SHIRT OFF MY BACK 2009

Pending a few small revisions, the 2009 Afton Trail Run T-Shirt will go to press next week.

Afton Trail Run 2009 Race Shirt (Draft).

ATR MEDAL MAYHEM 2009

It was the most exclusive ticket in town today and everyone who attended got their fill of pure hardcore MEDAL!

Today was yet another reminder of how many dedicated people it takes to put on the Afton Trail Run and make it the fun, unique event that it is.  Thanks to everyone who helped - all 20 of you!  To find out how you can get participate in medal mayhem 2010 get in touch with us and we will give you full details - we can only host so many so let us know early and stay on us!  Thanks again to everyone that helped - we made 450 finishers medals and 100 volunteer medals.

WOUNDED WARRIOR PROJECT.

Soldiers to Run ATR for Wounded Comrades

U.S. Army Captain Matt Cavanaugh and U.S. Army Major Mary Kreis will toe 

the line at the ATR 25K on July 4 to raise money for the Wounded Warrior Project. The Wounded Warrior Project is a non-profit organization that provides programs and services to severely wounded members of the armed services.

The ATR 25K will be the fourth race in an eight-race series for Matt, ranging from the Harrisburg Mile to the TransRockies Run (a 114-mile stage race), to raise awareness and pledges for the Wounded Warrior Project. A Woodbury High School and West Point graduate, Matt finished third in the Tucson Marathon in a time of 2:42:53 and fifth in the Old Pueblo 50 Mile Endurance Run in a time of 8:23:52.

Matt has served two tours of duty in Iraq, where he saw several of his comrades suffer devastating wounds. Their struggles to recover inspired Matt to embark on the series of races, covering a total of 250 miles, which are the platform for pledges to meet a goal of raising $50,000 for the Wounded Warrior Project.

Matt and former Phantom jet pilot Tom Cocchiarella, also of Woodbury, have created a website: http://www.mattcavanaugh-teamwwp.blogspot.com/ where people can follow Matt's progress and find a link to make secure donations to the Wounded Warrior Project.

"Major Kreis currently serves in the U.S Army Reserves, where she is a training officer in a Combat Support Hospital.  Mary has competed on the U.S. Armed Forces Pentathlon Team and is captain of Team American Legion, an adventure racing team that has placed fifth in the U.S. Adventure Racing National Championships the last two years."

Captain Matt Cavanaugh 

ONLINE IN 2009

New for 2009, we have implemented online registration for the Afton Trail Run. Now you can register for either the 25K or 50K without leaving this site and without any extra fees - it is quick and easy. You can also register multiple people and pay with one credit card - this is great for familes or spouses who will be running togather. As soon as you register online, your name will be added to the "See Who's Registered" list. Follow the link below to register today!

Register!

POST RACE - 2008

Thank you runner's and volunteers, for making the 2008 Afton Trail Run 25K and 50K such a great event.


Congratulations to the male and female winners of the 50K event. For their respective victories, Eve Rembleski and Joe Ziegenfuss have been crowned the 2008 Upper Midwest Ultra Champions. Awards for this honor will be given at the UMTR year end event.


The men's 25k record was in jeopardy as Ed Whetham ran like a man possessed and finished in 1:38:36 (that is 6:21 pace!), just missing Jason Finch's 2007 record of 1:38:10. These are world class times for this distance over this type of terrain, we are honored to host such talented runners. The women's (should we say young women's) 25K race was won by 16 year old Marissa Yovetich of Andover Minnesota. Simply unbelievable.


All 25K and 50K results have now been posted on our RESULTS PAGE.


Photos of the 2008 event, taken by Jason Husveth, can be viewed and downloaded for free - HERE.

2008 Pre-Race Updates

GREETINGS EVERYONE,

First of all, thanks to all of you who registered early for the 15th Annual Afton Trail Run 25K and 50K.  We are going to have a record turnout for this year's race!  The overwhelming interest in the 50K will once again ensure that the Afton Trail Run(s) are the premier 25K and 50K races in the Midwest.

Listed below are a few things to keep in mind as the race draws near.

TIMES
The 50K starts at 6:30 a.m. and the 25K starts at 7:30 a.m. SHARP.

PACKET PICKUP
Packet pickup will be held on race morning only.  You can pick up your  number, race packet and t-shirt at the Interpretive Center at Afton State Park starting at 5:00 a.m. (the Interpretive Center is adjacent from the start finish area.)  Packet pickup for the 50K ends at 6:00 a.m. and at 7:00 a.m. for the 25K.  Arrive Early! This is the only opportunity for packet pickup there is no packet pick the night before the race.

T-SHIRTS
Those who are had their applications and were registered by June 29th are guaranteed to get a t-shirt on race day. For all of you late-comers, you may have to wait until a couple of weeks after the race for us to mail them to you. Sorry, but you know the old saying...... the early birds get the super nice technical t's on race day!

RACE DAY REGISTRATION
If you are signing up on race-day we cannot guarantee you a t-shirt.  If a t-shirt is not available we will mail it to you by August 15th.  Race day registration for the 50K ends at 6:00 a.m. and at 7:00 a.m. for the 25K.  Arrive Early!

PARKING PERMITS
If you do not already have one, we strongly encourage you to purchase an Annual State Park entry / parking permit prior to race day.  An annual pass can also be purchased on your way out of the park after the race, please tell the park official that you ran the race.  This is an excellent way to support our wonderful state park system.  More information can be found athttp://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/permit.html  If you choose not to purchase an annual pass (shame on you) we will cover the expense for your parking, but this just takes away from our overall donation to Afton State Park.  You can tell a hardcore Minnesota trail runner by the state park sticker on their windshield!

PARKING
Please carpool!  Reduce the races carbon footprint, save money and help reduce congestion in the parking lot – parking resources will be strained as there is limited parking.  When you arrive, drive all the way to the end of the road to the far parking lot and start parking there, do not fill the lots by the start / finish area first.  Do not park on the road.

PACERS
Pacers / non-registered runners are not allowed under any circumstance.

WORST CASE
If you need to drop out of the race, let a volunteer know that you are doing so, this way you will be accounted for and we will know that we don’t need to send out the bloodhounds.  If you go off course or get lost, be honest, let someone know, try to correct your mistake and try to finish, but let the timing official know when you cross the line.

As always, more information can be found at on our site, click here to view the 

ATR HOMEPAGE - THIS RACE IS HARDCORE, YOU ARE HARDCORE.  GOOD LUCK, HAVE FUN, PUSH YOURSELF, THANK THE VOLUNTEERS AND BE SAFE.

Thanks Again,

John Storkamp and the Entire ATR Crew

"And I Would Have Gotten Away With It, If It Wasn't For You Meddling Kids"

A bunch of us got together over the weekend and made the finishers medals, from scratch, by hand. We made 400 medals and still had energy to go run afterwards. Thanks everyone for all of your help. Be sure to visit the Photos page to see all of the other cool stuff for the race, including t-shirts, awards etc.