Saturday 13th – Cane Creek Park – 8:30-11:00 am – 7.5 mile run
– If you have never been to Cane Creek Park, this run will give you a great tour. You’ll get beautiful views of the lake and surrounding woods. It is a $4 entrance fee, or if you are so inclined, you can pick up a seasonal pass. We will begin our run on the ‘Day Use’ side of the park, meeting in the gravel lot to the left after you’ve made your way past the entrance booth. There is no speed requirement for this run so feel free to charge through or take your time. Although hilly in areas with plenty of rocks and roots, this is a very runnable trail. We’ll be hanging out on the trails and in the parking lot to make sure everybody gets on and off the trails. Feel free to enjoy the day and run/hike longer and explore this great park!
Thursday 18th – Whitewater Center – 9:30-11:30 – 5-6 mile run
-The Whitewater Center has a great system of trails that host a number of races throughout the year. At the end of May they will be hosting a Memorial Day trail run that Rory, Jenn, and I will be participating in. This 5 mile+ run will be a close approximation of the race day course to give anyone interested in joining us that day a chance to experience it. Like Cane Creek, the Whitewater Center trails are runnable, but they do have their mixture of hills, rocks, and roots so keep your eyes open. We will meet at the bottom of the stairs by the rock climbing wall, but you can feel free to park where you prefer. Entrance fee is $6 to park, or purchase a seasonal pass. There is a lot to experience and enjoy at the Whitewater Center, so feel free to hang out after the run and enjoy the day!
Saturday 28th – Crowders Mountain State Park – 7:45-2pm – 7 mile and up!
-If you were wanting a more challenging run than the previous two, make sure you join us at Crowders Mountain. Beginning at the visitors center, we will head down the crowders trail until it connects to the rock top trail. We’ll take that straight up until we reach the summit. Then, we’ll go down the backside trail to where it links up with the tower trail. Beginning our second ascent, we’ll head up the tower trail, and we will summit the mountain again before heading back down the backside trail. On this go-round, we will connect with the crowders trail to take us back to the visitors center. This loop has elevation gain and some steep terrain. These trails are very well marked, however, and if you feel more comfortable hiking you will fit right in as this is a popular park for hikers and runners of all skill levels. For those of you interested in ultras, I’ll be going up and down Crowders Mtn and Pinnacle until 2pm as long as my legs don’t give out. I am not a fast runner, but I do love to go for distance. There is no fee for entering the park, and they are until sun down, so feel free to plan a whole day and enjoy the outdoors!