Kanawha Trace Fun Run (10K, 25K, 50K)

You can run when and where you want. But several runners plan to meet at the original starting line, begin at the original 6 am start time, and follow the usual 10K / 25K / 50K course. We'd love to have you join us!

• There will be no course flagging*. The Kanawha Trace trail does have many permanent course markers, but a runner in a hurry could miss one and go off course. It is highly recommended that you load the provided .GPX files onto your phone or watch for offline navigation purposes.

  • • Here are some basic instructions on how to load the .GPX file onto a Garmin watch.

    • This link explains how you can navigate with a .GPX file using the Android app Maverick.

    • And this one illustrates how to use the .GPX with an Apple iPhone.

    • *There might be a little bit of course flagging.

• There will be independent, volunteer-staffed aid stations.

  • • See the aid station maps below for the 50K and 25K course. (The 10K runners will only pass by the Laurel Branch unattended water jug drop, 5.0 miles in.)

    • The aid stations might not have the same race-day foods and drinks that you are accustomed to. So, it is recommended that runners should carry some food, salt, or drink mix-ins, as preferred.

    • Don't plan on the aid stations being open all day - when there aren't any more runners coming through, the volunteers will probably go home. So if you plan to start late, or run slowly, do not count on the aid stations being available: pack your own support.

• There will be no safety services. Much of the trail has no cell service. It is suggested that participants should use the "buddy system": make sure someone knows where you are, is available to pick you up if you decide to quit, and will be looking for you if you get lost.

• There will be no transportation provided. You need to get yourself to the start, and a ride home from the finish. And whoever does that should also be on-call to pick you up if you throw in the towel.

• There will be no race timing, no awards, and no post-race meal.

• There WILL be: heat, ticks, poison ivy, spider webs, sprains, chiggers, falls, dehydration, getting lost, mosquitoes, chafing, blisters... along with fun, camaraderie, determination, grit, and the satisfaction of completing your goals, during a pandemic, while the nay-sayers sit home playing with their phones.

COVID-19 SAFETY PRECAUTIONS

"fu##ing follow the guidelines!" - Jim Justice

Going for a run with other people is Low-Moderate risk. Let's make it even less risky (these suggestions are adapted from the International Trail Running Association's COVID-19 Guidelines):

• Please check yourself for signs and symptoms before the run. Do you have a fever? Are you feeling unwell? Have you been in contact with anyone who is sick during the past 14 days? Do you have underlying health problems that make you particularly vulnerable? If yes, please consider staying home, or starting your run after everyone else begins.

• Please maintain a physical distance of at least 6 feet from other runners.

• Please wear a mask at the start. (Outdoors... distancing... masks... We'll look so responsible!!!)

• Spitting, snorting, snot-rockets: should not be done within 10 yards of another runner.

• Wave starts: if more than 25 people assemble, a wave start will be used, according to anticipated finishing time.

  • • Faster runners depart first, followed by a 10 minute break, then the next wave of runners will begin.

• Hikers: this probably isn't the best year to walk the 25k or 50k course, since there will be no sweepers, aid stations will not stay open until a guaranteed time, no emergency support, and extremely high temperatures are expected. Being out there on the course for 10+ hours, in 90+ degree heat... if you want to hike it, maybe wait until October. But hey, you do you... I'm not your mom.

Finish: all distances end at Camp Arrowhead. The camp facilities are closed, so please do not linger. Parking is available on Scout Camp Rd just before camp, in the grass field on the right side before the bridge. (Photos below.) [Note: Still waiting to hear if we will have permission to park at the Camp itself.]