Afton State Park

In essence, Afton State Park is the biggest sponsor / supporter of the Afton Trail Run. The park management and the entire staff do a terrific job running the park and have always been great supporters of the Afton Trail Run. This is a relationship which has lasted for 15 years and we look forward to more great years to come. Afton State Park was established in 1969 to preserve the areas unique natural features and to provide opportunities for nature-oriented recreation. The park is cut by deep ravines which drop 300 feet to the river. The ravines display spectacular outcrops of sandstone and the rugged terrain affords spectacular views of the St. Croix River Valley.

45 Degrees

45 Degrees opened in September 2003. It's a relatively new shop but one with pretty old ideals: Quality goods with quality service.  The shop is owned and operated by Jeff Anderson, a local resident of the St Croix River Valley. Jeff grew up with a tradition of outdoor adventure. From his involvement with the Boy Scouts of America (Eagle Scout & OA Vigil) to extensive family travels, Jeff gained a great respect for the wild places; both around the block and around the world.  Jeff still gets out and enjoys the wild places as much as possible, but he especially enjoys sharing with his customer’s news of their latest adventure or plans for their future journey. It's through this sharing of knowledge that is especially rewarding. 45 Degrees stocks great trail running shoes and apparel, please stop buy and visit the store. 45-Degrees is a wonderful, locally owned business that deserves our patronage and support!

Marmot

In April 1971, University of California Santa Cruz students Eric Reynolds and Dave Huntley were in Alaska on the Juneau Ice-fields on a school project in Glaciology. It was here on the glacier, amongst these students, that the idea of a Marmot club began.  Marmot has grown since 1977. It is now headquartered in Santa Rosa, California. It has 650 authorized Marmot dealers in the US. It now has offices in California, Colorado, Canada, Hong Kong, United Kingdom, Sweden and Germany. Its products are distributed in 27 countries.  However, the company has not changed that much in thirty four years. It is still all about the highest quality performance product.  Marmot strives to make small, yet meaningful steps toward greater sustainability practices, social responsibility and global awareness. We cannot thank Marmot and Marmots terrific local rep, Brian Block enough for their contributions to the race.

You may think that honest, customer-first businesses selling legitimate products have become extinct. Hammer Nutrition is a refreshing exception - No hype, just great products and service. Our longevity, sterling reputation and devoted following amongst serious endurance athletes is unrivaled in the marketplace for four reasons: 1.) Extremely effective products, 2.) Superlative customer service, 3.) Volumes of free knowledge, 4.) Unlimited access to our experts.  Since 1987, our passion has been helping serious endurance athletes like you reach their highest levels of athletic performance and physical health safely, naturally, and legally, one completely satisfied client at a time. Twenty years later, this is still our top priority. Hammer Nutrition has always been a huge supporter of the Afton Trail Run, we are all big believers in Hammers products and grateful for their support, year in and year out.

First and foremost, we are a footwear company, owned and operated by a small group of passionate industry veterans and life-long outdoor enthusiasts. We build shoes for outdoor use - shoes with meaningful innovation, solid performance and recognizable quality. We are also stewards of our rich natural heritage and believe that a business should contribute to a greater common good.

We at Oboz are extremely excited to introduce our inaugural line for Spring 2008. Taking our inspiration from the wild lands outside Bozeman, we've designed shoes for outdoor fun. Look for Oboz in specialty outdoor stores in Spring 2008.

ATR wants to be the best trail race around and to achieve that we need to be the safest.  Hastings Fire and Rescue is on-site with full medical provisions and evacuation equipment – to help ensure that everyone is as safe as possible on race day.  We cannot thank Hastings Fire and Rescue enough for their support of the Afton Trail Run.

Runners run and when they run as far as they do during the Afton Trail Run they need to eat and drink.  That’s where our favorite grocery store Cub Foods comes into play.  We have been luck to have the support of the Cottage Grove Cub Foods store for several years now. Thank you to all of the management and staff at Cub Foods for your dedication to the Afton Trail Run.