Run to Win

I have wanted to take part in the Pineland Farms Trail Challenge for the past few years, but since it is on Memorial Day Weekend and I am rarely home I haven’t been able to until this year. I can now see why everybody raves about how great it is.

This is a tough race. It is made up of 25 kilometer loops, where runners can run 1 loop (25k), 2 loops (50k) or a 3½ mile mini-loop and then 3 full loops (50 mile).

There are a lot of turns (click map above for PDF download.) The course is very easy to follow, with plenty of surveyor’s flags and arrows pointing which way to go. When in doubt, you always turn left and can’t go too far wrong.

There are a couple of short but very steep downhills each loop, but otherwise there isn’t anything that individually would seem very difficult. However, you can never rest on this course. You are always climbing or descending; there are no flat sections to this course at all: (Click here to continue reading…)

Just a quick announcement to anybody interested in running at the Pineland Farms Trail Challenge on Memorial Day Weekend in New Gloucester, Maine:

The Pineland Farms Trail Challenge is coming up on Sunday, May 24th.

After this Sunday the 10th the price for each race will increase by $5 so sign up soon! This year we have capped the 25k race at 250 and right now there are only 80 places left, these are sure to go quickly over the next two weeks.

We are looking for volunteers on race day and to help with set-up the day before, let us know if you can help. This year we are looking for school sports boosters clubs to take on aid stations, in return we will make a donation to each club. If anyone has connections to a group that may be interested please let us know.

This Saturday the 9th we will be running the race course at Pineland Farms starting at 8:00am. Meet in the YMCA parking lot.

The Trail Challenge consists of 3 races at 25k, 50k and 50 miles. All 3 races are run on the trails at Pineland Farms, which are like big, soft and grassy roads (with a lot of hills.)

If you are interested in running, you can get more information here:
http://www.mainetrackclub.com/pinelandfarms.html

If you aren’t interested in running but would like to help out, volunteers are needed! Click here to sign up to volunteer.

Anybody in New England that is still looking for something to do on Memorial Day weekend should look towards making a trip to New Gloucester, Maine, to participate in the Pineland Farms Trail Challenge.

There are 4 races along with volunteering opportunities. The 25k and 50k are returning for their 3^rd incarnation, and the 4km canicross race is returning for it’s second running. (When was the last time you ran a race tied to your dog?) For those of you are looking for a bigger challenge, the weekend is now also hosting a 50 mile race.

The courses are all located on the beautiful Pineland Farms campus and are made up of soft rolling hills. The trails are not technical in the least bit and are split between fields and dirt paths. There is ample course support available, and what will likely be one of the better BBQ parties of the weekend is located at the finish line. There should be plenty of free food and beer for everybody, volunteers included, with at least a dozen people committed to bringing the good stuff like cookies and brownies.

Speaking of volunteers, more are needed. If you are not up to the challenge of running the race, volunteering can be just as fun and rewarding. You may not get a silver (50k) or gold (50 mile) cow bell for finishing, but you do get $5 in Maine Track Club bucks and access to the party. There are also some volunteer positions available that will still allow you to run, especially if you are running one of the shorter races that start later in the morning.

For more information, check out these links:

• Pineland Farms Trail Challenge home page
• Remaining volunteer opportunities
• 2007 Photos
• Canicross race information