Julie Berg finishing her 10th Afton Trail Run 50K – Photo Credit Scott Rokis
Founded in 1994, the Afton Trail Run is the Twin Cities heart of Summer trail and ultrarunning tradition. The 2025 race marked the 32nd Annual. This year we had 918 registered runners from 2 countries, 26 states and 189 Minnesota cities. 150 volunteers came together to make the race possible. The race was also attended by a few hundred family, friends, and spectators who came out to support their runners.
The Afton Trail Run is a bit of a paradox. It has the feel of an intimate local race without any extra fanfare or hype, at the same time it garners the interest of runners from all over the country. By todays trail race standards it is fairly old – having been founded in 1994, and fairly big – with nearly 1000 registered runners each year. The timing of the race starts, the layout of the course, and the nature of the trails within Afton State Park combine to provide for a nice quiet time on the trail once things get spread out after the boisterous start. Just as Cheri and I have done each summer for nearly 20 years, we produce this race with our friends and family, out of our home in Hastings, which is about 15 minutes from the state park. Having been visiting and enjoying the park since I was a kid, and spending a significant amount of time volunteering in the park each year, every time we produce the race it brings us great joy and satisfaction to showcase our little slice of paradise in the St. Croix River Valley.
The week leading into this years race consisted of one hot sultry day after another. Loading trucks and trailers, transporting equipment, marking trails and doing setup around Afton State Park throughout the week required hydrating and monitoring electrolytes as if you were running. Starting early in the week, the forecast was calling for rain come race day and that proved to be the case. In the wee hours of Saturday morning the sky was still clear, stars shining. As I got out to do a final check of the course markings I got to see the front roll in. There was some lightning on the leading edge of the system, but thankfully it was short lived and a delay of the start of the race would not be necessary. For the 50K we got a nice break in the rain allowing 50K runners to check in and start the race under relatively dry conditions. For 25K check in it was pouring, with runners taking shelter under the tents until the race start. But again for the 25K race start we got lucky and it let up quite a bit. Once runners were on course, rain came and went in waves throughout the day. The course was slick, slowing times a bit, and helping runners off of their feet occasionally. While Afton does not feature much deep / shoe sucking mud like some race courses, the non-sand / gravel portions of the course get real slick, adding an extra challenge to the heat/humidity, distance, and hills that Afton is typically associated with. While the temps were lower than the preceding days, it was plenty warm, with highs in the high low 80s and 100% humidity with the rain. I have been at every Afton Trail Run since 2003 and this is only the second time I recall it raining, so we were due. Doing my post race run of the entire race course two-days later I was pleased to find that impacts to the trail were isolated and minimal.
For me the biggest story at Afton continues to be the joy and sense of community created by the extraordinary group of runners, volunteers, friends, family and spectators that show up for each years event. Every runner comes away from Afton with their own stories and reflections and we hope you are still basking in and learning from them. While for me the emotional, spiritual, and metaphysical aspects of trail and ultrarunning continue to be the most interesting aspect of it, we do put on and run timed / quantified races for a reason and those aspects are of course a lot of fun and interesting too… here are a bunch of nuggets that caught my attention at and after this years race. At 35 years old Bennett Henderson just completed his 18th Afton 25K, what impressive consistency he has created starting all the way back when he was such a young man. Having run his first Afton 50K in 1996, Dave Just completed his 15th Afton 50K this year. At 65, and with the ability to to still run 6:45 like he did this year, he has a great shot at getting his 20th when he’s 70. A pile of folks finished either their 10th 25K or 50K – we will update our ‘records’ page in the coming weeks to reflect those outstanding achievements. We had two 14 year old’s finish the race this year, Annabelle Bliss and Reijer Klyn. Our oldest finisher in the 25K was Alan Holtz (75) and our oldest finisher in the 50K was Steve Sjolund (74) running an absolutely incredible 6:43. The current 50K course record holder (3:26:52 from 2024) Alex Forte from Chicago Illinois won his third Afton 50K in a row, the rain slowing him down a little, but still with a blistering time. We were thrilled to see our longtime friend and past race sponsor Jess Guile take the 50K win in the women’s race. Elena Haynes was first in the 50K non-binary division, a quick peruse of their UltraSignup and it looks like this was training for a 100 miler later this summer! Dj Beske took the non-binary win in the 25K, running an almost identical time to last year with much slower trail conditions. While no stranger to winning races, Gracia Sich has been winning a lot on the trails of late (2024 Hixon 50K, 2025 Willow 20M, 2025 Ice Age 50K are a few I could dig up) and took the women’s 25K title – she races under the Mill City Running banner, an Afton Trail Run sponsor. Local elite runner Daniel Docherty ran his first Afton 25K and took the win, we hope he comes back on a dry year to take a shot at the CR.
We cannot thank Afton Alps Ski Area enough for the use of their property for overflow parking – we are so appreciative! A huge thank you to all of the (mostly) 25K runners who obviously read the information we put out in advance of the race, arriving, parking and walking up to the race start plenty early. This allowed for manageable check-in and bathroom lines, and an on-time 25K start – I was again overwhelmed by your conscientiousness and compliance. Importantly, you helping to make the overflow parking situation a success allows 100’s of non-race-related park users to enjoy the park while our race is happening – great, great job all.
Having a solid medical team in place for any large trail / ultra race is important, but more so at Afton due to it being a hot weather race. A huge thank you to our medical volunteers and Hastings EMS for taking great care of our participants throughout the day.
We simply could not host this race, not only with the permission of the Minnesota DNR and Afton State Park, but as importantly without all of the sweat equity that their staff puts into the race, helping us get ready, to host all of you.
A huge thank you to all of our volunteers, which I expand on below.
It was another stellar year at Afton, we look forward to seeing many of you again in 2026.
In Community,
John Storkamp
Race Director
Afton Trail Run
View of the St. Croix River Valley from ‘North Hill’ in Afton State Park – Photo Credit Cary Johnson
Vidthya Abraham cruising along on the Prairie Loop – Photo Credit Jamison Swift
Whitney Kinsey overwhelmed with emotion finishing her first 50K – Photo Credit Scott Rokis
Norah Murad getting a refill at Aid Station 3/4 – Photo Credit Cary Johnson
Volunteers:
A huge thank you to all 150 volunteers that made this year’s Afton Trail Run a success. Course marking, setup, parking, check-in, communications, aid stations, logistics, photography, medical, timing, sweeping, the post-race meal, cleanup and on and on… all volunteers. I know most of you who ran are also sharing your skills at a race or two when you are not running. If you are not, don’t deny yourself of the experience – get involved in your trail running community. Want to see something amazing, THIS is what it takes to put on the Afton Trail Run https://www.aftontrailrun.com/volunteer-assignments/ I encourage you to take the time to read the volunteer recap / thank you HERE https://www.aftontrailrun.com/2025-volunteer-thank-you/ – Please consider volunteering at the Superior Fall Trail Race / the Superior 100 on September 5 & 6. The Superior 100 in Northern Minnesota is the 10th oldest 100 mile trail race in the country. Grab a friend or two, make some camping or lodging plans and come and be a part of something really special https://www.superiorfalltrailrace.com/read-first/
Kind Words:
I usually include some kind words / a testimonial or two directly from racers, this year being no different…
“I was a first-time Afton runner this morning, which coincidentally, was also my first-ever Trail Run. I just moved from NYC to Minneapolis and was excited to see how I’d fare on the trails, which I knew would be very different from the pavement up and down the West Side Highway. With some sleek, well-worn and no-tread running shoes (promised I’d buy myself trail running shoes and a garmin if I “liked the run”), I fell about 6 times in the mud (three falls in one just trying to get up back on my hoofs, laughing hysterically at my lack of agency in remaining upright), and had an absolute blast. From the woman who pumped me up under the tent during the downpour, to the few men who were laughing as much as I was slipping and sliding down a mud hill, to the folks I encountered along the trail who were so encouraging, to the group of 4 people who took me and let me join their stampede as we all breached the final 1/4 mile, to Chris, the guy at the picnic tables post-race letting me vent, laugh, and tell him all about how my race went … I felt so welcome. A newbie, but part of the pack, too. I am so grateful for the rain, for the volunteers, for the pickles and peanut butter sandwiches, and for your effort putting on this event. I’ll fall asleep tonight full of joy from so many places that spoke out from my experience at your race today. How awesome. Thank you to you and your team. BOOM.” – Crista
Christopher Vasquez closing in on the finish line in his first Afton 25K – Photo Credit Cary Johnson
Race photographer and trail/ultrarunner Cary Johnson; a mainstay at Afton, other RSR races, and several other Minnesota trail/ultra events – Photo Credit Scott Rokis
Photos:
Most of our photographers have submitted their photos from the race – one or two more galleries are on their way. Please keep in mind that some of our photographers sell their photos, some make low res images available for free and sell the high res versions, some will accept tips and some give away the high res images for free. Please look for notes / prompts for each photographer / gallery. All of them put a ton of time into it and have a pile of expensive gear that makes this possible. As always it is good form to always credit (by name) and thank photographers for the photos you are sharing on your social media or elsewhere. If you want to use photos for commercial purposes please contact the photographers directly or contact me if you are unable to find their contact information. If you are a photographer or aspiring photographer and you would like to come and help tell the Afton story at future editions of the race, please contact us, we would love to have you and your fellow runners would appreciate it. https://www.aftontrailrun.com/photos/
Results and Splits:
Official race results are available on our website [ 50K, 25K ]. Results have also been uploaded to UltraSignup [ 50K, 25K ] and have been sent into UTMB [ 50K, 25K ] so qualifying points can be awarded to those that wish to do those races some day (UTMB, CCC, TDS, OCC).
| 2025 | Registered | Started | Start % | DNS | DNS % | DNFd | DNF % | Finished | Finsh % |
| 50K | 324 | 266 | 82% | 58 | 18% | 38 | 14% | 228 | 86% |
| 25K | 598 | 486 | 81% | 112 | 19% | 12 | 2% | 474 | 98% |
| Total | 922 | 752 | 82% | 170 | 18% | 50 | 7% | 702 | 93% |
Sweatshirts, T-Shirts, Hats and More for Sale:
Most of the same offerings we have on race day, along with extras of this years shirt, are available on our online store HERE https://www.rocksteadyrunning.com/shop/ – you can use the “filters” on the side of the page to sort and search for specific items.
Afton Trail Run Cool Operator Hat
Wood Print Course Map and Elevation Charts:
Beyond the pre-orders we took for in-person pickup at Afton, we were able to produce a few extras. Maps, Elevation Charts, and RSR Logo prints are available on our website.
Rocksteady Community:
The Rocksteady Running Community is an online forum designed for community members to have civil conversations about all things pertaining to Rocksteady Running events (Zumbro, Superior Spring, Afton, Superior Fall, ESTRS), trail / ultrarunning in general, and more. This online forum has been built on our own platform and is not tied to any social media platform. It is free from advertising, invasive algorithms, tracking, etc. We intend for this to be a safe place to connect. Feel free to discuss registering, training for and racing our events. Discussion about the race courses, terrain, training, gear, challenges, triumphs and more are welcomed and encouraged. If you would like to create an account and participate you can do so HERE https://community.rocksteadyrunning.com/login For safety and transparency we ask that you provide both your first and last name when creating an account. My hope is that this forum will be an engaging and useful resource that allows you to connect with one and other.
Mile in My Shoes:
Rocksteady Running is proud to have Mile in My Shoes as an official Afton Trail Run charity partner. MiMS is a local nonprofit that uses the power of running to bring together people from diverse backgrounds to build connections, boost wellness, spark social change, and center people traditionally excluded from running spaces. Based in homeless shelters, addiction recovery programs and re-entry centers for people exiting incarceration, MiMS views running as a tool for both personal and collective transformation. By focusing on people and spaces often marginalized in our society, MiMS teams use movement as a catalyst for social justice. By bringing together people from all walks of life, Members not only find common ground, but learn from and reach out to one another for support. Learn more HERE https://www.aftontrailrun.com/mile-in-my-shoes/
Sponsors:
A huge thank you to all of our sponsors for making our event possible!
Mill City / Saint City Running
Vaniply / Vanicream
Steve Smillie Edina Realty
Afton Alps
Art and Science Family Dentistry
Bridge Realty – Bill Pomerenke
Northwoods Running
State Farm Insurance – Geri Martin
Trail Transformation
Performance Running Gym
Consilience Coaching
Climb Above Endurance Coaching
Mile in My Shoes
St. Croix Law
Critical Connections Ecological Services
Afton Trail Run Charitable Legacy:
Each year the Afton Trail Run donates dollars and volunteer hours to Afton State Park. To date we have donated 1000’s of labor hours and gifted over $65,000 to the park for trail and infrastructure improvements, equipment and programming.
Next Year
The Afton Trail Run is always held the first Saturday in July. The 2026 race will be Saturday July 4. Registration will open on January 1.
In Closing:
I cannot thank you all enough for being part of the Afton / RSR family! Thank you for an awesome race, we look forward to seeing you next year! As always, if you need anything please reach out.
Sincerely,
John Storkamp
Race Director
Afton Trail Run
Amy Schaffer checking in for the 25K on a rainy morning – Photo Credit Scott Rokis
25K runners staying out of the rain prior to the race start – Photo Credit Scott Rokis
50K runner Mark Emmons prepping his drop bag before the race start – Photo Credit Cary Johnson
Runner legs are the best legs – Photo Credit Scott Rokis
Joshua Yamauchi connecting with a fellow runner at the start of the 25K race – Photo Credit Scott Rokis
The rain let up for the 50K Race Start – Photo Credit Scott Rokis
Leif Halverson and Travis Huewe sharing the early miles – Photo Credit Jamison Swift
Aid Station 3/4 held down by the TREC’s crew keeping it festive on a rainy day – Photo Credit Jamison Swift
Starting the climb up to campground – Photo Credit Cary Johnson
It’s not always easy staying on your feet on those steep downhills – Photo Credit John Schultz
Elena Haynes having plenty of fun in the rain – Photo Credit Cary Johnson
Catherine Breiwick finishing the 50K with a radiant smile – Photo Credit Scott Rokis
Hailey and David Swedburg finishing with the kiddos – Photo Credit Scott Rokis
So much love at the Afton Trail Run – Photo Credit Scott Rokis
If it were easy, everybody would do it – Photo Credit Scott Rokis
Volunteer Karin Noerenberg handing out medals and keeping the vibes high at the finish line – Photo Credit Scott Rokis
Brian, Riley, Elliot and Mel celebrating at the finish – Photo Credit Scott Rokis