Try a Trail Series
Here is the schedule for the fifth year of the Try a Trail series:
14 July 2012 - 6km
11 August 2012 - 14km
13 October 2012 - 8km or 22km
Register:
On-line registration for the Try a Trail series is available at this link. In person registration will be available at kit pick up and the morning of the race. See below for details on that.
Location:
All the Try a Trail races start and finish at the Ranch at Birds Hill Park (see this map for how to get there). There are modern washrooms and limited changing facilities at the Ranch, as well as ample parking. Please note that a valid Provincial park pass is required to enter the park.
The Trails:
All the trails we will be using for the Try a Trail series are relatively wide (about 3m) mixed use trails. There is a mix of grass, gravel and sandy road surfaces with the occassional mucky bog thrown in for good measure. Although this part of the province is quite flat, there are a few surprise hills to keep you changing up the pace a bit.
All race routes will be clearly marked with both directional signs, kilometre markers and in some cases, there will be flagging as barriers to keep you from going the wrong way. In addition, the race director will give a verbal run down of the key landmarks to be watching for on each race route and an update of the trail conditions on race day.
Start Times:
All the races start at 9:00 am on Saturday mornings. There will be a short pre-race briefing at 8:50 where you will be updated on course conditions, any wildlife spottings that may be of concern and a quick rundown of the race rules.
Kit Pick Up:
Race kit pick up will be held the Friday before each race date at Stride Ahead in Grant Park Mall from 4:00 to 7:00pm and then again on race morning at the race site from 7:30 to 8:30am. Please Note: Race day kit pick and registration will close at 8:30am sharp. Although we encourage you to register via our on-line system here, there will be in-person registration available at the kit pick up where you will be able to pay via cash or cheque.
Race Day:
The races all start at 9:00 am sharp. Back by popular demand there will be a pancake breakfast served at the ranch at the end of the run. Results and awards will take place at that time as well. EMS personel will be patrolling the course on mountain bikes ensuring your safety.
Aid Stations:
Depending on the race distance and expected weather, there will be multiple aid stations for all races except the 6km which will only have one aid station. Watch for updates to the course maps which will indicate aid station locations.
Series Points:
The one thing we're still tweaking is the series points, updates to follow soon. We will be offering a discounted entry fee to those racers that sign up for the entire series along with additional schwag for full series participants.
Beaudry Lemming Loop
Saturday, October 6th will be the third running of the Beaudry Lemming Loop where you will compete against the clock to see how far you can go in the time limit. In 2009, Janet Findlay set the bar really high, three trail marathons in 12 hours; anyone willing to try and beat that? Then in 2010, Sue Lucas set a Canadian record for her age group in the 12 hour while taking the overall victory as well. In 2011 we had to cancel the race due to flooding :-( but I'm excited to see what's going to happen in 2012!
Race Format:
The Lemming Loop can be entered as either a solo runner or in relay teams of 2, 3 or 4 runners/walkers. If you are interested in participating in a relay event, but need to find a team, e-mail us and we'll play matchmaker.
Location:
The Beaudry Lemming Loop will be held at Beudry Provincial Park, west of Winnipeg on Roblin Boulevard (see this map for directions). Please note that a valid Provincial park pass is required to enter the park. There are primitive washroom facilities on site, which will be augmented by port-a-potties. We will have tents set up for weather protection and if needed, they will be heated.
Register:
On-line registration for the Beaudry Lemming Loop is available here. In person registration will also be available, see the info under kit pick up below.
The Loop:
The trail system at Beaudry Park is nestled in the nooks of the Assiniboine River and although narrow in some places, is never quite down to single track. There are no hills to speak of, but there is just enough variation to keep you thinking about where you're going. The weather is typically mild this time of year with only a slight chance of rain (and hopefully a zero chance of snow!)
The 5km loop we have mapped out will start/finish at the north end of the main parking lot, heading east to the trail system. Each kilometre will be marked and junctions will be signed with directional arrows. The live map below shows you the trail and also where the park is.
View Beaudry Park - Lemming Loop in a larger map
Start Times:
There will be staggered start times for the three events. The 12 hour racers will start at 7:00am, the 6 hour racers at 9:00am and the 3 hour group at 10:00am. NOTE: The 12 hour racers will most likely want a headlamp/flashlight for the the first loop or two.
Kit Pick Up:
Kit pick up and in person registration for the Lemming Loop will be held on Friday, 30 Sept at Stride Ahead in Grant Park Mall from 4:00 to 7:00pm and again at the race site on race morning starting at 6:00am. Registration and kit pick up for each event will close 30 minutes before the start of that event (ie. 6:30 am for the 12 hour, 8:30 for the 6 hour and 9:30 for the three hour).
Race Day:
In addition to the typical aid station fare you would find at an ultra (think carby smorg in the forest!) we will have some piping hot vegan chilli to fill you up when your race is over.
Aid Stations:
The main aid station will be at the start/finish area and will be well stocked with water, sports drink and a variety of more solid nutrition options typical of an ultramarathon event. There will be a secondary water only station at approximately half way around the loop.
More info? Questions?
We are going to be constatntly updating the site, but if you need to know something that isn't covered here on the web site, please feel free to contact Dwayne Sandall, the race director, at dwayne@trailrunmanitoba.com or 204-227-8698.