It was a race that became much more than grueling climbs and descends.
Ellijay’s Tommy Jones and Trent Brumfield tested their extreme running ability, will and perseverance at the 74-mile Georgia Death Race.
The ultra marathon mountain gauntlet welcomed 264 runners March 29, and the Ellijay duo were two of 155 who managed to finish. The annual event began in Blairsville and finished at Amicalola Falls State Park as runners were exposed to 28,000 feet of elevation change.
Finishing was the goal for both Jones and Brumfield, and they met each other by happenstance multiple times throughout the race, and they crossed the finish line hand in hand.
Jones, 54, is a lifelong runner. From his days as a record-setter at Fannin County High School, to his decades as a cross-country and track coach in Gilmer County, running has been a constant.
He typically logs 50 miles per week. Sometimes that includes training with students at Clear Creek Middle and Gilmer High schools, and he also hits that mark out of season. His résumé boasts seven marathons, including the famed 26.2-mile race held annually in Boston, as well as numerous 50Ks.
Brumfield, 38, on the other hand, is a late bloomer when it comes to the running scene, but he found a passion for the sport. Brumfield, a local businessman, moved to Ellijay from Marietta five years ago along with wife Danielle and their children.
His competitive fire was previously stoked by cross-fit. It features competitions that test endurance, strength and speed in an expansive array of events and challenges. However, a sledding accident and tailbone injury meant it was time for Brumfield to find a new challenge. He started trail running 18 months ago and has since run four 50Ks, as well as 25Ks and half marathons.
“I hated running, but once I started doing it I really fell in love with it,” Brumfield said. “After the injury, I couldn’t do anything for a while. Running was the only thing that didn’t irritate it, and I fell in love with it at that point. I put myself through a slew of challenging races to try and prep for this race. This was my A-list race. No matter what, I was going to finish this race and go all in.”
Getting ready
When it came to training for the Death Race, both altered their previous regimen. Jones upped his mileage to between 80 and 90 miles per week, but a leg injury delayed the start of his preparations until late fall of last year. He eventually started running with Angela McVey on the trails around Amicalola Falls and honed his walking and hiking skills with Mark Hyde.
“I had to learn to run on these trails,” Jones said. “The first time I went, my ankles were getting all messed up, and I was scared running downhill because I thought I was going to trip and fall. I did that on the weekend in addition to my normal road running during the week.
“Another thing I added — and I did this around my house — I found the biggest hill I could find and would run up and down it nonstop for an hour straight. I had to, to simulate the mountain stuff.”
Jones also started running 20 miles on both Saturdays and Sundays as the race approached.
Similarly, Brumfield added to his already rigorous running routine. He jumped from 40-plus miles a week to over 70 and noted one key component to his preparation.
“You need to make sure you get your elevation training in because you’re climbing and descending a good bit, which is where most of the trouble lies in these races,” Brumfield said.
Overcoming and
pressing forward
Even with all of their training and preparation, it did not ready them for physical and mental obstacles they endured. Jones said that beforehand he viewed it as “just another race.”
Brumfield shared that sentiment and noted, “That changed very quickly into the race, and it became a whole different experience than what I could have ever imagined. It felt like I lived a whole lifetime in one day. I went through every emotion.”
Each runner was required to carry a 1-pound railroad spike in their bag, which signified a “burden” they carry in their life.
“Once I got out there and I could feel that spike in my pack every so often, and I thought, ‘What is my burden?’” said Jones. “I was out there running under blue skies on the trails in these mountains. I was thinking, ‘I need to be spending more time with God out here.’ That ended up becoming my burden. I didn’t know that was going to happen. I really did get closer through that experience, (there’s) no doubt, and it was awesome.”
When it came time to put feet to trail, runners gathered at the starting line at 5 a.m., with headlamps beaming. Following a brief road section, the race dipped into the woods and onto the trail. The most rigorous portion of the course came early, and Jones believed the cover of darkness eased the tumultuous early stage. Runners were naturally closely together and Jones likened it to “running in a conga line.”
“I was just following people,” said Jones, whose strategy early on was to hike the hills and run everything else. “I almost didn’t even notice I was going up these big mountains as much.”
Day began to break two hours into the race as remaining densely-packed groups of runners dissipated. One of the major checkpoints of the race came 21 miles in, and both Jones and Brumfield were ahead of the needed time to continue the race. Their meeting was purely random, and Brumfield looked worse for wear.
“I turned into coach Jones mode and tried to pump him up,” Tommy said.
Brumfield really started to toil 5 miles before they met, and his mental foundation of “just finishing” began to show cracks.
“I wasn’t really feeling like myself, and I started to think negatively that I wasn’t going to beat my goal time,” Brumfield said. “I had fallen off my pace way too soon. Seeing Tommy was the first familiar face I saw. I was at a mental low point and trying to shake out of it.”
The pair met again 9 miles later. This time, Jones and Brumfield were able to meet briefly with their wives, Shelynda and Danielle. The Ellijay duo then ran together over the next 10 miles before Brumfield’s pace slowed. Just shy of the midpoint of the mountainous ultra marathon, Jones went ahead, and they would not meet again until steps before the finish line.
Leg pain began to creep in for Jones by the 50-mile mark. While he labored 4 more miles, he was forced to walk, but time was on his side. With 20 miles remaining, he was five hours ahead of the cutoff time, with plenty of time to spare.
Brumfield had recovered from his “mental ups and downs,” but with 31 miles left, the physical demands started to take their toll. A pain along his iliotibial band, located on the outside of the upper leg, began to “seize up.”
As the seemingly never-ending finish neared, Jones’ cellphone and watch died. The 73rd mile of the race took him up the steps of Amicalola Falls, and he traversed back down and over a creek for the final stretch.
With both of their paces slowed over the final stage of the race, Jones and Brumfield were reunited once more.
“Coach Jones!” Brumfield yelled.
“Literally, the last few steps you take to cross the finish line, I saw Tommy. So many people had passed me at that point. I felt like I was never going to finish, and then I saw Tommy. I hadn’t seen him for six or seven hours,” Brumfield explained
“What are the odds that the two guys from Ellijay end up crossing the finish line of this death race together? It was unbelievable,” said Jones.
They walked across the finish line side by side. Brumfield’s official time was 20:50.55, while they clocked Jones in at 20:50.57.
“I ended up talking to so many people during the race,” Jones said. “I talked to a guy from Illinois, Ohio, California, Colorado and a woman from Montana. I met a guy who had unfortunately lost his wife in a car wreck right before the race. He was dedicating the race to her, and there was a lot of stuff going on out there. It was crazy how emotional it got.”
The race garners an overwhelming interest, and registration for next year’s event has come and gone. Both Jones and Brumfield are ready to test their mettle again in 2026.
“The race was hard and the training was hard, but I loved it,” said Jones.
“It was definitely a mental battle and very emotional and in a good way, too,” Brumfield said. “It was a really cool experience, and I learned a lot. Maybe it will become a yearly tradition.”