[ You are receiving this email because you are registered for the 2021 Afton Trail Run. ]

Hi All,

I hope this email finds you happy, healthy, well trained and excited for the 27th annual Afton Trail Run on Friday July 2 and Saturday July 3, 2021.

Today is Friday June 25. Today was the day we were set to charge you for your Afton Trail Run registration. As you all learned by reviewing THIS https://www.aftontrailrun.com/afton-trail-run-2021/ prior to registering, we were not going to charge your card until one week before the race just in case the pandemic took a turn for the worse and / or if state regulations were tightened back down and we were forced to cancel the event. Fortunately, the situation with the pandemic continues to improve and we are clear to proceed as planned on that front.

Unfortunately, the Minnesota State Legislature has not yet passed, in its entirety, or the portion(s) of the Minnesota state two-year operating budget that would fund our State Park system. Minnesota enacts budgets for a two-year cycle (a biennium), beginning on July 1 of each odd-numbered year. If the overall budget agreement, or a specific funding bill / budget for the state parks is not passed by 4:00pm on June 30th, Minnesota State Parks will shut down. If the parks shut down we will be forced to cancel the Afton Trail Run. All of this said, there is a specific bill that has been introduced in order to fund the parks, allowing the parks to stay open even if other portions of the budget are not agreed upon by the July 1 deadline. Additionally, both publicly available information and information from our internal sources suggests that there is quite a bit of optimism at the state, that these bills will be passed and a government shutdown will be avoided.

So, as it sits today we will take a few more days to monitor the progress at the legislature. We will then charge your card, either 1.) as soon as the overall budget or the specific budget that funds state parks is passed OR 2.) on Tuesday June 29; whichever comes sooner. Waiting to charge you much closer to the event day of July 1 is not logistically viable as UltraSignup has several manual processes they have to go through and there is a significant administrative burden for both UltraSignup and us (Cheri and I) throughout the day that they run cards. Wednesday and Thursday I have to be out, hands-on at Afton State Park marking trail, setting up aid stations etc.

Should the government ultimately shutdown without a State Parks budget in place, we will give you the option to receive a 100% refund of your entry fee (less the UltraSignup / credit card processing fee) OR allow you to opt for a 100% rollover to the 2022 Afton Trail Run.

After what has been an uncertain year-and-a-half, I am so sorry for this added stress and uncertainty. Hopefully these budgets are passed and we can race, and this will have been just another exercise in mental resilience and adaptability. I am staying positive and keeping optimistic and I hope you will too!

Finally, be on the lookout early next week for some final event info and updates. I can’t wait to see you all!

Thank You,

John Storkamp
Race Director
racedirector@aftontrailrun.com

Afton Trail Run
50KM & 25KM Trail Races
Afton State Park – Hastings, Minnesota
Saturday July 4, 2020
50KM 6:30AM
25KM 7:30AM

Registration:
Opens Wedneday January 1, 2020 at 12:01AM CST
Closes Friday June 26, 2020 at 11:59PM CST
*Or once the field limit has been met
Complete Registration Details HERE

Directions to Race Start:
Afton State Park
6959 Peller Avenue South
Hastings, MN 55033
Hastings, Minnesota
Google Maps Directions HERE
Approx 25 minutes East of St. Paul, MN and 40 minutes East of Minneapolis, MN

Terrain / Course Description:
The Afton Trail Run consists of a hilly 25K loop (two loops for the 50K), winding through Afton State Park’s trail system. The race is held 100% off road, primarily on very runnable / not very technical single double and single track. There are 7 long climbs per loop, rising from the river valley and down again with a good mix of rolling and flat terrain between the hills.  Be sure to see maps, elevation charts and stats provided on this website HERE.

50KM:
2 x 15.5 mile loops =  31 miles
Elevation Gain 4,670 FT
Elevation Loss 4,670 FT
NET Elevation Change 9,340 FT
11 Aid Stations
9 hour time limit
Complete 50KM Info HERE

25KM:
1 x 15.5 mile loop = 15.5 miles
Elevation Gain 2,335 FT
Elevation Loss 2,335 FT
NET Elevation Change 4,670 FT
5 Aid Stations
8 hour time limit
Complete 25KM Info HERE

More About the Race / Area:
The Afton Trail Run is one of the most challenging and beautiful trail races around.  The race was established in 1994 and is now one of the oldest, largest and most competitive trail races in the country and routinely draws runners from all 50 states and beyond.  The race takes place entirely within the borders of Afton State Park.  Afton State Park lies on a glacial moraine, scribed with deep ravines running down to the St. Croix River.  The 169 mile St. Croix River was one of the original eight United States rivers to have significant portions placed under protection by the National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968.  Within the park sandstone outcrops have been exposed in some of the ravines. The vertical drop from the blufftop to the water is 300 feet.  A few patches of remnant prairie survived the decades of farming that took place on the blufftop. Today the former fields are being restored to prairie and oak savanna. The ravines leading down to the riverbank are thickly wooded with oak, aspen, birch, and cherry.