Afton 2026 Recap

Jessica Stopera getting some help cooling off at TREC’s Aid Station 3 & 4 – Photo Credit Jamison Swift

Founded in 1994, the Afton Trail Run is the Twin Cities heart-of-Summer trail and ultrarunning tradition. The 2026 race marked the 33rd Annual. This year we had 918 registered runners from 2 countries, 27 states and 156 Minnesota cities. 145 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 over 900 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 (Rocksteady Running worldwide headquarters), 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 was hot and humid with an ever changing forecast threatening showers and thunderstorms that might pop up at anytime. While we got some weather overnight and into the early morning hours several of the days leading into the race, each day cleared and brought with it abundant sunshine, and heat. Race day brought more of the same; full sun, high humidity and temps in the upper 80s. I was so impressed with how smartly everyone ran, this resulting in a safe race with runners looking much better than one might expect coming through the aid stations and crossing the finish line. We ordered our normal 1,350 LBS of ice and made a run for another 360 LBS during the race, for a whopping total of 1,710 LBS. This ice was distributed by aid station volunteers into water bottles, bandanas, hats, bra’s, shorts, etc. This goes a long ways in keeping everyone cool, safe, and having fun. Thank you for taking good care of yourselves, and each other.

Afton always takes place the first Saturday in July and every so often falls on the 4th of July as it did this year. Regardless of where it falls on the calendar it is always a festive day and a heart-warming celebration of community and trail running. So many themes emerged for me throughout race-day, here are a few of them that jumped out: I talked to many 25K runners doing their first trail race and a number of 50K runners doing their first ultra. I spoke to several folks who ran an Afton PB and even a few distance PRs – impressive on such a hot day. The number of young people continues to increase which makes my and Cheri’s heart sing. Those that come back year after year continue to impress with their consistency; Bennett Henderson continues with the most 25K finishes, 19 after this years race – we plan to see him next year for his 20th. While there are a good handful of folks that exceed 10 finishes in both the 25K or the 50K distances, a couple achieved the milestone of 10 this year with their finishes; Tish Torchia did as much in the 25K, while Eric Otto did the same in the 50K. Some of the states (and countries) top runners continue to choose to use Afton as either an A race or in training / build up for something else as the summer progresses, here is a list of the overall winners for each of the two distances.

50K
Male and Overall Winner: Nick Marshall 3:39:02
Female: Rychelle Denardo 4:23:51
Non-Binary: Dj Beske 6:15:47 (Course Record)

25K
Male: David Nogle 1:40:26
Female: Gracia Sich 1:58:20
Non-Binary: Joe Morris 2:36:30

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 you 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 race starts – 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 2027.

In Community,

John Storkamp
Race Director
Afton Trail Run

An awesome looking crew at the start of the 50K – Photo Credit Scott Rokis

50K runner Danielle Turk-Bly finding some solitude on the race course – Photo Credit Cary Johnson

A fun crew finishing the 25K – Photo Credit Mike Wheeler

Volunteers cooling off runners at Northwoods Running Aid Station 5 – Photo Credit David Markman

Volunteers:
A huge thank you to all 145 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/2026-volunteer-thank-you/ – Please consider volunteering at the Superior Fall Trail Race / the Superior 100 on September 11 & 12. 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 wanted to extend my gratitude for the great work that you and your team did yesterday (and in preparation for yesterday) at the Afton races. Despite the heat and humidity, it was an awesome day out there. Rocksteady Running continues to be the gold standard for trail racing in Minnesota. I am extremely grateful to have the opportunity to be part of the friendly and supportive trail running community that you have built. Thanks again. – Bill

Stephanie Cloutier taking in the glory of the Afton Prairie Loop – Photo Credit Kevin Jost

Race photographer Mike Wheeler; 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:
Race results from our chip timing system are currently available HERE https://sites.chronotrack.com/event/91426/results?raceId=242377&divisionId=2718363 – Once everyone has had a chance to review them and any necessary revisions are made, we will upload the final standings to the Afton Trail Run website, UltraSignup, and submit them to UTMB so UTMB qualifying points to be awarded. If your result is missing or you notice an error, please let us know right away. We can verify missing information by referencing our backup timing system.

2026	Registered	Started	Start %	DNS	DNS %	DNFd	DNF %	Finished	Finish %
50K	349	296	85%	53	15%	38	13%	258	87%
25K	571	489	86%	82	14%	8	2%	481	98%
Total	920	785	85%	135	15%	46	6%	739	94%

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. SORRY WE ARE OUT OF EXTRA-LARGE SWEATSHIRTS!

Afton Trail Run skeleton hoodie

Afton Trail Run Cool Operator Hat

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 Running
ACG
Vaniply / Vanicream
Steve Smillie Edina Realty
Afton Alps
Art and Science Family Dentistry
Bridge Realty – Bill Pomerenke
Northwoods Running
State Farm Insurance – Geri Martin
Best Day Brewing
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.

Want To Run With Us in Hastings Again This Year?
Our final Endless Summer Trail Run Series race of the season, the Spring Lake 5 Mile, takes place on Wednesday July 29 at 6:30PM. Spring Lake Park Reserve is perched on the bluff high above the the Mississippi River, just outside of Hastings MN. Complete event details can be found HERE https://www.estrs.com/

Next Year
The Afton Trail Run is always held the first Saturday in July. The 2027 race will be Saturday July 3. 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

Volunteers joyfully checking in runners on race morning – Photo Credit Scott Rokis