July 23rd Email (Sent to All 2025 Participants & Waitlist)

Hello Ghost Train family! 

It's hard to believe that within the past month I've wanted to have the heat on, then a few days later I had to put the air conditioners in the windows, and now we are past the 4th of July!  I was outside recently stacking wood - because that's what one does on a hot day in July, apparently - and I was thinking about Ghost Train.  It may be 3 months away, but it will be here soon!  I hope your training is going well, as we're all excited to see you in October.  The Ghost Train committee and I are already planning and getting preparations in order for an amazing weekend.

I had a few things I wanted to share... 

First, thank you to everyone for being a part of Ghost Train, whether you have run the race for years or this is your first time joining.  No matter what distance or goal you have, we're looking forward to cheering and supporting you!  Ghost Train weekend is always an amazing event where we all get to see our trail family, support our fellow runners, and support the Milford and Brookline communities.  Every one of you makes this race amazing, and I couldn't be more appreciative.

Second, just a heads up for anyone in the 30-Hour events that will be coming to set up camp on Friday the 17th.  NEW - details will be worked out, but rather than camping instructions given to every car when they arrive, which causes a backup on Mason Road, we'll have a set of online instructions for you to review before arriving.   ALSO NEW - if you show up and haven't reviewed the instructions, you'll get sent to the back of the line with homework to read and sign the instructions before we let you in.  If you get to that point, you'll also have to answer questions like - what is the air speed of an unladen swallow?  What is your favorite color?  What is the maximum volume setting on your amplifier?  And, perhaps most perplexing, the name of the bar that has BOTH kinds of music!

C. (or "Third" if you're a conformist)  If this is your first Ghost Train, (or even if it isn't) please take a few minutes to review the web site, especially the Handbook for your race.  I've created more manageable handbooks with only the relevant information for the Haunted Sunset 30-Mile Race as well as the 15-Mile Race and Relay this year.  It should answer any questions that you may have, and if not feel free to ask on our Facebook page or drop me an email.  (The web site has a lot of great info about the course, volunteering, the annual spaghetti dinner, records, the Hall of Fame, and more!)

Penultimate, or the fancy way of saying second to last: Volunteer signups will be out by the end of the month.  We'll announce them first via email to the folks that kindly volunteered last year, then make the volunteer section of the web site live, and announce in our Facebook group and in our next emails to runners, since we know not everyone is on Facebook these days.

Omega (yup, that Greek word for the end):  if circumstances have changed and you need to drop from the race, or if you'd like to change races, you can either do so yourself through Ultrasignup, or send me an email and I'm happy to discuss your options or help you.  NOTE!!!!  If you change from any race to the 30-Hour Race you'll automatically be put at the end of the waitlist.  As of right now there are 217 people on the waitlist and I don't anticipate it clearing by the race, which means you might not want to do that and may want to chat first.

Omega + 1:
Thanks to our sponsors!
Conductor Level: Camp Tevya and Move Free Designs
Ghost Level: Alene Candles, Lull Farm, and Field and Stream RV Park
Jack-O'-Lantern Level: Tailwind Nutrition and Karen Wright Allstate Agent (Karen is a Ghost Train 4 time 100 mile finisher!)
Trail Supporter Level: Union Coffee, Fine Homes and Renovations, and Perfect Entertainment

Thank you again!  See you all in October!

Rob Fiero
Ghost Train Race Director

PS - are you on the waitlist?  I expect it will move more as August and September approach.  I don't have a crystal ball to see how 2025 will go but in 2024 about 160 people were invited into the race off the waitlist, some of whom accepted and some of whom didn't.  If your plans have changed or you'd like to change to a different Ghost Train race, you can drop from the waitlist and register for a different race.  If you're not willing to wait, please consider dropping from the waitlist to give others a better chance of knowing their likelihood of getting in.  And, as always, I'm happy to chat about the options/likelihood if you want to email me!