This year’s Fall Trail Running Series at Hard’ack was a tremendous success. The course options were somewhat limited because the meadows are still super muddy from the wet weather of summer and fall, but that didn’t slow us down. Well, technically it did, because the woods trails are much harder to run, but each Sunday brought clear weather, mild winds, and a great group of runners.
Week one brought 46 runners, just shy of our previous record of 48. In week two, we had 34 runners, which meant we only needed 32 in week three to top our annual attendance record. It looked a bit questionable with the forecast calling for some snow and rain Sunday morning, but race day brought sunny skies, and the runners showed up in full force. We set a new one day record of 51 runners! We’ve been chasing that 50 mark for 5 years, and I’m so pleased we finally broke through.
Congratulations to Andre Bolduc, Sarah Pribram, and Roy Sargent for reaching the 10 race milestone this year, and earning their special 50k Hoodies. These are awarded to anyone who has completed 10 races to show our appreciation for their continued support of the series. There are a LOT of people within reach next year.
Lastly, I just want to say a big Thank You to everyone who participated this year. Given the amount of time I have poured into getting St. Albans Nordic off the ground and growing it into something useful for the community, I often find myself questioning whether it’s worth it, or whether I’m crazy. This trail series is just a small part of what we do, but days like today, where you showed up in record numbers, and loved it, and thanked me, it really means a lot. We raised around $1500 from the series, and though I can promise you I wouldn’t do it for free, it’s the people that matter more to me than anything. Knowing that I can bring a little more joy into your lives through some outdoor exercise is the reason I do this.
Thanks again, and hopefully we’ll see you on the snow this winter!
Tyler