Southeastern Trail Runs Update:

The Southeastern Trail Series is now in place.  In 2013 we are going to put on four races in addition to the Run for Kids Challenge and the Birmingham Stage Race all of which will be part of the series.  The trail series is designed as a "Training Program" for anyone wanting to run an ultra.  The first race on April 13 will be 3 and 6 mile trail races on the relatively easy trails at Red Mountain Park.  All spring, summer and fall the races will steadily progress in length and difficulty, building to the culminating event in November, the Southeastern Trail Series 50K and, hopefully, 50 Mile at Oak Mountain State Park.  (We still have to get approval for night running at Oak Mtn Park.)

The entire series will be treated as a training camp.  We will have training sessions along with the races.  We will help runners develop training programs for reaching their ultrarunning goals.  We will have substantial discounts for registering for the entire series as well as other multi race discounts and incentives.

The series is a race and it is not just for beginners.  The early races will be great speed training for experienced trail racers and the later races will be challenging for everyone.  We will have place awards for each individual race and runners will accumulate points for every race run plus additional points for how they placed.  At the final race we will give special awards to the Points Series Champions.  Mountain High Outfitters and Fleet Feet of Birmingham are our primary race sponsors.

Here is a link to the website: Southeastern Trail Series

Ultra Trail Running Training Camp

On November 10th and 11th we will be hosting a training camp for anyone interested in learning more about running ultras.  The camp is FREE.  Just sign up.  It will be held at Oak Mountain State Park.
Here is a link to the website: Birmingham Ultra Trail Running Training Camp

This will be a training camp for anyone interesting in learning "How to Run an Ultra" no mater how much or how little running experience you have.  The course will be designed to giver participants the knowledge necessary to go out and successfully complete an ultra.  We will cover how to run everything from a 50K to 100 miles.

Day one we will cover the basics.  We will discuss such things as how to stay hydrated and fueled during long training runs and races, how to determine what you can eat on the run, when you will need dropbags and what you should put in them.  We will also talk about clothing, equipment, night running, pacing, weather, efficient use of aid stations, etc.  The discussion will be broken down into related elements.  Following each segment we will go out as practice what we talked about.  We will have a full aid station set up and run far enough to need it.  We will simulate race conditions as close as possible.  (Clothing and equipment could be an entire weekend course.)

Sunday will be slightly more advanced and cover such subjects as how to set up a training schedule geared to a specific ultra, where to peak and how to tapaer.  We will go into more detail on some of the things discussed Saturday.  We will plan out a race strategy for a 50 mile race and a 100 miler.  We will talk about how to run up hills and how to determine if it is best to walk uphill or run up.  We will also cover going downhills and then we will go run a few hills.

Camping will be available near or at the location of the training camp.  For those camping, we might just get caught up on the mountain a little too late and have to finish a run in the dark.  There will be a small fee for camping in Oak Mountain State Park.  (Bring headlamps and flashlights, Yes, both!)

The Camp is sponsored by Fleet Feet Sports and Mountain High Outfitters and we will have equipment available to try out or purchase.

More information to come and a full outline will be available soon including a list of things you should bring.

Birmingham Stage Race

Birmingham Stage Race

The Mountain High Outfitters Birmingham Stage Race is now just over one month away.  The North Face is a race sponsor and will provide technical wicking shirts for the event.  We will order the shirts on October 1st so sign up before then to be sure of getting a race shirt.

Mountain High Outfitters - Birmingham Stage Race

Notice anything new about the name of the Stage Race?  Mountain High Outfitters is now the official "Name Sponsor" of the Birmingham Stage Race.  We plan to put on several races together later this year and next year.  More on that later.

We are also exited about having Fleet Feet of Birmingham as a sponsor.  Greg and Brian with Fleet Feet were a huge help with the Run for Kids Challenge last year and now they are official sponsors of the Birmingham Stage Race and next years Run for Kids.

Registration is now Open for the 2012 Birmingham Stage Race

Registration is now open for the 2012 Birmingham 3 Mountain Stage Race 

to be held October 26, 27 and  28.  

On line registration is available at Ultrasignup.com or by printing the registration form on the race website.  There is also a map of the final stage at Oak Mountain.  In a few weeks I will get out with a GPS and provide a more accurate map.

More information to follow

Birmingham Stage Race Set

Everything is just about set for the race.  We felt the original date was really pushing things so we moved it back to October 26, 27 and 28.  We plan to have the first stage at Red Mountain Park and it will be in the neighborhood of 10 to 12 miles.  The second stage at Ruffner Mountain and will be about 14 miles.  The final stage at Oak Mountain State Park will be 24 miles.  We will adjust the distances as necessary to hit the 50 mile mark.  The race will be tough.

Registration will be through Ultrasignup.com and they should have everything ready sometime next week.  Runners are welcome to sign up for one or two individual stages at a reduced price however shirts are only available to those competing in all three stages.

Here is a link to the website.  Birmingham Stage Race

Announcing a new Birmingham Race - Date Change!

Marye Jo and I have had a blast putting on the Run for Kids Challenge the last two years and decided we would enjoy doing another race.  Trouble is, what kind of race do we want to put the effort and time into.  It will have to be something special.

Last weekend I ran the Chattanooga Stage Race put on by Rock Creek Outfitters.  Actually the race directors for all Rock Creek events are Randy and Kris Whorton. (They also do the Stump Jump and Lookout Mountain 50 mile among a number of others.)  On the way back to Birmingham, Marye Jo and I decided that is what we want to do.  A stage race right here in Birmingham.  We started planning and have three tentative courses in mind.

It seems most logical is to use Oak Mountain for two of the races.  Saturday I "found" a course that would be mostly on nonexistent trails.  I followed some very old mountain roads (when I could locate them) at the north end of the park, a section virtually never used.  These roads climb Double Oak Mountain to where they joined private lands owned by a local corporation.  If we can get permission to use the land this would be one awesome stage using only about 1.5 miles of the existing park trails.

Another stage would be at the south end of the park and would utilize the lake trail, used by the Run for Kids before climbing up the mountain for a tour of Double Oak Mountain.  For the third stage I would like to use more of the private land owned by the same company that is not contiguous with Oak Mountain State Park but not far away.  The total distance would be in the neighborhood of 50 miles for the three stages.  If we are not able to get permission to use the private land we will probably use Oak Mountain and Red Mountain or Ruffner Mountain.

As in the Run for Kids Challenge, we plan to have two different races in one.  The long race will be something like 14 miles, 16 miles and 20 miles with some very difficult climbs and rough terrain.  We also plan to have a short version with sections about 6 miles, 10 miles and 12 miles on less difficult terrain but still ultra length.

The tentative date is September 28, 29 and 30.  The only problem for me is this is the weekend I have signed up to runt he Gringstone 100 in Virginia.  Well, I have already run one 100 mile race this year and I could still enter the Pinhoti 100, that is, if Todd will let me!

2013 Run for Kids Challenge

We are already planning next years race.  One major change we will make is the use of Chip Timing for all three events.  The equipment is available from Ultrasignup and will elimination errors in scoring.  Also, Mark at Ultrasignup has promised he will have the software for multilap events perfected so we know exactly where every runner is each time they cross the timing mat.

Why we created the Run for Kids Challenge

Ruth Vanzandt, Run for Kids Competitor in the 12 Hour Race sent me this picture of her Grand Nephew last week and I asked permission to post it.  Here is her answer.

"Please do use the picture of Auston.  It was taken at the Relay for Life held here in Arab last weekend.  His name is Auston Cagle and you can surely put I am his great aunt and PROUD  of it!!  He and his family are actually going to Camp SAM this weekend!"

Thank you Ruth for sharing the picture of Auston and his friend Justice.  This will inspire us all.

The Run for Kids Challenge – A Run of Love

This is the article I submitted to Ultrarunning Magazine.  Maybe they will use some of it.  The first of the article is about the same as the last post so if it sounds familiar, just skip that part.

In 2007 I rode in the Ride of Love, a fundraiser for Camp Smile-A-Mile, Alabama's camp for kids with cancer. The 150 mile ride ends at Children's Harbor (the location of Camp SAM) on Lake Martin, in central Alabama. Sixty riders rode as a group, escorted by two Tuscaloosa motorcycles Policemen. The ride took 12 very long hours. That is a long time to sit on a bicycle seat. The ride was tough, but nothing compared to arriving at the camp. Seeing all those kids in the midst of a battle for their lives, realizing the suffering they and their families have been through made us realize just how insignificant our inconsequential and momentary discomfort had been. I could not help but look around and know a few of theses kids would not be back next year. That was what hurt.

In 2011 I started the Run for Kids Challenge here in Birmingham, Alabama as a fundraiser for Camp SAM. The run was small but we raised about $4,000 for the camp. For 2012 we changed the date and location to Oak Mountain State Park and apparently everyone liked the change. We sold out the run with105 total runners and 71 in the 12 Hour and 50K. The 50-K runners circled this “long” (3.4 mile) course nine times, then ran a “short” 0.7 mile final loop. The 12 hour runners ran the same “long” loop and could use the short loop during the final hour.

We promoted our race as the perfect beginner ultra. The course is a on a beginner mountain bike trail with gently rolling hills and beautiful views of Double Oak Lake. The trails are very runnable, even in road shoes. Most runners complete the long loop in less than an hour so runners are never very far from the aid station and their drop bags or coolers. Our aid station was very well stocked with a variety of bean, turkey breast and cheese & hummus roll-ups. (I read the article in the April issue of Ultrarunner) In addition, we had boiled eggs and the usual cookies, oranges, bananas, M&Ms, PBJ sandwiches, chips and so on.

At the start, the temperature was 65 deg. and mist had settled over the lake giving the park a surreal appearance. After the start, the fog burned off and, as the sky cleared, the temperature rose quickly, eventually reaching 88 by mid afternoon. Most of the run is shaded by trees with the only a couple of long exposed stretches, across the beach area and the 400 yard section across the dam. And, of course, the Alabama humidity was about average at 99.999%. At least that is what it felt like.

We had a great field of runners in both the 12 Hour and 50K races. In the 50K, the 2011 overall winner, Rebecca Massie of Robertsdale, Alabama returned to defend her title. Lisa Ievers from Auburn gave Rebecca a real run for the money. Rebecca stayed within seconds of Roy Wells, the overall race leader, for two laps before dropping back a little. Lisa was within one minute of Rebecca at the end of the first lap but slowly dropped back to about 10 minutes behind. By the end of the final 3.4 mile lap, Lisa had closed back up to within 4 minutes but Rebecca maintained her pace and held on to win by just over 4 minutes in 4:50:30. Lisa finished with a time of 4:54:40 for second. Tiffany Greene of Brandon, MS finished third.

On the men's side, Roy Wells of Brentwood, TN, national account manager for Swiftwick and former pitcher for the Seattle Mariner's, totally dominated the men's race start to finish. For a while it appeared Rebecca would stay with him but his pace was just too much. Roy finished in 4:43:20 for first place overall. Scott Weisberg finished second and 4th overall, with a time of 5:42:50. Matthew Farrar from Fort Rucker, Alabama came in third . Thirty three of the forty four starters finished the 50K.

The 12 Hour race had some pretty dramatic moments. John Brower of Jackson, Mississippi lead the first lap by about 3 1/2 minutes over Wayne Phillips of Jacksonville, Alabama and Josh Merry from Dawsonville, Georgia. John held the lead until mile 24 when Wayne took over and Josh pulled into second. At the end of lap 11 (37.4 miles) Wayne had what appeared to be a commanding 21 minute lead. On lap 12 Josh began to close, cutting Wayne's lead to 11 minutes. Wayne held on to the lead until lap 16 (54.2 miles) where he decided he had had enough and stopped. Josh continued for two laps on the “short loop” for a total of 55.76 miles to take the win. Wayne finished second and Isaac Espy of Norhtport, Alabama ran a steady race all day and finished 50.81 miles to take third.

The women's race was really close. Seven competitors were within striking distance of the lead in the early laps. By lap four Mary Valdez of Crestview, Florida had pulled well ahead of the rest of the field. By lap 6, Kellie Smirnoff of Jacksonville Beach Florida had taken over the lead and by lap 10 (34 miles) had Kelly had pulled ahead of the second place woman, Molly Freeman of Atlanta by 21 minutes. As the runners came through to finish lap14, Molly had taken over the lead and the next 4 women were within 15 minutes of each other and three of the four only 3 minutes apart.

Molly stopped at that point at 47.42 miles, leaving Kelly, Mary, Helen Summerford of Ridgeland Mississippi and Beverly Brower (wife of John Brower, early leader of the men's 12 hour) to fight it out for the top four places. Kelly completed one more long lap for a total of 50.81 miles and still in the lead but decided to stop. Helen, Beverly and Mary shifted to the short loop and continued battling for the the top spot. After three short laps all three women were within three minutes of each other. Mary Valdez stopped after the third short lap at 53.1 miles total. Helen and Beverly took off for one more lap. When they came within sight of the finish on the fourth loop both women were running almost side by side. The finish line was the scoring table (actually a trash can next to the table) and Helen edged out Beverly by three feet. Both women had covered 53.85 miles, but it was not over yet. Beverly, not wanting to give up, took off on another lap with just 6 minutes, 58 seconds to go. She had run the previous lap in 6 minutes so it was going to be close. As the clock ticked down to 12 hours Beverly was not yet in sight and missed the cutoff by just 90 seconds. A pretty amazing finish after 12 hours of running.

David Tosch

RD Run for Kids Challenge

A Run of Love - 2012 Run for Kids Challenge

In 2007 I rode in the Ride of Love, a fundraiser for Camp Smile-A-Mile, Alabama's camp for kids with cancer.  The 150 mile ride ends at Children's Harbor (the location of Camp SAM) on Lake Martin, in central Alabama.  Sixty riders rode as a group, escorted by two Tuscaloosa Policemen on motorcycles.  The ride took 12 very long hours.  That is a long time to sit on a bicycle seat.  The ride was tough, but nothing compared to arriving at the camp and seeing all those kids in the midst of a battle for their lives.  Then, when you consider our inconsequential discomfort compared to the suffering every one of these kids and their families have been through, and you know a few will not be there next year, that hurts.

I have not been able to do the ride again, (we raised over $98,000 in 2007, and in 2010 the ride raised $182,000) so I decided to do something else to help.  In 2011 we held the first Run for Kids Challenge.  The run was small, with 32 finishers in the 50K and 12 hours but we were able to raise over $4,000.  We had all the usual first year mistakes and miscalculations, not to mention 100 deg. heat on Memorial Day, but all-in-all the event was OK and everyone seemed to enjoy the run.  The run was held at Veteran's Park, a Hoover city park, and the use of the park cost over $800 and that was only for 4 hours and did not include a pavilion.  We decided to move the race.

For 2012, we selected Oak Mountain State Park, just south of Birmingham in Pelham, Alabama as the site for The Run for Kids .  This beautiful 10,000 acre park proved to be a huge hit with everyone.  The race was held on the new Lake Trail, built by BUMP (Birmingham Urban Mountain Pedalers) who maintain all the mountain bike trials at Oak Mountain.  The race started at the southwest end of Double Oak Lake, the swimming and canoeing lake, followed a rather circuitous route along the front of the lake, including crossing the beach area, before heading around the back side on a single track trail.  A few of the male runners mentioned they enjoying the scenery along the beach later in the day.  This picture was taken last fall, not race day.

Everyone love the course and the park.  There is lots to do in the park, especially for family member with kids.  The single track trail is in great shape and very runnable, and shady, except for the section that crosses the dam and a few sections along the front side of the lake.

We did a lot better this year, although we still made a few mistakes, like leaving the run numbers at my house Saturday Morning.  Will, my son, made a quick trip back to retrieve them and we did have to delayed the start about 15 minutes.  Mid afternoon, we ran out of boiled potatoes and my wife, Marye Jo, made another quick trip back home and boiled more potatoes and rushed them back to the race.  We had 105 total registered runners this year, with 71 entered in the 50K and 12 Hour races.  We had set a limit of 100 runners figuring that was about all we could handle this year, but we were not going to turn anyone away race day.  I think we had better find a few more volunteers before next year.

Next I will have the race report itself.  We did have a race, too!

Pictures are Posted

I have posted the pictures I took during the race Saturday, on the Run for Kids website.  Here is a link to the pictures.  2012 Run for Kids Pictures.  I hoped to take a lot more, but!  Also, Suman Silwal has put together a very good video from the race.  It is on his website mruns.com. Thank you Silwal for an outstanding job on the video and for sharing it with us.


I think these results are now correct.  Here is a link to the results page on the Run for Kids Challenge website.  PFD Results

I want to thank all our sponsoring restaurants that provided the gift certificates we raffled off Saturday.  If you live in Birmingham, please go by these establishments and thank them for their generous contribution to the race.  You might have dinner while you are there.  They are all really good and some of Marye Jo and my favorites.


Cantina Tortilla Grill,  Bistro V,  Carrabba's Italian Grill,  Brio Tuscan Grill, Edgar's Bakery,  Brava Rotisserie Grill,  Crazy Cajuns Boiling Pot & Nabeel's Cafe and Market.  


I listed Nabeel's last for two reasons.  First, Nabeel's not only donated two $50 gift certificates, the certificates came in a Nabeel's Cooler containing a bottle of Nabeel's Famous Salad Dressing and a Nabeel's T-Shirt. Second, Anthony Krontiras, Owner of Nabeel's, ran the 12 Hour Run. He was #33, wearing the fluorescent Green Gnome shirt.  Thank you so much Anthony and great job.  By the way, Nabeel's is located in Homewood, right across from Homewood Park.

And please don't forget Paul Champion.  He was the man passing out all that wonderful Sorbets and Ices from the truck beside the pavilion.  He also kept a team running in the 50K.  His store is located behind The Olive Branch in Cahaba Heights, on Cahaba Heights Rd. and across the street from the Vestavia Police and Fire Department.


Sometime in the afternoon Melissa Allphin, the representative from Camp SAM, did the honors and drew 5 winning names in the raffle.  Here are the results.
1.  Stan Mackin, Birmingham:  Nabeel's & Brio
2.  Dan Ripple, Birmingham:  Brio & Nabeel's
3.  Linda Scavarda, Toney, AL:  Bistro V & The Cantina
4.  Mohammad Givi, Birmingham:  Carrabba's, Brava & Crazy Cajuns
5.  Neal Gerhart, Montevallo, AL:  Edgar's, Carrabba's and Brava


Thanks to all of you for making the 2012 Run for Kids such a huge success.  We are already planning next years race.  We are determined to make it even better.  And, I promise to bring the run numbers to the race next year.  The date will be May 4, 2013 at  Oak Mountain State Park.  Go ahead and put it on your calendar right now.


David
 .

Preliminary Results are Ready

What an incredible day with amazing performances from everyone.
Thank you all, from the bottom of my heart, for making this years run such a success.  It will be a while before I have time to determine how much we made for Camp Smile-A-Mile but as soon as I know, I will let you know.

The "preliminary" results are posted on Ultrasignup.com.  (Top Right corner of the page) There  are still several errors with the posted results and quite a few, mostly late registering runners are not in the results at all.  Check the "Splits" and "Results."  In some cases they are different.  Please let me know if your results are not correct.  I am aware of most of the problems but there may be some I do not know about.  Mark, at Ultrasignup is doing his best to get everything straightened out, hopefully, today.

I have been asked about the person taking all the pictures Saturday.  Here is a link to his website mruns.com.
As soon as possible I will add my pictures to the Run for Kids website.  I have about 200.

Run for Kids Final Information

We are now three days and two hours to race start for the 12 Hour and 50K.
We will have package pickup and late registration Friday afternoon at Oak Mountain State Park from 4:00 PM until 6:30.  There is no mandatory meeting and runners may pick up their packets Saturday morning if they prefer.  The only purpose in the Friday pickup is that we have a lot of out of town runners that might want to get oriented and take a look at the course.  We also hope some of the later registering runners will come out Friday instead of waiting until Saturday morning.

Here is a review of some critical information.
1.  The 50K and 12 Hour Races start at 7:00 AM sharp
2.  The Festival Run (1 to 6 hour run or more) starts at 8:00AM
3.  The entry fee to Oak Mountain State Park is $3.00 per person.  Please bring exact change.  There is an ATM at the gate.
4.  Runners arriving for the 7:00 AM start must go to the South Gate of Oak Mountain State Park.  (Close to Interstate 65) The north gate opens at 7:00AM and if you go to it Saturday, you will miss the start.
5.  The start/finish is at the Cedar Pavilion located at the far south end of Double Oak Lake. Here is a map of the park Oak Mtn. State Park.  and to the Cedar Pavilion. Click on the block in the lower left to see a detailed map of the location of the Cedar pavilion.
6.  We will have Package Pickup and Late Registration Friday afternoon, 4:00 until 6:30 PM.
7.  Race day package pickup and Late Registration will open at 6:00 AM at the Cedar Pavilion.
8.  Drop Bags and Coolers are welcome.  You may leave them at the Cedar pavilion or in you car. If you are parked in the large parking lot shown on the map your car is only about 50 yards off the course.
9.  The run course passes within 20 feet of three park bathrooms.  Please use them.  Don't just step off the trail.  The Lake Trail is a very popular biking and hiking trail and we don't want to offend anyone, especially the park personnel.  Park superintendent, Michael Jeffreys,has been extremely helpful and we want to keep him on our side.
10.  At one point I had said we might have an unmanned water station on the far side of the lake.  We are NOT.
There are several drinking fountain along the course, the last, right in from of the canoe rental office just before heading into the woods.
11. While there is water around the front side of the lake, runners must carry water with them on the course. You will not be able to drink enough at aid stations to avoid getting dehydrated if you are running multiple laps.  5K Runners.  THERE IS NO WATER ON THE COURSE.  Carry a water bottle!
12. We will start serving food as the first 50K runners are finishing.  This should be between 11:00 and 11:30.  All runners are welcome.  Family members and friends may purchase a meal ticket for $5.00.

The Course:
We will have the course very well marked.  There will be signs at every turn along the front side of the course.  We will also have White flagging and  white flags all along the course.  At critical areas we will use flower to mark large arrows on the ground.  It will be impossible to miss a turn.  Right!  If you pay attention you will not miss any turns, just don't blindly follow another runner.  None of us would ever do that!

The trail is about a good as any single track tail is the Southeast.  There are no technical sections just a lot of roots and in some areas, quite a few rocks.  You will need to watch the trail.  I removed some of the worst potential offenders last weekend but don't enjoy the view while running on the single track.  The worst (rocky) section is the 150 to 200 yards immediately after crossing the dam.  Be particularly careful here.

As I mentioned earlier, this is a very popular biking and hiking tail.  There will be signs at both ends of the trail to warn mountain bikers to watch for runners.  We will be running counterclockwise and about 90% of the bike traffic goes in the clockwise direction so you will see them coming.  BUMP (Birmingham Urban Mountain Pedalers) built and maintains the trail so be courteous to mountain bikers and hikers.

There is only one place to get off the single track trail (other than the horse trail) and that is Rattle Snake Ridge trail.  About half way around the back side this trail turns sharply off to the right and heads uphill.  Don't make any right turns on the back side of the lake.  It will be clearly marked.

50K runners will run 9 laps around the lake.  As you finish the ninth lap we will direct you to a final 1000 yard loop to complete the 50K.

Less than two weeks to race day

We now have over 60 runners in the Run for Kids Challenge.

Nabeel's Cafe and Market is not only going to donate a gift certificate but will provide their own gift package.  The package will include the $50 gift certificate, a bottle of their famous salad dressing and a Nabeel's t-shirt delivered  in a Nabeel's cooler.  We are going to draw a 5th raffle ticket to give this package away.

We have had one out of state runner purchase a book of raffle tickets just to make the donation asking that if she wins one of the packages to donate back to Camp SAM to give to one of the Camp SAM families.

Another local resident sent in has entry fee for the 50K but will not be able to run because he will be in Italy.  If we draw his name, his gift certificates will go to a Camp SAM family as well.

Here is the link directly to the raffle sales page at Ultrasignup.com.

Last year, with temperatures hitting 100 deg. by mid afternoon.  Perhaps the biggest hit of the races was Paul Champion and his Doodle's Homemade Sorbets and Ices truck.  He gave free sorbets to all runners, volunteers and support crews.  Again this year he is going to bring his truck out for the race.  We are thrilled to have him back.  He will also have a team of young runners running a 50K relay.
Thank you again, Paul.

$500 worth of Gift Certificates for Birmingham Dining

Amazingly, no one had donated $25 for a chance to win almost $500 worth of gift certificates from all those restaurants sponsoring the Run for Kids.  So, we are making a change.  We are going to make the gift certificate giveaway a Raffle.


We have almost $500 worth of $50 gift certificates to some great Birmingham restaurants.  They will be given away at the Run for Kids Challenge on May 5th.  We are selling raffle tickets for $5.00 each, for a chance to win $100 in gift certificates.

Anyone can purchase tickets, even non runners however you must be present at the race, at the time of the drawing to win. (That is, you must be in the vicinity of the Cedar Pavilion when we draw the winning names at about 9:30 or running on the course.)

We will draw four names from those that have purchased raffle tickets.   We will place the name of each restaurant on a slip of paper and put them in a box.   The four raffle winners will then draw two restaurant names out of a box and receive the gift certificates for the selected restaurants.

Raffle tickets may be purchased at Ultrasignup at registration or anytime.  Use this link to purchase tickets.
Buy raffle tickets at Ultrasignup.com.

Checks may also be mailed to:

Run for Kids Challenge,
   c/o David Tosch,
   4697 Bridgewater Rd,
   Birmingham, AL 35243.
Please do not mail cash.

Additional tickets may be purchased Friday afternoon May 4, at late registration and package pickup at Oak Mountain State Park, and Saturday morning right up until time for the drawing about 9:30 AM.

Friday Package Pickup & Late Registration.

Package Pickup will be Friday Afternoon, May 4th at the Cedar pavilion at Oak Mountain State Park, from 4:00 PM until 6:30 PM.  If no one is using the Dogwood Pavilion we will use it. Late registration will also be open Friday.   I will send an email to registered runners before the race that can be printed and will allow you to enter the park (Friday afternoon only) without charge.  Saturday, the park admission fee is $ 3.00 pre person.  If you are coming out to register, tell the park attendant you are there to register for the race and they will probably let you in without charge.  Preregister to be sure.  

Also, the shirt order will go in on Wednesday of next week.  If you want a shirt, register in the next four days.  As I have mentioned before, I will not order extra shirts so only preregistered runners will get shirts.


Attached are aerial shots of the Dogwood Pavilion and the Cedar Pavilion.  The Cedar will be the race start and finish location and the aid station.

Details About the Drawing for the Gift Package

The Run for Kids Challenge is only 26 days away.  We now have seven restaurants that have donating $50 gift certificates to the Run for Kids and two more that are supposed to get their gift certificates to me this week.  (Brio's donated $75.)  We have make some changes in the qualifications for chances to win the gift package so here is the update.

We want to encourage everyone to raise additional donations for Camp Smile-A-Mile.  To that end, we have decided to add a little incentive.  We will have a gift package available to all runners that decide to participant. The package will contain gift certificates to various restaurants and other businesses around Birmingham.  Each person that raises at least $ 25.00 will be entered into a drawing for this package.  The packages will be worth the effort.  As we sign up sponsors to donate gift certificates we will post their names to the site.  More information will follow.  All donations must be received before the start of the race on Saturday, May, 5 for you to be included in the drawing.  

Rules:
1.  All gift certificates go to the winner of the gift package.
2.  Each $25.00 donation will earn one chance to win the gift package.
   (A donation of $100.00 will earn 4 entries.)
3.  Only race participants, REGISTERED RUNNERS* are eligible to win the gift package.
4.  REGISTERED RUNNERS* must be present race day to win the package.
5.  Donations can be made directly to Camp SAM, but please notify me of you donation.  If I don't know   you donated, I can't put your name in the drawing.
6.  Donations can be mailed directly to me at the address below.
7.  Registration for the gift package will close at 7:45 AM, May 5th shortly before the start of the Trail Festival Run.
8.  Runners must be present at the time of the drawing.  To be considered present, participants must be a the   start/finish area located at the Cedar Pavilion at Oak Mountain State Park or running in the events.
9. The drawing will be held at the Cedar pavilion in front of everyone present at approximately 9:30AM.

* REGISTERED RUNNERS eligible to receive the gift package must be registered in one of the three Run for Kids Challenge Races to be held on May 5, 2012.  Anyone registered is eligible for the drawing.  Winner must be present at the time of the drawing.

Donations must be received by the Run for Kids Challenge on or before May 5th.  Sorry, we cannot accept cash.  Checks should be made payable to Camp SAM or Camp Smile-A-Mile and sent to:

   Run for Kids Challenge,
   c/o David Tosch,
   4697 Bridgewater Rd,
   Birmingham, AL 35243.

We will accept checks at package pickup Friday afternoon (location to be announced) or at late registration Saturday Morning.

Sponsoring Restaurants

We now have seven restaurants in our gift package.  Donate as little as $25.00 and get a chance to win the package.  You will receive $50.00 gift certificates from each of these restaurants.

  The Cantina on Cahaba Valley Rd, (The Cadence Center on Hwy 119)

Bistro V, 521 Montgomery Hwy., Vestavia Hills 

Carrabba's Italian Grill, 4503 Riverview Parkway, Birmingham 

      (The Target Shopping Center on 280)

Brio Tuscan Grill, Brookwood Village, Lakeshore Dr, Birmingham

Nabell's Cafe' & Market, 1706 Oxmoor Rd, Homewood

Edgar's Bakery - Shops of the Colonnade - 449 Southgate Dr, Pelham -

Patton Creek, Hoover - Cadence Place, Hwy 119, Hoover

Brava Rotisserie Grill, 5184 Caldwell Mill Rd. at Valleydale Rd. Birmingham

There will be more!

Exact Course Measurement

We have measured the course and, as I suspected, it is a little longer than 3.2 miles.  The exact measurement is  3.389 miles.  The 50K will be 9 laps plus a .569 mile (1001 yard) loop at the end.  It is still a trail race and cannot be certified, but the course will be almost exactly 50K.  Twelve hour distances will be calculated accordingly.

Don't forget the package of $50 gift certificates we will give away to someone that raises additional donations or donates themselves to Camp Smile-A-Mile.  (Each restaurant must donate at least a $50.00 gift certificate to participate.)  Brio's has donated $75.00.  The winner gets them all.  Donations must be at least $25.00 to qualify.

Run for Kids Challenge - Update

Saturday, May 5 is the date of the 2012 Run for Kids Challenge at Oak Mountain State Park here in Birmingham.  The race will again feature the 12 Hour Challenge and the 50K Trail Races.  In addition there will be a Trail Running Festival for those that do not feel they are quite up to 32 miles.  Festival runners will be able to select the distance they wish to attempt, whether it is one lap of the 3.2 mile trail, two laps or 9 laps.  If they want to run 10 laps, that is fine but we will enter them in the 50K.  Festival runners will have full access to all aid station supplies as they would if they were entered in the longer races.  The idea is to allow 5K and 10K road runners or any runners to get a taste of trail running and ultra running without the commitment required to run even a short ultra.  Register at Ultrasignup.com or there is a printable form on the website.

The 12 Hour and 50K runs will start at 7:00AM Saturday and the Festival Run will begin at 8:00 AM.  The start/finish will be on the paved road in front of the Cedar Pavilion at the far south end of Double Oak Lake, the swimming and canoeing lake at the park.  The run will follow a short stretch of paved road before  entering a wooded section of trail, then along a walking path to the beach area.  Runners will then cross the beach, run through the terrace area and follow the contour of the lake to the canoe rental area. From there, runners cross another short section of road, over part of the lake before entering the Lake Trail, the new single track beginner bike path around the back side of Double Oak Lake.  The trail winds around the lake for about a mile before crossing a foot bridge over the spillway, then runs along the top of the dam before heading back into the woods.  The trail then follows the contour of the terrain as it snakes its way back to the aid station  at the start/finish area.  Here are a few shots of the lake and trail.

If you live anywhere in the north central Alabama or even western Georgia consider driving over for the race.  With a 7:00 AM start, it would be easy to drove in from Atlanta or Chattanooga, especially considering you would gain an hour.  We will have race day registration although there will likely be no shirts available.  If you want a nice, technical shirt (I am purchasing the same shirts used for the Lookout Mountain 50 Mile race in December) then register in advance.

The Beach and Pavilion area is viable across the lake on the left taken from the dam.

Another section of the trail.  The very bright area to the right is the lake.

The whole point in the Run For Kids Challenge is to raise money for Camp Smile-A-Mile and hopefully we will have a lot of Trail Festival Runners.

Dinner Package Drawing

It is now 108 days until the Run for Kids Challenge.

We now have six commitments to donate free dinners to the Run for Kids Drawing.  Due to time constraints, six restaurants are all I have asked.  That's 100%!  I hope to get free dinners form 15 to 20 restaurants in all.  Remember, every runner that raises or donates $100 in addition to the entry fee will automatically be entered.  If anyone raises in excess of $1,000 then we will give one of the packages to the person that raises the most money. So Get Busy and "hit-up" a few friends and family members for donations or just ask them to sponsor you.  Ask for $1.00 pre mile you run.

I have decided I do not like the idea of no T-Shirts with entry fees.  I am going to order race shirts for every one that enters any of the races.  I will not order any extras so preregistered runners will be the only people receiving shirts at the race.  We will order shirts for those that sigh up race day but it will take a while to get them to you.  These shirts will not be  the shirts I am offering for sale.  They will be the usual screen printed tech shirts with all the sponsors listed on the back.

The shirts for sale for $20.00 are very nice, fitted, tech shirts printed by Nduranc.  Nduranc prints with a revolutionary technique that transfers the design directly into the fabric of the shirt.  You can't feel the printed image at all.  The tech fabric still wicks as it is supposed to, even under the printing.  These shirts will have the race logo and race distance printed on them.  No sponsor names will be printed on the shirt.