The Run the for the Apples 5 Mile is a beautiful trail race at the height of autumn colors. The race winds through the Pine Tree Apple Orchard, which provides a perfect venue for this spectacular race.

This race is put on by FrontRunner. They host a bunch of races around the Twin Cities each year. This is my personal favorite. The "expo" equates to showing up to a rundown garage near an unmarked building, grabbing your t-shirt and bib and leaving. Seriously. This is what all pre-race packet pickup is like for FrontRunner. Nothing against it - at least they provide early pickup. For this race, however - it might be easier to show up early and do race-day pickup.

Parking can be an issue. There is limited parking in the orchard, and if you don't get there early you could be walking up to a mile to the starting area. Get there as early as possible to get the best and closest parking.

The course is amazing. It's a challenging route that winds through the orchards trails, up and down hills, with a short potion on a paved road. The most challenging hill comes right after the 1 mile mark, and seems to go on forever. The race finishes running down this very same hill - so remember that when you're struggling to get to the top.

After the race, enjoy some cider and fresh cookies, then check out the rest that the orchard has to offer (I recommend the apple turnovers!).

The "expo" and parking concerns for this race aren't enough to diminish the entire experience, the trail is that good. I love this race, and will definitely be back next year!

Check out the full race recap here: http://runningmn.com/run-apples-5-mile/