Chicopee Woods 10K Trail Run

The third race of the Dirty Spokes Series is in the books. Was not really sure this one was going to happen. Several bands of thunder storms rolled through the area overnight and early in the morning. Luck would be on our side with an 8:30 start. The trail was the Sorba bike trail near the Elachee Nature Center in the Chicopee woods.

This race appears to be a favorite, despite the rain there was a good turn out. Starting line was on the bridge over the interstate. Nothing like a little hill before hitting the trail to spread out the field. The trails were in fair condition with all of the rain. The first couple of miles was the decent to the bottom. Very little in the way of rocks or major roots on the first couple of miles. After three miles or so the fun would begin. The trail got a bit more sloppy with a few creek crossings. Some were over wooden bridges while others were jumps. The first of the big climbs would happen around mile 4. After getting over the first, back down to the bottom where the water flows. With all of the rain the last creek crossing was more of a waist deep wade across. Crossing the rivercreek left the climb out of the hole. The continued uphill took its toll on many. Alternated between a fast hike and a jog. A couple of twists and turns later left you at the finish line.

I am please with the performance on the trail. The main goal was to relax and enjoy the trail. After a rain there is something to natures music instead of an ipod. Occasionally the roar of the interstate would remind you of civilization. The trail also demand full attention. There were many of sloppy spots that were fun to navigate. Glad the storms had passed and held off to get this one in the books.

The race results are already posted.

Next up is an 8 mile at Mt Tabor.

Thank you to Dirty Spokes, sponsors, and volunteers that made for a very enjoyable race. Looking forward to the fourth challenge in the series.

Running The River Ridge 4.5m Trail Run

The second race in the Dirty Spokes Trail Running Series. This was also the first race at Boling Park in Canton, Georgia. The race started promptly at 8:30. The first mile was on the crush and run track in the park. This first mile was a very fast mile due to a quick start and trying to start near the front of the pack. After the first mile, hard left turn into the woods onto the single track trail. Pace continued to be quick with the rolling hills and the bridges over the smaller creeks. Continuing down the trail until the 2 mile creek crossing. The creek was about 18 inches deep giving the shoes a good soaking. Unfortunately coming out of the water one of my shoes came untied. Making quick work of the shoe laces, got back to the race only to be hit with the first of several steep uphill climbs. Water station was available at 2.7 mile mark. This turned out to be needed. The climbs required more of a hike to the top instead of a run. After the hike of the second hill the runner was left with rolling hills, logs, and pine straw over the trail. The last half mile of the trail was the same as the first trail section which allowed the runners to make up a bit of time. Hard right out of the woods left a short sprint to the finish line. The legs fell a bit short on this run however I had a lot of fun challenging myself.

Nice first race in Boling Park. Thanks to Dirty Spokes and all of the volunteers that put this first annual race on and to those that designed the course. You cooked up a good one. Looking forward to running it again next year. As usual the Dirty Spokes crew have already posted the results.

On to the third race in the series....