This race is a beautiful spring run through Butler University's campus and along the Canal Towpath. The course is 3.5 miles, slightly longer than a 5K, starting at historic Hinkle Fieldhouse and finishing on the 50-yard line of Butler's football field. Lifelong Central Indiana residents will call this course hilly, as you do descend to the towpath and then have to climb back up to the campus & football field. But these to me are more gradual inclines than hills. There was one aid station about halfway through the race, with water and Gatorade. It was well-stocked and had plenty of volunteers so there wasn't any backup.

Race swag included a really nice soft cotton shirt, cute finisher's medal, lots of snacks, and race pictures that are free to download. Parking is plentiful in the Hinkle Fieldhouse parking lot. There was also a 1-mile dog walk starting 15 minutes after the race, so it was fun to see all the dogs in the parking lot.

The race sold out the day before, and afterwards they still allowed people to register and run but they didn't get t-shirts or medals. They were wearing a different colored bib, so there was no confusion about who got what. The only slight negative was the confusion about the race start time. One section of the website said 9:00, and one said 9:30. They did apologize and say they would make sure that's fixed next year.

Another high-quality, super-fun race from 131 Events in Indianapolis. The inaugural Winter Trail Frosty was a blast! The course is all contained within Eagle Creek Park on the northwest side of Indy, and is the same course used in many of their other races so it was familiar yet still challenging. It was very well-marked also - I had no trouble knowing which way to go as we looped through the park and across the reservoir. You really would never guess you're inside the city limits of a major city as you run through the beautiful woods and along the lake shore.

As with all 131 Events, the race swag is top quality and very unique. The race shirt is a long-sleeved cotton shirt with WTF! Where's The Finish in large letters on the back, and the medal is a big heavy snow globe! There were also optional car stickers and half-zip tech shirts for purchase. There were two aid stations well-stocked with Gatorade and water, and lots of food at the finish: birthday cake, pretzels, and fruit. And always my favorite race perk: all pictures are free to download and share!

I didn't go to pre-race packet pickup as it was held in a suburb far to the north of Indy, nowhere near the actual race, but I had no trouble picking up my packet the morning of the race. There's plenty of parking within the park, which does have a $5 access fee but we were well-informed of that and all other details by the excellent pre-race communications (emails, Facebook, website).

I highly recommend this race. It's fun for experienced trail runners and would also be great for first-timers. The start/finish line is just a big party with music and a DJ announcing finishers as they come across the line. The many volunteers along the course and at the aid stations were all friendly and cheering all the runners along. I will definitely be doing this race again.

This race was so much fun! It's a chip-timed trail race in Unicoi State Park, Helen, GA. The route winds around the scenic park, passing by several lakes & heading up & down the mountains of north Georgia, with one creek crossing about 3/4 mile from the end. Most of it is single-track trail, although there are a few spots where it runs along paved park roads. The climbs and descents are steep enough to be challenging, but not so hard that a beginner couldn't do them. The trails aren't very technical, just a few roots to watch out for. The course scenery all around is just beautiful!

We picked up our packets race morning and didn't have to wait in line at all. Parking was right next to the start/finish/party area, and there were lots of volunteers around offering directions or answers to questions. Bounce houses were up, the DJ had the music going, and the party had started before the race. Race swag included a t-shirt & pint glass with the super cute logo (even the race bib was cute) and a beer, with plenty of optional items for purchase as well & proceeds going to the State Park. Run Bum (the race director) and Santa were socializing & taking pics with everyone.

There was one aid station with water, Gatorade & bananas. This was a cupless race to keep litter out of the park, so the water/Gatorade were for refilling our bottles or hydration packs. That along with everything else were well communicated ahead of time, tho. We received plenty of email updates prior to the race, with good directions to the start/finish; and the info was also posted on Facebook and the website.

I would definitely recommend this race, & I will be running it again for sure!