So after running my first trail race in 3+ years in September, I thought why wait to do another one? I knew a friend who had signed up for this race, which had 5K and 10K options as well, and was doing the half marathon, so I was excited to sign up and run a race with her. This trail race, like the one I ran in September, did not disappoint. No Killer Hill’s this time but everything about it was pretty good. I’ll outline it all right here.
Course Scenery: The trails were beautiful to run on. This course was more dirt trail than grass field running, which I prefer. Many trees were in full fall foliage colors while the several pines had dropped needles throughout the trail making feel softer, if only to the imagination. There was some water that we ran around but it wasn’t easy to see much of through the trees. I also liked that this course stayed on trails and never crossed over any park roads. There were also some rustic old barns and sheds (probably used as county park facilities now) scattered along the course. Just gave it a nice feel.
Elevation Difficulty: Like I said above, no Killer Hill’s but, whoa, there were many ups and downs, several that were sharp inclines and steep declines where you had to be careful with your gait going down. And the one killer that did come, of course, was at the end of the half marathon portion of the course. No lie, it was a brutal, steep incline that led up to the final half mile remaining. My calves still remember it well, haha.
Aid Stations: Due to the COVID-19 virus and safety precautions, there were no water stations on the course and you were encouraged to bring your own water.
Expo Quality: No expo for the same safety reasons. Bib and packet pickup were accomplished one hour prior to the race at the race location itself.
Parking Access: Easy to find and right next to the starting point of the race. My only beef was that it was a county park but charged $5 for the parking. Not a fan of having to pay to park for a race.
T-Shirts/Swag: Nice long sleeve tech shirt and a cool looking medal for finishing. I COULD have gotten an age group medal too but I came up just short by one place. Boo!
Race Management: Another great job by Silver Circle Sports with organizing this race and keeping everyone safe with social distancing prior to the race. The packet pickup was quick and efficient. The race announcer had a lot of energy (and we needed it, so damp and chilly that morning) and made people laugh before their waves took off on the course. Great volunteers offering support and guidance on throughout the course as well. This group knows what they’re doing. I would recommend running any of the races they sponsor; they truly do a good job.
Any questions or comments, feel free to drop me a line!
Happy running!
Where to start? The pic above is what showed up in a box one day. Wasn’t sure what I was getting to test but I did not expect it to be so small in initial appearance. But, wow, was I in for a surprise. Tight and compact and travels well is a quick way to describe this duffle. Ah, but what happens when you OPEN it up. The pic below is a shot of how I packed it up to go on vacation. Over a week gone and I put in items for multiple runs and other various workouts.
Sorry that it looks like a jumbled mess but that’s how I pack sometimes. And I had the space. Lots of it. And excessive amount. I could have packed at least one more pair of shoes and two days worth of running outfits had I needed to. AND it still would have fit in the overhead bin on the plane. Oh, that brings me next to how easy it is to carry around. And the multiple ways to carry it. On the airport? Piece of cake.
It also has regular duffle bag handles and the. Also a side handle to carry it like a briefcase. Three ways to take this awesome product along with you. Can’t beat that!
The material is a strong Bi-Tech Armor Lite fabric and only weighs about 12oz when empty. Light as a feather. And don’t forget I said it was compact to pack away when need be.
So check out 
thelaterunner 