This race is often a topic of conversation at nearly every other trail race that I've done in the St. Louis area, and I finally had the opportunity to sign up for this race this year. Overall it was a really fun trail race, and I understand why everyone likes this race so much.

The Skippo is a 6ish mile loop throughout Castlewood Park, which is known for having very technical trails. The race started with a 20k option (2 loops), and now also offers a 10k and 30k option. I chose to volunteer on Saturday for the 10k option, and ran the 20k on Sunday. The first two miles of this trail loop are flat and an easy warm up for the rest of the loop. Then comes the steps...about 216 steps to be exact. The stairs seem to be never ending, but the view at the top is totally worth it, especially in the fall at Castlewood Park. After the stairs there is a downhill portion that is technical enough to keep you on your toes. There is a low creek crossing after mile 3 that was kind of refreshing, but gets your feet wet. Cardiac hill comes after that, and it is very appropriately named since most runners choose to walk up this hill. After cardiac hill, there is a nice, easy downhill run to the end of the loop.

There were adequate aid stations along the loop with water and Gatorade. There was also trail mix and GU at the end of the first loop. Afterwards, there was water, beer, pulled pork, and lots of snack foods for everyone. Everyone received a nice long sleeved black tech shirt as well as a cool finisher mug at the end of the race. The 20k finisher wooden medal was somewhat plain, but the 30k finishers had really cool belt buckles.

There is limited parking for runners, but the shuttle service provided seemed convenient and easy to use. Plus, I figure if there was more parking at Castlewood, then there would be fewer trails to enjoy.

Overall, I had a lot of fun at this race, both running and volunteering, and I would gladly run this race again!