Mason-Dixon Equinox Challenges

MDFE: The Mason-Dixon Trail Fall Equinox Run 50K/25K - Night Run

A super low-key Trail Dawgs celebration of the fall equinox since 2021, and held at night since 2024

MDSE: The Mason-Dixon Trail Spring Equinox Run 50K/25K

A super low-key Trail Dawgs celebration of the spring equinox since 2022

An out-and-back on the most scenic and challenging section of the Mason-Dixon Trail, with options for shorter distances too.  For the spring equinox, start at sunrise and finish by sunset. For the fall equinox it is a night run with 12 hours to complete. Organized by the Trail Dawgs as a self-supported run: only water provided and shared food and drinks, drop bag is an option, no crew. Free.

Organizers: Luc Claessens, and Roxanne and Dave Strine

Contact: Luc Claessens - lodevicus.claessens@gmail.com

Spring 2025 Results

March 16, 2025

The Challenge: 12 hours time limit

Report:

The 2025 Spring Equinox Run was a lot of fun and it was wild with the high winds. Congratulations to all the runners who toed the line! 6 runners completed the out-and-back 50K. Congratulations to first place winner Dave McLaughlin who set a new course record! 7 runners did the one-way 25K. Congratulations to first place winners Rob Bartholomew (setting a new course record) and Charlene Howard! And 5 runners did a variety of fun runs. We would like to thank everyone who helped make this run possible, including the Mason-Dixon Trail System and their fantastic volunteers, the former Shank’s Mare Outfitters, and PHUNT/Trail Dawgs. A huge thank you to Carly Kearns for manning the aid station and to Ian Maffett for helping with shuttling. Again, congratulations all! Let’s do this again in 6 months, as a night run.

50K finishers:

1. Dave McLaughlin (M40), 6:33

2. Matt Burke (M37), 7:26

3. Anthony Romano (M40), 8:57

4. Jeff Kearns (M49), 9:49

5. Kevin Zuech (M47), 10:04

6. Jakob Sinclair (M45), 10:39

25K one-way:

1. Robert Bartholomew (M60), 3:28

2. Matthew Rutherford (M34), 3:35

3. Jeff Sydenstricker (M40), 3:51

4. Pete Fisher (M57), 4:42

5. Charlene Howard (F53), 5:15

6. Alicia Archer (F35), 5:36

7. John Riley (M50), 5:39

Fun runs:

Eddie Pantoja (M39), 6:10, 20M (out-and-back Shank's Mare to Kline Rd)

Ernesto Casarez (M68), 7:59, 16.5M (out-and-back Shank's Mare to Safe Harbor Dam view)

Hannah Kipp (F44), 5:13, 15.5M (out-and-back Shank's Mare to Apollo Park)

Cassandra Lizza (F44), 6:30, 15M (out-and-back Shank's Mare to Apollo Park)

Taylor Long (M24), 1:19, 6M (out-and-back Shank's Mare to Green Branch Rd)

Intermediate times 50K finishers:

Fall 2024 Results

September 14, 2024

The inaugural night run!

The Challenge: 12 hours time limit

Report:

The 2024 Fall Equinox Run was so much fun! For the first time we did it as a night run and everyone had a great time. A few runners commented that it was one of their best running experiences. We could not have asked for better conditions, with clear skies, an almost full moon, and lots of stars. What a magical night it was. Congratulations to all the runners who toed the line! This is a tough course and especially running it at night is quite challenging. 8 runners did the out-and-back 50K. Congratulations to first place winners John Farmer and Sophorn Choup! 6 runners did the one-way 25K. Congratulations to first place winners Ben Wickham and Kelly O’Connor! We would like to thank everyone who helped make this run possible, including the Mason-Dixon Trail System and their fantastic volunteers, Otter Creek Campground, the former Shank’s Mare Outfitters, and PHUNT/Trail Dawgs. And a special thank you to Ian Maffett for helping at the aid station. Again, congratulations to all the runners! Let’s do this again in 6 months! The spring equinox will be the usual sunrise to sunset challenge, and we will keep the fall equinox as a night run.

50K finishers:

1. John Farmer (M45), 7:55

2. Jake Landon (M25), 8:06

3. Anthony Romano (M40), 9:25

4. Ryan Vandenberg (M43), 10:34

5. Sophorn Choup (F45), 10:35

6. Alberto Vazquez (M55), 10:42

7. Lynn Malinak (F37), 10:47

8. Steve Prescott (M60), 10:47

25K one-way:

1. Ben Wickham (M56), 4:02

2. Kelly O’Connor (F40), 4:04

3. Sean O'Connor (M41), 4:04

4. Ben Linne (M27), 4:44

5. Frank Murphy (M42), 4:44

6. Tom Waltman (M45), 5:06

Fun runs:

Steve Bunville (M64), 9M (Shank's Mare to Apollo Park)

Intermediate times 50K finishers:

Spring 2024 Results

March 17, 2024

Sunrise: 7:13 am

Sunset: 7:15 pm

The Challenge: 12 hours and 2 minutes daylight time limit

Report:

Thanks all for a successful Mason-Dixon Trail Equinox Run and congratulations to all the runners who toed the line! What a beautiful day it was. 14 runners completed the 50K sunrise to sunset challenge. Congratulations to first place winners Chris Baumer and Kate Sidoli! Special recognition to Juliet Kinsley on her first 50K. 10 runners finished the one-way 25K. Congratulations to first place winners Justin Reed and Shobha Sidigonde! We would like to thank everyone who helped make this run possible, including the Mason-Dixon Trail System and their fantastic volunteers, and Trail Dawgs. A special thank you to Carly Kearns for transporting runners and helping at the aid station, to Steve Prescott for making a special trip to help with transportation, and to co-organizers Roxanne and Dave Strine for arranging the finish line feast and for clearing blowdowns. Again, congratulations all! Let’s do this again in 6 months!

50K finishers:

1. Chris Baumer (M44), 7:03

2. Bobby Kinsley (M28), 7:55

3. John Farmer (M46), 7:56

4. Matt Forshaw (M40), 8:32

5. Jakob Sinclair (M44), 9:14

6. Jimmy Rayburn (M62), 9:44

7. Michael Wilson (M46), 10:06

8. Kate Sidoli (F47), 10:06

9. Juliet Kinsley (F29), 10:34

10. Meaghan McElroy (F46), 10:37

11. Kurt Foster (M46), 10:37

12. Stephen Waniak (M36), 10:37

13. Jeff Kearns (M48), 10:54

14. Michael Womelsdorf (M37), 11:09

25K one-way:

1. Justin Reed (M47), 4:04

2. Brad Lippy (M47), 4:15

3. Damir Mujic (M38), 4:19

4. Nick Brock (M39), 4:24

5. Shobha Sidigonde (F41), 5:05

6. Diana Widdowson (F57), 5:24

7. Bryan Turner (M46), 5:37

8. Tim McCreer (M40), 6:09

9. Pete McLaughlin (M61), 6:36

10. Roxanna Strine (F69), 8:56

Fun runs:

Dustin Briggs (M39), 5:09, 16M (out-and-back Shank's Mare to Safe Harbor Dam view)

Logan Hutton (M32), 5:09, 16M (out-and-back Shank's Mare to Safe Harbor Dam view)

Cassandra Lizza (F43), 9:35, 27M (out-and-back Shank's Mare to Otter Creek)

Michaele Rayburn (F52), 7:09, 26M (50K DNF, stopped at Boyd Rd)

Dave Strine (M68), 2:50, 8M (Bare Rd to Apollo Park)

Intermediate times 50K finishers:

Fall 2023 Results

September 17, 2023

Sunrise: 6:48 am

Sunset: 7:11 pm

The Challenge: 12 hours and 23 minutes daylight time limit

Report: 

Thanks all for another great Mason-Dixon Trail Equinox Run!  Congratulations to all the runners, especially those new to this fun section of the M-DT.  The theme for this fall edition was … fall weather.  Cool temperatures meant fast times, and even rain showers later in the day did not seem to slow the runners down much.  11 runners completed the 50K Challenge. Congratulations to first place winners Ian Maffett and Emma Dixon!  Ian set a new course record(!), and for Emma it was her first time on the M-DT.  8 runners did a variety of fun runs, including the 25K point-to-point. We want to thank everyone who helped make this run possible, including the Mason-Dixon Trail System and their fantastic volunteers, Shank’s Mare Outfitters, Otter Creek Campground, and TrailDawgs. And a special thank you to Jeff Kearns for helping with shuttle and the aid station, and to co-organizers Roxanne and Dave Strine for food at aid station and finish and for always keeping the trail super well maintained. Again, congratulations all! Let’s do this again in 6 months.

50K finishers:

1. Ian Maffett (M41), 6:38

2. Zach Geiple (M40), 7:46

3. Thomas Haine (M56), 8:48

4. Beto Magana (M51), 8:49*

5. Ben Wickham (M55), 8:59

6. Anthony Romano (M39), 9:02

7. Steve Prescott (M59), 9:33

8. Emma Dixon (F28), 10:50

9. Kurt Foster (M45), 11:16

10. Meaghan McElroy (F46), 11:16

11. Stephen Waniak (M36), 11:16

* adjusted finish time (navigation mistake)

Fun runs:

Andrew Houck (M33), 5:12, 25K (Bare Rd to Shank's Mare)

Cassandra Lizza (F43), 2:05, 5 miles (out-and-back Shank's Mare to Green Branch)

David Long (M48), 4:38, 18 miles (Shank's Mare to turnaround to Otter Creek)

Peter McLaughlin (M61), 3:32, 10 miles (Apollo Park to turnaround to Furnace Rd)

Jakob Sinclair (M43), 7:04, 26 miles (50K DNF, stopped at Boyd Rd)

Roxanna Strine (F68), 8:08, 25K (Bare Rd to Shank's Mare)

David Strine (M68), 8:08, 25K (Bare Rd to Shank's Mare)

Tom Waltman (M44), 8:08, 25K (Bare Rd to Shank's Mare)

Intermediate times 50K finishers:

Spring 2023 Results

March 19, 2023

Sunrise: 7:11 am

Sunset: 7:16 pm

The Challenge: 12 hours and 5 minutes daylight time limit

Report: 

Thank you all for coming out to the 2023 Mason-Dixon Trail Spring Equinox Run!  It was such a beautiful sunny winter day.  Congratulations, especially those of you were there for the first time and had no idea what to expect!  10 runners completed the 50K Challenge. Congratulations to first place winners Ian Maffett and Sophorn Choup! 17 did a variety of fun runs and hikes, including the 25K point-to-point and various out-and-back distances, with 2 runners almost completing the 50K Challenge. We would like to thank everyone who helped make the equinox run possible, including the Mason-Dixon Trail System and their fantastic volunteers (Roxanne and Dave Strine in particular!), Shank’s Mare Outfitters, and TrailDawgs/PHUNT.  And a special thank you to George Maffett (Ian’s dad) for helping with shuttle and aid station.  Again, congratulations! Let’s do this again in 6 months.

50K finishers:

1. Ian Maffett (M41), 7:37

2. Zach Geiple (M40), 7:38

3. Beto Magana (M50), 8:18

4. Jimmy Rayburn (M61), 8:55

5. Sophorn Choup (F43), 8:58

6. Pete Fisher (M55), 8:58

7. Ryan Vandenberg (M41), 9:40

8. Norm Bittner (M52), 9:54

9. Ken Campbell (M57), 10:00

10. Bob Law (M54), 10:46

Fun runs:

Timothy Claessens (M14), 1:15, 7 miles (Bare Rd to Apollo Park)

Myriam Crosman (F41), 7:19, 20 miles (out-and-back Shank's Mare to just past Apollo Park)

Wayne Duncan (M59), 11:04, 29 miles (almost finished 50K, stopped at Greenbranch Rd)

Angela Hayes (F53), 6:17, 25K (Bare Rd to Shank's Mare)

Andrew Houck (M32), 6:01, 25K (Bare Rd to Shank's Mare)

Jeff Kearns (M47), 8:44, 29 miles (almost finished 50K, stopped at Greenbranch Rd)

Ryan Leppo (M41), 7:05, 25 miles (out-and-back Shank's Mare to Urey Overlook)

Brad Mackie (M42), 5:29, 17 miles (out-and-back Shank's Mare to Safe Harbor Dam view)

Julia Martin (F32), 6:01, 25K (Bare Rd to Shank's Mare)

Rachel Rosenblatt (F53), out-and-back Shank's Mare to stegosaurus

Andrew Slavik (M34), 8:54, 25K (Bare Rd to Shank's Mare (hiking))

Roxanna Strine (F68), 7:24, 25K (Bare Rd to Shank's Mare)

David Strine (M67), 7:24, 25K (Bare Rd to Shank's Mare)

Florin Tencariu (M48), 4:37, 13 miles (out-and-back Shank's Mare to Wilson Run)

Joanna Vickers (F47), 7:11, 20 miles (out-and-back Shank's Mare to just past Apollo Park)

Diana Widdowson (F56), 5:54, 25K (Bare Rd to Shank's Mare)

Vickie Wyatt (F36), 8:54, 25K (Bare Rd to Shank's Mare (hiking))

Intermediate times 50K finishers: