This was my fifth year participating in the Naylor Mill 7K, and I am one of only three people to have run it every year. Of course, I really enjoy this race, as I keep coming back! It happened to be on the hottest day of the summer, and I appreciated there were precautions taken — an extra water stop, an early exit option and the requirement to run with water.

The terrain is tough for Salisbury. I gave it a "5" for difficulty based on the types of trails I have personally run. I'm sure there are tougher trails out there, but for my very flat area, this is difficult. The course is mostly on singletrack trails, with twists, turns and hills. Expect your pace to be at least a few minutes slower than usual per mile.

This race has a Bacon vs. Scrapple theme, and you pick your team. Swag was a T-shirt, towel and sticker. The race is also very affordable, so I don't expect more swag than that, and I'm happy with it.

It's easy to park in the large, free parking lot at the Henry S. Parker Athletic Complex by the trail.

Race management is always great. This was a successful event as always, and as noted, I especially appreciated the extra precautions taken for the super hot day.

Read more in my blog post: https://sherunsbytheseashore.com/2021/08/21/i-completed-the-naylor-mill-7k-on-the-hottest-day-of-the-summer/