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2020 AFTON TRAIL RUN CANCELLATION DUE TO THE COVID-19 (NOVEL CORONAVIRUS) PANDEMIC – WRITTEN BY RACE DIRECTOR JOHN STORKAMP

I apologize in advance, this communication is really long – there is simply no way to put what I have to say into soundbites or a couple of paragraphs. This communication will take you at least 10 minutes to read and I ask that you all do so. If now is not a good time, set it aside until you have the time, but please read it.

As the subject line of my correspondence imparts, the 2020 Afton Trail Run has been cancelled. This is a first in the race’s 27 year history. While I have had to cancel a few other Rocksteady Running races already this year, this one stings in what I will say, is a unique way. I have a very special personal connection to Afton as Cheri and I were both born, raised and still live today just miles away from the park in the city of Hastings. I have been visiting the park since I was a kid, it is the first place I ever did a proper trail run, I participated in the Afton 50K several times, it is the first race I ever volunteered at and was the first race Cheri and I ever directed. As such, I know how special Afton is, and what an incredible experience participating in the race can be. I know how important it has become to so many of you over the years. For those who were signed up for your first year, I am sorry that this cannot not be it. Beyond that, I wish there was better news generally. Between the impacts of Coronavirus, the political atmosphere in this country and the murder of George Floyd (and all other similar injustices of late), our minds are weary and our hearts are heavy. Perhaps if there is any silver lining in cancelled races, it is that this will allow us more time and energy to reflect and take action; so that we may do our part to help stop the spread of Coronavirus, find some common ground with those whom we disagree and do our part to educate ourselves and take actions that result in safety, equality and opportunity for all.

I will spare you by not providing (here at least) the complete timeline of COVID-19’s impact on Rocksteady Running’s events thus far this year, as it has been quite the journey. Instead, for those interested, I have provided a comprehensive timeline at the very end of this correspondence. Just under three weeks ago I sent you all an email putting you on notice that a cancellation was the likely outcome. This allowed us some additional time to see if something would change – but a LOT needed to change in a short period of time in order for the race to proceed. While the states ‘Stay Safe MN’ plan moved into Phase 3 today (June 10), it still only allows for groups of 25 or less in social settings. While outdoor events and entertainment are permitted, they may not be larger than 250 people, and 6′ of social distancing must be maintained, masks are strongly encouraged. Large public gatherings of more than 250 people are prohibited. On a normal year the race sells out with 975 registered runners, 200 volunteers and 600+ friends / family / spectators and the park is normally flooded with other visitors on race day as well – this year proving to be the busiest ever on record at the park, as people recreate closer to home due to Coronavirus. We closed registration early / on March 16 / as soon as we knew the severity of Coronavirus but still have 456 runners registered, and this number does not include the volunteers we would need to pull off a race. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MNDRN) who administers Afton State Park has cancelled all special use / special event permits through the end of June – this information was made publicly available today (June 10). Speculation is that July permits will be cancelled as well but we likely will not get word on that until the first week of July. Phase 4 of the Stay Safe MN plan as outlined now, and for which there is no implementation date given, will still prohibit large public gatherings over 250 people. Finally, in conversations with our key year to year volunteers, there was very little comfort level in being out there, and I had little comfort level in asking them to be. As you can see, this decision was ultimately out of our hands, but it certainly does not make the reality of it any more palatable.

In accordance with our registration policy, the 2020 Afton Trail Run will not be rescheduled for a later date, and we will not be issuing refunds, deferrals, or credit to future events. Rescheduling and / or issuing refunds, deferrals or credit would be both logistically prohibitive and financially punitive, if not devastating to our organization. There are early season, upfront and non-refundable costs associated with all of our events as well as a significant baseline cost of operation / overhead. We have always maintained an explicit no refund policy in order to ensure the future viability of the races and ultimately our organization in the event of cancellation. Races operate on thin margins and there simply is no “war chest”. All of that said, we realize that these are extraordinary times and we want to help those in need, I address how we can help those in need later in this correspondence.

In the coming weeks we will take the following actions:

1.) We will continue to use registration funds to pay bills that are due for this year’s race, cover overhead and ensure the long term viability of the Afton Trail Run in order to safeguard it in hopes that it can continue to be run in the future. The Afton Trail Run has brought so much joy to its runners and has contributed so greatly to the park since being founded in 1994. It is our position, and the position of our community, that these races are worth investing in, fighting for and saving.

2.) We will mail all registered runners their t-shirts. For those of you that have never received a Afton t-shirt, they are quite different than most race shirts, they are not and never have been finishers shirts, they are experience and trail-lifestyle shirts – we think you will like them and hope that you will wear them in a gesture of solidarity. We hope to have them to you sometime early in July.

3.) We will make our annual financial donation to Afton State Park. This crisis will have long-term downstream impacts on funding of our trail / natural resources as individual donors, county, state and federal dollars are diverted to fight the pandemic. Our race would not exist if Afton State Park did not exist, and they are going to need our help more than ever.

4.) As / when social distancing guidelines allow, we will perform trail work projects at the park, like we do every year. Supporting Afton State Park through hands-on volunteerism is a huge part of our mission. We need to continue to contribute to this resource that has given so much to all of us.

I understand and appreciate that the forfeiture of your individual entry fee is not without financial impact. Additionally, as trail / ultrarunners ourselves, we can empathize with the disappointment of not being able to participate in a race that you have trained so hard for. Rocksteady Running’s mission is to “provide experiences that facilitate connection”. As such, our priority is to ensure the long-term viability, sustainability and ability to hold our races going forward in order to continue to fulfill this mission in the years and decades to come. This means keeping Rocksteady Running and the trail-systems and public lands where our races are held viable and whole. We thank you for your individual sacrifice to the greater good, our trail running community and our trail partners. If the reality of the no refund policy that you agreed to when signing up is ultimately a “bridge too far” for you, we encourage you to use this experience to help inform and guide your race registration decisions in the future. We will continue to communicate clearly, operate transparently and for our own protection and dignity, keep clear and unambiguous boundaries. Personally, I was signed up for four trail / ultra races this year and one big-city marathon. To date, all of these races have been cancelled besides the marathon which is later this Fall. I want all of these races to be there next year and in the future so we can run them again and as such, fully support their refund policies. I already spent this money and I want to see the events and community I love, around for years to come. I would hate to see any of my fellow race organizations / directors carry more than their fair share of the burden as ultimately they are providing a service for our community of runners.

ALL OF THAT SAID… Our refund policy never considered or imagined a global health pandemic where we would need to cancel multiple events in a single year – some well in advance of the event date. This has only reaffirmed the cold, hard reality of the absolute necessity of our no refund policy – without it, the races would cease to exist, Rocksteady would go out of “business”, and personally we would go bankrupt. Please know that it is very difficult for us to have to stick with these policies knowing that everyone is being touched by this crisis in some way. Having to talk about money during these times is not fun. Serving and providing a positive experience for people is in our DNA – it is at the absolute core of what we do – you don’t direct races otherwise. If you are under financial duress due to the loss of a job or reduction in hours we strongly urge you to file for unemployment benefits if you are eligible and hopefully you were able to take advantage of the one-time cash payout of $1200 per person by the Federal government. Finally, stay apprised of any additional support available to you through Federal and State programs going forward. If you are still struggling, or for some reason you are not eligible for the assistance, we want to help. For anyone that is hurting and in need, you can email me at [email protected]. Cheri and I will write you a check for 25% of your entry fee (less the portion that our registration provider UltraSignup keeps), and we will stick it in an envelope and mail it to you. We have also extended this to those that were registered for our Zumbro, Superior Spring and ESTRS races and hopefully, if funds allow, to any other cancellations this year. We realize that this is not a lot of money, but also realize that any little bit may help right now. Additionally, if you are food insecure, we have lots of pre-purchased race food here we could send you (until it is gone); soup, peanut butter, jelly, etc. We can only do a limited number of these, but we will do our absolute best to help any of you that are in need. Please only take advantage of this if you are truly in need. If you don’t need it, please let others that are in need take advantage of it.

Please keep in mind that year in and year out; we cover the race expenses, cover overhead, pay two “employees” (Cheri and I) for the time we put in during race season, and then hold on to enough for startup capital for the following year. We repeat that cycle every year. We really hope to be able to hold the races next year and in the years to come, but we are already on track to start 2021 in the red – if we go too far into the red, the races are in jeopardy of not happening. Finally, please know that all races are different, some may be able to do more than us and some less – each race and each organization is different in how they are structured, which informs how they are able to respond during this crisis – so please take it easy on the race organizations and directors of the races that you love running. I have never met anyone that directed races for the wrong reasons, the only reason you do this is because you love running and you love serving people. If you would like to learn more about the nuts and bolts of all of this, please see the FAQ at the very end of this / below my signature.

Time to land this plane…

In looking into the origins of the phrase, “Desperate times call for desperate measures” both Hippocrates and Erasmus have similar motto’s. Hippocrates seems to have understood long before our current societal solution of social-distancing that “For extreme diseases, extreme methods of cure, as to restriction, are most suitable”. Erasmus stated: “Malo nodo malus quaerendus cuneus: A tough and harsh knot, is not to be attempted to be cut by a fine tool; it can only be overcome by the application of a strong wedge. Great difficulties or diseases are not ordinarily subdued, but by powerful remedies, which may not be applied, perhaps, without some degree of danger.”

As we have all witnessed, there is an abundance of both good information and misinformation out there and it is not always easy to decipher one from the other. Organizationally, we believe in science and place the findings and guidance of the scientific community first. We trust and support our governor and our state health experts. Our thoughts and prayers are for the health and safety of our frontline medical professionals and of course with our most vulnerable citizens who are ultimately composed of our family, friends, neighbors and fellow runners. May we each show love, compassion and grace to our fellow human beings both during these extremely difficult times and always.

Respectfully,

John Storkamp

Race Director – Rocksteady Running /
Zumbro, Superior(S), Afton, Superior(F), ESTRS

You can reach me at: [email protected]

If you would like to, you can learn more about Rocksteady Running below. We have also provided a FAQ and a detailed timeline.

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Sources for reliable and trustworthy COVID-19 information:

World Health Organization https://www.who.int/

National Centers for Disease Control https://www.cdc.gov/

Minnesota Department of Health https://www.health.state.mn.us/

University of Minnesota http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19

 

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About Rocksteady Running:

Even though we have pretty good sized events, we feel incredibly fortunate to know the vast majority of our participants, and we are blessed to call so many of you friends. Some of these trail / ultrarunning friendships that we have made are closing in on two decades! For those that do not know us, we thought that during this worldwide health crisis (COVID-19) it would be a good time to introduce ourselves and give you a little bit of background about us.

Rocksteady Running was formed on January 1, 2012 by myself (John Storkmp) and my wife Cheri Storkamp as a way to pull together several of Minnesota’s existing / legacy trail and ultrarunning races; including the Zumbro Endurance Run (founded 2009), Superior Spring Trail Race (founded 2003), Afton Trail Run (founded 1994), Superior Fall Trail Race (founded 1991) and the Endless Summer Trail Run Series (founded 2012). We do not do this alone, we are supported by several trusted advisors, many what I would call “full-time volunteers” and an army of race-weekend volunteers throughout the year – Rocksteady Running is truly a community effort.

I started running marathons in 1996 at the age of 16. In 2003, I started training for my first ultra and in 2004 completed my first ultra, I have since gone on to run 125 races at the marathon distance and beyond – the point is, that I, like you, love to run. I started volunteering at trail and ultra races shortly after I started running them and in 2008 took over as the race director of the Afton Trail Run from a close friend of mine. Afton State Park, more or less in my backyard and a park that I have been visiting since I was a kid. I took on this commitment while raising my daughter Emma with my wife Cheri, as I pursued a demanding career in commercial construction project management. Within a few years of taking over that first race, ultrarunning entered a period of exceptional growth. With this growth came increased expectations; not just from runners, but from the permitting agencies, local communities, the insurance companies, and so on. This in turn required increased time, attention, responsibility and expertise on the part of race directors and race organizations. Folks like me, who had demanding full time careers, were raising families, doing our own running and racing, were on overload trying to direct a single event and the burnout rate was high. Several of my mentors who had been directing the races I was volunteering at were a year or two beyond ready to give up their directorship to focus on their careers, families and quite frankly restore their sanity. We tried to find directors for several races, but pickings were slim for the exact reasons the current directors were wanting to get out. Cheri and I decided to take a leap of faith, but this would require me leaving a good paying career with vacation, bonuses and benefits in order to have enough time during race season to commit to the events while still maintaining some modicum of sanity. We turned our lives upside down, moved out of our home and in with my parents, I started working as a freelance graphic and web designer and within a year had started directing all of the races that we do today. Cheri was more or less the sole breadwinner for us, we lived off of her income, we completely exhausted our retirement and savings. We often wondered what the hell we were doing – believe me, there were many “dark nights of the soul”! These were stressful times, but it was rewarding. As a former project manager, working on large and complex projects, I was well suited for organizing races. We got to work with so many extraordinary volunteers, and met and hosted so many great runners from all over the world. More young and diverse people started coming into the sport. We increased our philanthropic giving and rolled up our sleeves, doing a lot of work on the trails where we raced, and beyond. Our local trail and ultra community continued to grow and flourish in really wonderful ways.

Fast forward… we eventually got back on our feet, moved back into our home; we had been renting it out in order to scrape by. Races as business is basically not a thing, there are a few exceptions to that rule around the country, but very few. And while we do receive compensation for the time that we put in during race season, race directing is not our full time gig. In all honesty, having done so much volunteering in the trail / ultra world previously, it actually took me a few years to be OK with this, to value myself and my time enough to say, “this is OK” and to not put myself last. Self-esteem can be a funny thing, but as I have aged I have (mostly) gotten a handle on it! I continue to do graphic and web design, and I work other odd jobs as well – Cheri does contracting work as an accountant as needed / available. Having come from the (actual) business world, it is not lost on me that the “business model” of races is so terribly flawed, it is almost laughable when viewed under that lens. But the paradox is that this is what saves it, it takes buy-in from everyone, this is where the magic lies, it is what you feel when you come, it is why people want to be a part of it, it’s why we want to be a part of it. Among race organizers, volunteers, or runners in the trail / ultrarunning community, it is rare to find anyone here for the wrong reasons – it is all just too hard to do with superficial intent. There are no superficial rewards. Whether it is directing, volunteering or running – it takes dedication and it takes pain. The struggle is real, but it is a labor of love for Cheri and I because it is a beacon of authenticity in a world filled with so many false prophets and idols. Even though it is a labor of love, we still hold ourselves to the absolute highest standards and always strive to conduct ourselves professionally and operate transparently. At the same time we are under no illusion, we know that at some point, before we get too much older (I am 40, Cheri 47) we will have to set what we love free and hand the reins of these races over to someone else so we can finish out our careers somewhere, build up some savings and hopefully retire some day – once we do so, maybe we can direct a little race again – it gets in your blood.

In the meantime and until that day, through good times and bad, we continue to pour our hearts and our souls into this. When it is bad, it is a stark and sometimes scary reminder of all of the personal risk that we take on to do this, but when it is good, it is the grandest of projects. We love doing this with our friends and family. We are only able to do this because of the grace that others continually show us; our family, our friends, our volunteers and our runners. There are countless people that sacrifice so much, give so much of their time to make this all possible – we are not the only ones who have sacrificed, and anytime we think about giving up, we think of these people. Like our mission statement imparts, we are here to “create experiences that facilitate connection”, and while we have to put those in-person connections on hold for a little while right now, we will all connect again when the time is appropriate. We thank you all for your continued support. Finally, on a personal level, aside from running and racing, we extend the invitation to all of our runners and volunteers – if there is something that Cheri and I can do to help you and your family during these extraordinary times, please reach out, we are here for you, just as you have been there for us.

 

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FAQ

 

Why does Rocksteady Running have a no refund, no discount and no deferral policy?

Rocksteady Running has a no refund policy for race registrations. This policy is published in several places on our race websites. Runners are required to review and agree to this policy before they are able to complete registration. This policy applies when a runner is personally no longer able to attend a scheduled race and it also applies when a race has to be canceled. If a runner is not comfortable with this policy, they can always forgo registering and are free to seek out other races with different policies. Examples of reasons that we may need to cancel a race include, but are not limited to; safety concerns, trail condition concerns or natural disaster – in the current case, the reason is a world-wide pandemic. We have seen the argument (elsewhere / not directed at us) that races should abandon this policy given the unique and unforeseen circumstances of COVID-19. Antithetical to this argument, unique and unforeseen circumstances are the exact reasons that we have a no refund policy in the first place. The current situation only reaffirms the need for it. When a race is canceled it means that something has gone very wrong, but even so, we still need to be able to cover event specific costs, overhead, race director compensation and still have enough funding left over at the end of the year for startup for the following year. Without this policy we would not be able to continue hosting races in the future. Rocksteady Running produces nine races a year. Several of these races are large, complex, and require an incredible amount of full-time effort to organize. These races involve specific costs such as permits, venues, insurance, promotion, rental trucks, medical services, tenting, toilets, sanitation, aid station food and supplies, t-shirts, medals, timing services, bib numbers, timing chips, volunteer lodging, post-race meals / parties, other vendors, philanthropic initiatives and more. We do save on some of these costs if an event is cancelled early enough but many things are designed, contracted, ordered, created, produced and purchased well in advance of an event. There is also a significant ongoing baseline cost of operation which in business terms is called overhead that we are responsible for paying every month. Some of these overhead items include warehouse / equipment storage, work space, offsite storage, office space, business insurance, health insurance, taxes, legal and accounting fees, websites, vehicle expenses, office supplies and equipment, race equipment upkeep, new equipment, philanthropic initiatives and more. RSR compensates Race Directors John and Cheri for nearly a full year’s worth of hours that are packed into an 8 month period (they take on other unrelated work for the balance of the year). When an unexpected event causes the cancellation of a race, RSR loses sponsorship dollars, tourism grants, and vendor participation and sponsorship. Furthermore, we lose the opportunity to sell merchandise. These things account for a significant portion of Rocksteady’s income. Race registration fees alone do not cover all of our race / operational costs – we rely on the aforementioned income sources in order to operate. We have always tried to offer the most accessible experience possible to the community – as such, we have always maintained entry fees as low as possible in relation to our costs. Note that I say “as low as possible in relation to our costs”. We are not trying to say, for instance, that $95 for a 50K is not a lot of money. That is a lot of money to us, and we know it is to many of you as well. So, in determining the registration fees, we cover overhead, then event specific costs, and try to have just enough left over for the following year for startup. If an unexpected event causes us to cancel a race, a refund simply does not work because we have already lost revenue and our costs do not stop; bills for the cost of operation are due every month and there is always the next race coming up that needs to be paid for. These same dynamics that dictate our no refund policy also apply to deferrals and discounts. If we defer or discount everyone for next year, there would be no new, or greatly reduced, revenue to cover next year’s expenses.

 

Why does Rocksteady Running have a no reschedule policy?

Rocksteady Running produces nine races each year. Each race takes months of pre-planning. Each race is coordinated with local, county, state and federal agencies in addition to lodging partners, suppliers, contractors, vendors and more. For each race, we consider the best and most appropriate time of the year for that race to be held while balancing other uses of the area / resource, such as other forms of recreation, other events, hunting, logging etc. Heck, one of our event dates is dictated by when the turtle nesting season is! Operationally, within the Rocksteady Running calendar there are no opportunities to reschedule a race as our events span Spring to Fall, taking place every few weeks. Additionally, there are only two employees to execute the pre-planning of each event. Furthermore, there are a significant number of other trail / ultra events in our region throughout the year, and we do not want to double up dates and potentially hurt another race by siphoning off their participants. Besides, many of our runners and volunteers like to run these other races as well. Finally, our races would not be possible without an army of volunteers at each race. Our volunteers do so much for us. We have to be very careful to not overtax our volunteer pool. And many of our volunteers volunteer at other races, and the current Minnesota race calendar is very full. Unique to the Coronavirus the question is, reschedule to when? Spring races that rescheduled to Summer races have had to cancel again, and Summer races that have rescheduled to Fall are looking uncertain as well.

 

Why can some races / organizations offer full refunds / rollovers to next year or discounts while others cannot?

Each race organization is different. Some races are one-off races organized by one or several individuals. Oftentime, these organizers have outside work / full time employment not associated with their race. These races are oftentimes not as complicated / involved and often have very little overhead outside of race-specific costs. (That is actually how we started and operated for many years: directing one race and working outside, full-time jobs. We did this until the races and the demands of those races grew to the point where we couldn’t manage them along with our full-time careers without one or the other suffering.) In this scenario, where the organizer has a non-race income source, all of the hours to plan and execute the race are donated by the individuals (this is super good of them!), and essentially the events are subsidised by their “free labor” and their full-time employment. Even a simple race can require upwards of 20 hours a week of a race director’s time starting months out from a race. And within weeks of and just after a race, those numbers can jump upwards of 40 hours a week. Most of the races we direct were done like this at one point or another. One of the downsides of this is that these race directors carry a very heavy load and are subject to burnout – their personal relationships, families and jobs can suffer as a result. Another reason some organizations may be able to offer full refunds, deferrals or discounts is that they may have a larger organization with more income, may have higher entry fees, other significant income sources that subsidize their events, have major title sponsors that pay for a large portion of the event, or are willing to go into debt and put themselves and their organization at risk. And with the above, some organizations do have residual profit left at the end of the year to create a warchest. Also, some organizations have less overhead than others and some do not offer as many amenities at their race. Regardless of the way an organization decides to structure itself and manage its affairs, it is our belief that it is an organization’s prerogative to operate however they see fit as long as they communicate their policies upfront and clearly. In this way, participants can make an informed decision when deciding which races they choose to register for and run.

 

Are you offering a “virtual race” option?

Our permits for the race venues (trail systems, parks, public lands) where our races are held have been cancelled so we are unable to facilitate “at venue” virtual races. Additionally, even if we could, these environments are hard to control since they are completely open to the public, there are some risks associated with virtual races that we are not willing to take at this time and some aspects may not be covered by our insurance. Additionally, these parks / venues are busier than they have ever been due to the virus and people recreating closer to home – while certainly on an individual basis everyone is welcome to use these spaces, organizationally we don’t want to add to that mix if we don’t have to. As far as a virtual race you can do on your own / wherever you are… running 25K or 50K for instance, on your own is great, but timing and ranking folks who are running on everything from city streets, to mountainous trails is like comparing apples to oranges. Finally, while we have no problem with virtual races, we do this for the real-life in-person connections that our events make possible. So, with all that said, we encourage you to go out and run on your own at your favorite places, have a ton of fun and wear the shirt we send as you get in some great training for next year’s races. If you are missing the social element (like we are) and care to engage, we are offering a fun Summer running challenge, the ‘LOVE MN SUMMER STREAK’. No cost, low commitment, low pressure – just something fun to help keep you motivated, active and engaged with your trail running community this Summer. If you would like to learn more, you can do so HERE https://www.facebook.com/groups/rocksteadyrunningcommunity/permalink/297455758316690/ – if you would like to participate, all you have to do is join the group, try to be active every day, and start sharing on our daily posts.

 

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Rocksteady Running COVID-19 Timeline

March 11, 2020: The World Health Organization classifies COVID-19 / Novel Coronavirus as a pandemic.

March 13, 2020 (Morning): Rocksteady Running releases a statement putting participants and volunteers on notice that the Zumbro Endurance Run (scheduled for April 10 & 11) is subject to cancellation, and that we were continuing to monitor the situation as it related to the Superior Spring Trail Race, along with our other events taking place later in the year.

March 13, 2020 (Afternoon): The state of Minnesota declared a state of emergency and issued guidance to limit gatherings in Minnesota to fewer than 250 people.

March 15, 2020: The National Centers for Disease Control issued guidance to limit gatherings to fewer than 50 people for the next 8 weeks. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz announces the temporary closure of all Minnesota K-12 public schools from March 18 until March 27.

March 16, 2020: The White House issued guidance that for the next 15 days (taking us to about April 1), all events of 10 people or more should be cancelled. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz orders the closure of bars, restaurants, and other places of public accommodation.

March 20, 2020: We canceled the Zumbro Endurance Run which was scheduled for April 10 & 11.

March 25, 2020: Minnesota Governor Tim Walz announced a “stay at home” order effective for two weeks, starting on March 27 and extending through April 10. This requires all Minnesotans to stay at home and suspend all unnecessary trips. He also closed all “non-essential” business and extended the mandatory ban on dining in at bars, cafes and restaurants through May 1. Schools are closed until May 4.

March 29, 2020: The White House extends mass-gathering and social-distancing guidance (originally issued on March 16), through April 30.

March 31, 2020: Cook County Minnesota (the county in which the Superior Spring Trail Race is held) issued the following statement; “The Cook County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday voted to issue a “travel advisory” for the purpose of discouraging travel into the county during a period when the number of positive tests for COVID-19 increases daily and community transmission of the novel coronavirus is occurring. Because we have a larger than average population of senior citizens especially vulnerable to the illness and extremely limited medical facilities, second-home owners and would-be travelers were requested to stay home. The advisory also requests that, if an individual has recently arrived in Cook County or decides to come despite the advisory, they self-quarantine for a 14 day period.”

April 2, 2020: Rocksteady Running puts Superior Spring Trail Race participants on notice regarding a likely cancellation of the race which is scheduled for May 16.

April 8, 2020: The Minnesota “stay at home” order is extended through May 4.

April 9, 2020: The Superior Spring Trail Race which was scheduled for May 16 is canceled.

April 13, 2020: Rocksteady Running sends Endless Summer Trail Run Series participants an update regarding the possibility of the first couple of races in the series possibly being cancelled.

April 17, 2020: Minnesota Governor Walz announced that it was now permitted for people to engage in various outdoor activities such as hiking, fishing, hunting, and motor-boating so long as they maintained a safe and reasonable distance from other people. As well as allowing people to engage in various outdoor activities, he allowed golf courses and bait shops to open. The prohibition on mass gatherings remains in place.

April 30, 2020: The Minnesota “stay at home” order is extended through May 18, while some non-essential businesses are slated to start reopening (with modifications) on May 4.

May 4, 2020 (Morning): Dakota County Parks publicly announces the cancellation of all special events / special event permits and facilities rentals through May 21 while reserving the right to extend this as needed.

May 4, 2020 (Afternoon): Endless Summer Trail Run Series Lebanon 10KM scheduled for May 20 is canceled.

May 17, 2020: The Stay Home MN order expired.

May 18, 2020: The Stay Safe MN order is enacted, Phase 1 allows for group gatherings of no more than 10. Large public gatherings are prohibited and must be cancelled.

May 22, 2020: Email goes out to Afton Trail Run participants notifying them that a decision will be made about the race by June 14.

June 1, 2020: Phase 2 of the Stay Safe MN order goes into effect. Phase 2 allows for group gatherings of no more than 10. Large public gatherings are prohibited and must be cancelled. Three Rivers Parks District / French Park have cancelled all facilities and pavilion rentals through the end of June.

June 3, 2020: Endless Summer Trail Run Series French 5K scheduled for June 17 is canceled.

June 10, 2020 (morning): Phase 3 of the Stay Safe MN order goes into effect. Phase 3 allows for groups of 25 or less in social settings. While outdoor events and entertainment are permitted, they may not be larger than 250 people, and 6′ of social distancing must be maintained, masks strongly encouraged. Large public gatherings of more than 250 people are prohibited. MN DNR puts out public guidance that all special event permits will be cancelled through the end of June.

June 10, 2020 (afternoon): The 20202 Afton Trail Run is cancelled.