What a fun trail race today! This race is held next to my home and in a park where I often run and hike, so I couldn't not run it! Many of my local running club members were there volunteering or running today, which always makes it extra special. Nothing like seeing familiar faces cheering you on at water stations and on the course!
There were plenty of parking. You had to walk a little bit through a muddy field to the start line, but that was barely an inconvenience. Hats off to all the volunteers for being there at 5:30 am to set everything up, for standing there in the rain to hand us water and yell your enthusiastic cheers!
Due to the weather conditions, the trail was incredibly muddy, which made it challenging, but super fun! I've been wanting to do a mud run and it looks like my wish was granted! I definitely got more mud today that some of the "mud runs"!
The course started off with a short road distance and then took you on the trail. Besides the mentioned above abundance of mud, the trail had some left over ice and snow, as well as ankle deep puddles and streams. The park is known for it's hills and we sure got some elevation, but nothing extremely difficult.
A few runners lost a shoe here and there or slipped and fell, but there were no serious injuries.
This is the kind of race conditions you learn the most from. I remembered to make small steps, not over stride, and chose grassy trail spots when I could. You definitely had to be strategic with your footing, which to me, personally, is the best part about trail running!
The course was very well marked. The miles were not marked with numbers, which is common for trail races. There were 4 or 5 water/Gatorade stations that were well stuffed with volunteers.
This was my friend's first trail race and what a race to pick! It was definitely a challenge!
We crossed the finish line together and had a tie for 3rd place in our female age group.
The shirts and the hats you got with your packet had an adorable leprechaun image. The tents at the finish line had plenty of pancakes and fruit.
We also enjoyed a complimentary draft beer (the beer voucher was included in the race packet) at a local bar. It was a great way to catch up with some friends from the two local running clubs and thaw off after running through puddles filled with ice cold water.
What a great day! Till next year!