Capon Springs

Capon Springs

We spent last weekend at Capon Springs in West Virginia. I ran the Capon Valley 50K on Saturday, which started just down the road from Capon Springs and Farms, the resort where we stayed, and actually ran through part of the resort.

Staying at Capon Springs and Farms was like stepping back in time...way back before we were born! I have never been to Butlins, but it was just how I imagine Butlins would have been in the 50s...perhaps on a smaller scale. If you've seen the movie Dirty Dancing, just imagine the Catskills resort where that movie is set. (Although it wasn't actually filmed in the Catskills but in Roanoke, Virgina!) I digress..

Let me tell you about a typical day at the resort: Flag-raising along with playing of the National Anthem over the loudspeakers at 8:25am. Breakfast in the dining room from 8:30 - 9:30, served by your lovely white-haired waitress who has been working there since 1962 and brings your food on a trolley. Everything is white or mint-green, including the waitresses' uniforms and the chairs (green).

After breakfast you can sit on the porch and watch the world go by or go and play shuffleboard, tennis, badminton, or ping-pong. You can borrow a fishing pole and go catch a fish in one of two ponds. If the fish is longer than 8 inches you can bring it to the kitchen and they will clean and cook it for your dinner. If not, throw it back. You can go hiking. You can swim in the pool, which is spring-fed and is a cool 62 degrees. Hope you brought your wetsuit.

Lunch is served from 1:00 - 2:00. The music begins playing at 12:00 and there's a "get ready" bell at 12:30 followed by the "come and eat" bell at 1:00. Dinner is from 6:00 - 7:00. If it's your birthday they will make you a cake and play Happy Birthday over the speakers. On Sunday it was Mother's Day and they played a tune that sounded like it was recorded in 1957.

On weekend evenings you can join a singalong complete with hot dogs (only allowed after the singing) and marshmallow-roasting. I was surprised at how much Joshua enjoys a good singalong!

The 50K went very well. I really wasn't sure what to expect as I knew this would be the longest I had ever run and I also knew it was very hilly. I ended up with a great time - 5hrs 27 mins and was 3rd female and 28th overall out of 150 participants. I won't bore you with all the details but if you want to read my race report it's on my Racingtales blog.

Don't forget to click the image at the top to view the whole album!