger ale, gatorade and more watermellon.  The next 11 miles took me to Seven Springs ski resort and were fairly easy to run minus the continuous rocks and roots which are relentless for the entire race.  I managed to not fall today which is always a win but did come close a few times in this section as my legs got a bit tired.  Right before Seven Springs there was a pretty tough climb that was followed pretty closely by an aid station which was well placed cause I had just run out of water.  After a nice tour of the North Face of Seven springs just a couple more road crossings, some horses and a few hikers and I was home.  
All in all this race was awesome and I bested my PR from Gorges Waterfalls 50k by 6 minutes on what I feel was a much tougher, relentless course. Finished in 6:35 in 22nd place overall. My favorite part of this race is that when you're 4 miles into the race you really feel like you are out in the middle of nowhere and far from civilization even though there's a couple access roads should something go wrong.  The aid stations are well placed in really the only places they can put them so you need to understand what you need to carry with you for each section, water, gels etc.

Gear used for race
Salomon vest with 2 liters of tailwind (first 11 miles)
Leki Trekking poles (first 11 miles)
NNormal Kjerag shoes, normally a Hoka guy but wanted a shoe with very little stack height
Adidas futball shorts, I hate running shorts the liner always chafes me so I wear compression shorts and soccer shorts
Adidas compression underwear
Hoka bucket hat, essential anytime the suns out
Swiftwick socks