Frozen Toe 10k

On January 9th 2010 we will be holding the first event on the Chestnut Ridge Loop Trail. This is going to be a great event that we hope becomes annual.

This has been a venue that I have looked at for a long time. It is a great trail that I use throughout the year and join with other trails in the area to train for many of the Ultra Marathons I've done over the years. Come out and enjoy this event and kick off the New Year with a healthy activity.

The Chestnut Ridge Loop Trail is a 5.6 mile single track trail that loops around the Roanoke Mountain Campground. This is a great trail with a little bit of everything. A couple of years ago it was upgraded in a few places and is now a fast and flowy trail that is perfect for a January trail race.

Course Description:

The event will start at the New Hope Christian Church. From here you will run down Welcome Valley Road to the Chestnut Ridge Trail. At the trail, runners will run the loop counterclockwise. Once back to Welcome Valley Road you will take a right and run back to the church/finish.

Event Age Groups: 11 male and female age groups. with medals given to the top 3 in each age group. The top 3 male and female winners will receive unique awards.

Age brackets for the event include, for both male and female: 14 and under; 15-19; 20-24; 25-29; 30-34; 35-39; 40-44; 45-49; 50-54; 55-59; 60 & up.

Parking for the Event: The event headquarters is going to be the New Hope Christian Church off of Welcome Valley Road.

Directions to the Start/Finish at New Hope Christian Church:

From Roanoke: Take I-581/HWY 220 South. I-581 turns into HWY 220 South. Just after the Outback Steakhouse take a left onto Old Rocky Mount Road (State Route 789). You will be on this for about .65 miles to Welcome Valley Road. Take a left onto Welcome Valley Road and the New Hope Christian Church will be on your Left.

Outback Scramble - Indianapolis IN

Every year Gina and I travel to Illinois to see our family for Thanksgiving. Typically we try to find a place along the way to trail run or, if lucky, find a place to race.

This year we were in luck. We found the Tuxedo Brothers Outback Scramble at Eagle Creek Reservoir. This thing was a blast.

Leading into the event we were lucky to find any information describing what we were in for. The race info described a race distance of 4 miles plus or minus a mile, creek crossings, briars/thorns, rope assisted up and downhills, a good chance at getting lost, and lots of other obstacles.

The race was capped at 300 people and was to start at 9:34am. If you brought canned good you received a discount on your race entry and the 3 people who brought the most canned goods got a head start. Weird I know!

The race started with a .75 mile or so lead out on a road. Then the course headed into the woods. Not on a trail, but into the woods, where you followed pink flagging. The flagging took you through the roughest portions of the woods, over fallen trees, up steep slopes, down steep slopes (some with ropes to assist you), into ravines, across creeks, zig zagging up and down just like my heart rate.

Along the course were hats (sombreros, viking helmets with horns, sequined hats, feathered hats, party hats, coiled up snake hats, you get the picture). These hats represented a choice for the runner. Grab a hat and cross the finish line with it and you receive 1 minute off your finishing time or run with your hands free and take the "real" time.

I wasn't too concerned with the hats until the guy in front of me dropped his as he was scrambling up a hill. He looked back and just decided to leave it. I picked it up and kept in in my possession for the rest of the race (more on this in a minute).

Towards the end of the race the course went into two separate fields of tall, 5 or 6 foot grass, where you could hardly see where the next piece of pink flagging was ahead of you. At the last field, I could see a course volunteer waving runners his way and directing them out of the "trail" portion and back onto a path and the final .75 miles.

The last section was a loop around a grassy field. We circled around the field and headed to race headquarters and the finish line. Everything seemed smooth. I was in 18th place and thought I could hold my own and come away a bit better because of the hat I had in my hand. As I was coming toward the finish about 100 yards out I felt something pull at my hat. It was a 20 year old trying to rip my hat out of my hand. I mean rip. He was tugging with all his might. Fortunately I was wearing work gloves for this "trail race" and had a healthy grip on my hat. The "hat thief" finally gave up and as he ran off I could hear him say "it worked last year" (repeat offender). So I finished with my swirled multicolored hat and got an extra 1 minute off my time. I was 19th overall and 2nd in my age group.

Gina and I had a great time at this event and may be back in future years.

Into the Darkness 4 Mile Night Trail Run

3rd Into the Darkness Night Trail Race October 24, 2009

Results and Pictures

Thank you very much for coming out and enjoying what I think is the area's most unique event. I hope everyone had fun out there. I am pleased that, once again, we almost doubled our numbers of entries with 208 registrants. I loved see so many 19 and under runners.

This year the course record was smashed from Caleb Kingery's 28:43 last year to the new record of 24:07 by David Cheromei (that's a 5:49 per minute pace, outstanding). The 2nd Place finisher was a surprise entry. He is a guy with great credentials and has been named USATF Mountain Runner of the Year (2002, 2003, 2004). Paul Low ended the race with great time of 27:24. This was followed by a great runner from Covington Ryan Middleton who was third with a 29:06

On the women’s side we had Christina Rolfe come in first with a 34:54 after running the memory 10mile race earlier in the day. Followed closely by 2nd place Hollie Flynn in 35:19 and 3rd place Samantha Mitchell in 37:31 in 3rd.

Congratulations to everyone. Thanks for coming out to play with us. For those of you that have never raced in a trail race or raced at night, Great Job. I think you will find that being out on trails will become addictive. If you want to find more trail locations please visit the trails section (for local info) or adventures section (for out of state info) of our website and get out there and have fun.

Also, for those of you that were in the race and found out that you could use a better light. Walkabout Outfitter has extended their 25% discount on all headlamps in stock.

Don’t forget our other sponsors. They help us make these races happen.
Gilbert Chiropractic
Mamma Maria’s – In Salem. Make sure you order some garlic knots.
Walkabout Outfitter
Roanoke City Parks and Recreation
This event is sponsored by Roanoke Parks and Recreation. Check them out onthe web at www.roanokeva.gov/PLAY or friend them on facebook to find outwhat is new in Parks and Recreation.
Virginia’s Explore Park
Monster Energy Drink
Roanoke Outside – Pete Eschelman has help create a large social network of outdoor recreation enthusiasts in the Roanoke & NRV Region of Virginia. His facebook page or Roanoke Outside email list will keep you up to date on what’s going on in the local outdoor world.

Running Trails at Night

Gina and I have run trails by headlamp and flashlight since we first got into trail running back in 2001. Due to time constraints, most of our fall and winter running occurs after dark. Both of us prefer to run on trails and don't want to let darkness keep us from staying in trail running shape. In addition, there are aspects of running at night that you just can't put into words.

Light Source:
My lighting preference is to use a LED headlamp and a flashlight (halogen or LED). LEDs are a very energy efficient lighting source and cast a white glow (I can't stand to buy and go through a lot of batteries. LEDs have really helped increase the run time of battery operated lights). Depending on your LED headlamp, the beam emitted will be a glow or a focused beam. There are countless options of headlamps for a variety of uses. I've yet to find a headlamp that lights up the trail and allows you to get depth perception.

When running at night you get depth perception from shadows being cast from your light source. The best way to get shadows is to use a flashlight. Holding a light lower, in your hand, helps to get the shadows you need to identify rocks, roots, and other obstacles in your way.
With this in mind I usually only run using a headlamp, but if I'm planning to run a trail fast, run a rocky or rooty trail, or run a steep downhill, I will also use a flashlight. Not only does this help minimize getting injured on the trail but it is also smart to have a backup light source in case your primary light stops working.

For those of you unfamiliar with headlamp options I encourage you to visit our newest sponsor, Walkabout Outfitter, to see their selection and to get a 25% discount on headlamps in stock.

Print this post off for 25% off Petzl headlamps at
Walkabout Outfitter - Lexington and Downtown Roanoke

3rd Into the Darkness Night Trail Run

Print this post off for 25% off Petzl headlamps at

Walkabout Outfitter - Lexington and Downtown Roanoke

On 10/24/09 we will be having our 3rd Into the Darkness race. This is my favorite race to direct and promote. There is something about running at night that is indescribable. The temperature is milder, there are sounds that you don't hear during the day, there are glowing eyes staring back at you, and there's this feeling of uniqueness, that you are doing something that few people ever choose to experience. Add 150+ other runners, our unique spin, and you have a recipe that has caused people to name this as their favorite race.

In preparation of the night race the course will be cleaned up. We will be blowing the leaves off the trail to help you see and stay on course, we will remove sticks and loose rocks, and we will be placing many reflective arrows, markers, glowsticks, and other Halloween related items throughout the 4 miles. All in an effort to make this an unforgettable event.


Following the race we will be having spaghetti from Mama Maria's, the infamous Mountain Junkies pumpkin bread, and other food and drinks.


All awards for this race are homemade Halloween themed plaques. Awards will be given to the top 3 male and female overall winners, Male and Female Masters (over 40) winners, and the top 3 in 11 age groups.


Sponsors:

Our newest sponsor is Walkabout Outfitter - they are offering a 25% discount on all Petzl headlamps purchased at their Downtown Roanoke and Lexington stores (you just need to print off this page and take it into the store).

Virginia's Explore Park

Roanoke City Parks and Recreation

Gilbert Chiropractic

Mama Maria's

RSC Rental Equipment

Monster Energy Drink

The entry fee is $20 until 10/10/09.

To guarantee getting a t-shirt you need to make sure you have signed up by this date.

After 10/10/09 the entry fee is $30 and all remaining shirts (we try to get extra) will be given out on a first come first served basis.