Trails Collective

Trails Collective Weekly Rundown, 12.25.20

In this week’s Trails Collective Rundown of what’s shaking in the trail running community: upcoming events, registrations opening, results and voices from this past weekend, and a gear review from the week. Let’s dig in.

Gear World

We opened the week by posting up our review of the Scott Kinabalu Ultra RC. Scott’s Kinabalu Ultra RC is designed to run far and fast on semi-technical trails. I love the weight, design, and smooth underfoot feel. It would indeed be a great racing partner for the Western States 100. However, I don’t live in the Western States and its weaknesses would make it a poor choice for the Eastern States 100. Let’s dig in to where it excels, where it doesn’t, and some other models to stack it against. So, to dig in with us, check out our written review here, and the video portion below.

Upcoming Events

Check out our weekly Upcoming Events episode video embedded below, with those running live in January, as well as registrations about to open. We’ll break it down here after the video embed.

December 22^nd:

The Pain Cave released Episode 75 today, which is Jay and Phil going into 20 questions with Patrick Reagan. For those of you who may not know, Patrick is one of the fast ultra endurance athletes in the country, nearly always on the podium, and with a top 10 at Western. Check it out: https://www.gunksrunner.com/paincave/2020/12/22/episode-75-twenty-questions-with-patrick-reagan

December 23^rd:

Trails Collective weekly Interview series – this round with Vinny Cappadora of Happily Running amongst a host of other trail related hats that he and his wife Nicole wear. Tune it to us streaming live on our Facebook and YouTube channels at 8pm with questions or comments for Vinny or Ellie, and with it accessible on the replay after.

December 31^st:

Trails Collective’s New Year’s Eve Show will stream live to our YouTube and Facebook channels from 7:30 – 10’ish on December 31st. With a big slate of guests, we’re pretty excited. Join us!

Sunday, January 10, 2021

Valley Trail Series, Winter Race #3. https://valleytrailseries.com/ Offering 4, 6 and 12 mile distances over diverse including sometimes technical trails based at the Alpine Scout Camp in Alpine, NJ. Elevation gain for the 6 mile is 700’, with 1400 for the 12 mile. Registration live through January 7 at https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=78161

January 16^th:

Sassquad Trail Running’s Frosty Fat Sass, 3.1 miles, 3hr and 6hr runs based at South Mountain Reservation in West Orange, NJ. The events all make us of a scenic 3.1 mile loop. A great event for those who like winter, or those who dislike winter and need an excuse to get out during winter. To be seen whether it’ll be able to run, but all proceeds to benefit the South Mountain Conservancy and thus a good one to consider. https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=80681

January 31, 2021

Naked Nick 25k / 50k, running at Blue Marsh in Leesport, PA, another gem put on the great community which is Uber Endurance Sports. Registration capped some time ago, but check it out in case they get COVID cancellations.  http://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=77795

Valley Trail Series, Winter Race #4. https://valleytrailseries.com/ Offering 4, 6 and 12 mile distances over diverse including sometimes technical trails based at the Alpine Scout Camp. Elevation gain for the 6 mile is 700’, with 1400 for the 12 mile. Registration open through January 27^th at https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=78181

Without much in the way of formal events running this Christmas weekend, I’m going to use this episode to cue you into a host of event registrations opening in January. Some you’ll know, some I’m hoping to put on your radars, and at least a few will cap out in registration, so it’s good to have them on your radar.

Registrations Opening

December 25^th

EHQ Valley Falls 12 Hour, put on by Endurance Headquarters LLC (EHQ events), running on May 1^st in Fairmount, WV. Uses a 5.25 mile loop which offers a mix of gravel service roads, single track, streams, rocky climbs, rolling trails, and a beautiful waterfall. With each loop offering 750’ of gain, it’s an honest timed event. https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=81657

January 1st

Trail Methods Last Runner Standing, scheduled for March 6^th in Rochester, NY. Uses a 1 mile trail loop with the time limit for loops getting shorter after each round. https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=76480

HAT Run 50k scheduled for March 20^th in Havre de Grace, Maryland. This is a classic, going back a bit under 30 years. It runs a mostly single-track course with 5,100’ of climbing and multiple stream crossings. Field capped at 200 (outside of yet unknown COVID / permitting impacts) and will go in a hurry. https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=80781

Eagleton Trail Challenge 10k / 25k / 50k running April 10 in Lock Haven, PA, a bit less technical and intense course vs what has become trademark in central PA. https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=79373

Many on the Genny 40 miler slated for June 19th in Castile, NY. The all-trail course traverses singletrack, fields, forests, and foot bridges on either side of the famous Letchworth Gorge. https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=78045

Clear Creek Ultrafest 21 and 34 milers set for June 19^th in Sigel PA. Held in conjunction with peak-Rhododendron blooming season, the course runs through deep spring fed groves vibrant in pink flowers. https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=80600

Table Rock Trail Challenge Last One Standing set for June 26^th on a 1.2 mile trail within Clark’s Reservation outside of Jamesville, NY https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=79693

The 7-11 Free Slurpee Day Ultra 60k, set for July 11^th in Meriden, CT. Pulling from their US page, they title in with “Do you like dumb ideas?”. This is a fat-ass style, mostly-road course. The organizer writes “If this sounds like a stupid idea, you’re right. I be you’re rolling your eyes. That’s good. It is probably the dumbest idea I’ve not only had but executed. 2019’s run was just three awkward dudes drinking small cups of cold sugary slush and eating bags of Doritos and those weird single serve pickles”. https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=80155

The Groton Forest Trail 6.2, 15, and 26.5 Mile Trail runs, running September 11 in Groton, VT. The event uses a 15-mile configuration with 3200’ of elevation gain with several summits and lake views, with the shorter 10k and 26 mile options. https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=79687

Shawnee Peak Ultra Challenge 2h / 6h in Bridgeton, ME. With over 1,200’ of elevation gain in 1 mile, followed by a 1 mile descent, 2 – 6 hours on the ski slopes of Shawnee Peak is bound to be quad and spirit crushing. https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=81111

Midstate Massive Ultra Trail 30 / 50 / 100 Milers, set for October 9 & 10 in New Ipswitch, NH. UTMB points races, the course runs point to point through mountains, fields, roads, and rivers in central Mass with border crossings in NH, RI, and CT. https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=81098

Cook Forest, Highland Fall Scramble point to point 12 miler, running on the North Country Trail  through Cook Forest on October 31 in Cooksburg, PA. https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=80598

Rim to River 100, a beautiful out-back course winding from the rim of the New River Gorge to the New River, running on November 6 in the New River Gorge of WV. The page mentions a course of natural beauty of waterfalls, whitewater, dramatic views, ghost towns, centuries old cemeteries, and abandoned mine shafts. Check out post-race segment from this year with inaugural women’s winner. https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=81105

The Tuckahoe 25k, a coproduction of the Centreville Crushers and Algonquin Ultras, run over non-technical and fast trails, scheduled to run on November 20^th in Queen Anne, MD. This may become RD Trent Swanson’s new favorite in short order. https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=81296

January 15^th

Hills Creek Endurance Challenge 3h/6h/12h set for May 8^th in Wellsboro, PA. It features a mostly single-track 3.1 mile loop with 200’ of elevation gain around Hills Creek Lake https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=81620

The View 25k set to run November 7^th in Hyner PA. An additional option to give runners a fall-opportunity to hit the Hyner Trails and with around 3,000’ of elevation gain. https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=81223

February 1st

Twisted Branch Trail Run 100k, set for August 21 in Naples, NY. A runner favorite and Western States Qualifier, it fills in a hurry, and with rolls from 2020, guessing all the quicker. A classic point to point course run in the Finger Lakes of western NY, this is a great destination event. https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=80862

Blue 2 Blue Challenge 50k slated for September 25^th in New Haven, CT. Offering some of CT’s most technical and gnarly trails, first with the Regicides, then the Quinnipiac Trail, this is a true #BeastCoast event. https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=80368

Registrations Already Open:

Run Ragged, a Last Person Standing event slated to run on May 29^th in Berlin, CT. Unlike some LPS events, this one runs a rugged hilly and technical loop on Ragged Mountain, going again on the hour every hour until one is left standing. https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=81076

Two of our regions most transcendental trail offerings are live he Endurance Society’s Infinitus run of races, ranging from 8 miles to 888k, slated for May 20^th to May 30^th in Brandon, VT, and Peak Race’s Blood Root Ultra’s 10 mile to 500 mile options running between May 6 and 15^th in Pittsfield, VT. Along with the NJ Trail Series days at the fair in terms of a host of distance offerings, Bloodroot and Infinitus are the longest trail events in our region, and in the transcendental category. https://www.endurancesociety.org/infinitus.html and https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=69919

A slate of PA Trail Dog and other classic technical trail community events, many of which cap out went live December 16^th. In the mix:

Little Loggers Trail Fest slated to run on Sunday, June 20^th in North Bend, PA. This is a rare gem of a kids-only technical trail 5k’ish race. https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=79040

The Sproul 10k, a PA Trail Dogs event billed as the toughest 10k in PA, and part of the Rocksylvania Trail Series, is slated to run on June 19 in North Bend, PA. This is another which I believe caps out so get on it quickly at https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=79038. This is one of Matt Lipsey’s top picks for trail events in PA, and the boy knows PA trail events.

The Hyner Half 14 miler, slated to run on August 28 in North Bend, PA’s Sproul State Forest. https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=79003

The Boulder Beast, a signature #BeastCoast event with plenty of, well, boulders, the Beasts are 25k and 24 milers slated for September 18^th in Lock Haven. https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=79512

The Little Pine 5 miler slated to run on October 23^rd in Waterville PA.

Call of the Wilds – a 25k and 50k running on October 24^th in Waterville, PA. COTW’s is a beautiful course run around peak foliage, and is an event that has and will cap out. It’s burly, one of the toughest in PA, offering 5,000’ of vertical gain for the 25k, and about 8,000 for the 50k. Register at: https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=80144

Results and Voices

Although the event calendar was a bit lighter this past weekend, there were a few which still ran. We checked in with each, and close out the Results and Voices video episode with a clip from Nick Arndt and a solid 50k effort out of region.

Saturday December 19 and Sunday December 20

Christmas in the Pines Trail 4 Miler put on by the Batona Trail Race crew – uses a mild and well-marked course in Beachwood, NJ, currently around 100 registrants with a modified format splitting the event into starting waves and a two-day format. Several waves have capped out, but a few remain, and with registration open through Wednesday, December 16^th. https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=80610

Top male on the day was Tom Ferzettie from Ocean City in a time of 27:07. Top female spot went to Emilie Keane of Haddonfield in 31:47. Youngest finisher on the day was 10 year old Ava Barbalinardo from Pine Beach, and oldest was Don Morrison of West Brandywine, PA.

Sunday, December 20, 2020

Mason-Dixon Shortest Day Challenge

Sunrise: 07:24, Sunset: 16:44, Challenge Time: 9h 20m. 50k+ distance (36 miles) starts at Shank’s Mare Outfitters in Wrightsville, PA. 50k- (27 miles) starts at Shenks Ferry Road (Appolo Park lot) in Brogue, PA. Both events start at sunrise (you need to be in one of the official start location photos), finish at Cold Cabin Park in Delta, PA, and with the goal of beating sunset. Thanks to Robert Bartholomew and Eric Free for breaking down their days and the event. http://traildawgs.blogspot.com/p/mason-dixon-shortest-day-challenge.html

Seashore Nature Trail 50k ran on the Saturday over the hard-packed dirt trails of the First Landing State Park in Virginia Beach, VA, and put on by the Tidewater Striders Running Club. Thanks to Cris Bell of the Dairy Queen Track Club for sending in this clip of his day out there. https://tidewaterstriders.com/seashore50K/

And while it was an event run outside of the region, a congrats to Nick Arndt for running a really fast time at the Huff 50k. It was a stellar effort and I’m going to let Nick’s voice take us out for this week’s episode of Results and Voices.