This is a fun — but very tough — trail race at the Naylor Mill Forest Trail in Salisbury, Maryland. The terrain is unlike most of Salisbury, so I was about four-to-five-plus minutes per mile slower than my normal race pace (although I think everyone was affected by the terrain, they might not have all been affected as much as I was). It was also hot.

The course started out with about a mile around the baseball/softball fields at the Henry S. Parker Athletic Complex. This was definitely the easiest mile of the race, and it helped to spread people out before we got to the single-track trails. Once we entered the woods, the trails were narrow and there were plenty of roots to dodge. There were also hills. Although the hills were steep and tough for someone who lives in a flat area like me (I live in the city where the race is held — Salisbury, Maryland), I gave it a 3 out of 5 stars because I know there are much hillier races. My watch logged 288 feet of elevation gain.

The race was very affordable — just $15 — and the shirt was awesome! I gave it a 4 out of 5 because it's a regular T-shirt, but it has a really fun design. Runners could sign up as part of Team Bacon or Team Scrapple, and there were also a few people on Team Veggie. Runners got a shirt that corresponded to their team — mine was a blue shirt with a piece of bacon running ahead of a piece of scrapple. There was also a fun personalized bib.

There was one aid station, which was at a good spot along the course. It was announced before the race that this would be a cup-less race, which makes sense because we wouldn't want to litter the trails, and it would be possible that if there were cups, they could end up off the trails or down hills. There was also bacon available at this station, along with wet washcloths — which were appreciated!

The scenery is nice and is mostly in the woods. Parking was plentiful, close to the start, and free.

Although my watch logged the course as a little long (4.75 miles for a 7K — which should be about 4.35 miles), I would say race management was great. My friend does manage the race, and I think he made it a great experience for everyone. The course was extremely well-marked, which was crucial for being in the woods, and I liked the touches like the teams and their colors, the personalized bibs, bacon and scrapple doughnuts at the beginning and a general fun evening — it's held on a Friday evening.

There was not really an expo, just a packet pickup at Smokin' BBQ at The Pavilion at 1400 South the evening before the race.

Read my blog recap here: https://sherunsbytheseashore.com/2018/08/11/tough-terrain-repping-team-bacon-at-the-naylor-mill-7k/