IF YOU WANT TO BE INVITED TO RUN IN THE 2012 ANCIENT OAKS 100-MILE ENDURANCE RUN, THEN YOU MUST SEND AN E-MAIL TO MIKE@MCMELTON.COM NO LATER THAN 11:59 PM FRIDAY, AUGUST 31, 2012. INVITATIONS WILL BE ISSUED WITHIN THE FOLLOWING 48 HOURS.
Something like ‘Yes, I would like to run in the 2012 Ancient Oaks race’ would suffice. Unlike the Barkley Marathons Race Director, I don’t need an essay telling me why you should be allowed to run 
.
Here is the information you might want to review before requesting an invitation to run.
The dates for this year’s race are SATURDAY AND SUNDAY, DECEMBER 1 AND 2, 2012. The race will have a 32-hour cutoff, and it will begin promptly at 7:00 AM on the morning of Saturday, December 1st and the course will officially close at 3:00 PM on Sunday December 2nd.
THIS IS A 100-MILE RACE. THERE WILL BE NO OTHER FINISHING DISTANCE OPTIONS. If you do not finish the entire 100 miles within the 32-hour time frame, you will be listed as a DNF (Did Not Finish) and your partial mileage will be listed in the results. This does NOT mean that you should avoid entering if you have doubts about finishing the entire distance – even the most experienced ultrarunners occasionally do not finish and often have doubts at the starting line. It means that there will be no official credit for finishing anything other than the complete 100 miles.
The race takes place in the Enchanted Forest Nature Sanctuary county park in Titusville, Florida. The course consists of 29 loops of a 3.46-mile course composed mostly of loose sand, slightly rolling wood-chip paths, two short sections of plastic-wood boardwalk, and twisting root-infested single-track trail. The course is generally flat, but has one hill of significance – Mount Mahoney climbs about 15 feet and is located about a quarter-mile from the loop’s end.
This is a VERY low-key event. Entrants will be strictly limited to 60 people or less, and there is no fee, no awards, no swag, very little aid, and absolutely no whining allowed ;-). There are no qualification standards to meet, and entry into the race is determined solely by the Race Director. The Race Director reserves the right to withdraw an invitation to the race at any time before the race begins, and he also reserves the right to ask any runner to leave the race at any point during the race.
There are no official rules for selection into the race, but several factors will influence whether or not any particular runner receives an invitation. Contrary to what some believe, sending multiple requests pleading for entry into the race will NOT get you any extra consideration . In general, consideration is given to local Florida runners, first-time 100-mile aspirants, and to those who have run the race in prior years, but NO ONE is guaranteed entry into the race!
The official race website is http://www.ancientoaks100.com/. As we get closer to race day, information will be posted here, so you should look to this website for information and for answers to your questions. Frank Norris, a local Titusville-area runner, also has a website posted about the race, but there is some information there that may not be accurate, so look to http://www.ancientoaks100.com/ first. Like the race, the website will be low-key.
I’m looking forward to hosting the race this year, and I hope to greet each of you at the finish line in December!
Sincerely,
Mike Melton
Jensen Beach, FL