Afton Trail Run Volunteer Email 3 2015

Date: Tuesday June 23rd, 2015
Subject: Afton Trail Run Volunteer Email 3 – 2015

Hi All,

This is our third and likely last group email to volunteers prior to the 22nd Annual Afton Trail Run on Saturday July 4th, 2015 – if you missed any of the previous emails and would like to get caught up, you can do so HERE http://www.aftontrailrun.org/volunteer-updates/ – we know it is quite a bit of information, but please take the time to read everything below.

Again, thanks to all of you in advance – you are part of a really special team, if you have not helped at Afton before, you will know what I mean by the end of the day on Saturday.  We are blessed to have about 115 volunteers helping at this years race!  We have reached our field limit and will have around 600 runners starting the races!  We will be hosting runners from 26 states and Canada!

Volunteer assignments have been made and are available HERE: http://www.aftontrailrun.org/volunteer-assignments/ 

Please be sure to sort the list by volunteer position and by your name as you may have been assigned to more than one job.  If for some reason you see something out of place or something does not work for you, please be sure to let us know – if we did not give you enough or gave you too much please drop us a line so we can adjust accordingly.  Beyond your specific volunteer assignment(s), anyone that has the energy to hang out at the end of the day and help us get packed up and loaded up is certainly encouraged and welcome to do so – the bulk of this work is between 2:00 and 6:00PM!  Also, we won’t turn down help at our home in Hastings for the big unload and cleanup on Sunday – it always proves to be an entertaining day – let us know if you want to stop down (9am – 2pm or so)… we will provide all the PBJs and Mike and Ikes you can eat!Specific information about your volunteer assignment, directions and more can be found HERE http://www.aftontrailrun.org/volunteer-jobs/A list of supplies we provide at the aid stations can be found HERE https://www.aftontrailrun.com/aid-station-supplies/ feel free to put your personal touches on your aid station by bringing additional fun foods, decorations, cow-bells etc. – be sure to bring personal items you may need such as bug spray, rain gear, snacks, a chair etc. – feel free to snack on aid station food as well!

Never worked an aid station? – this is helpful: HERE http://www.aftontrailrun.org/aid-stations-101/

Please be sure to read up about the race on the website paying specific attention to the race Info pages and have some general knowledge about the race, this makes you a good resource for runners and other volunteers.

If anyone assigned to an aid station or the finish line is an above average photographer and has a decent DSLR camera please let us know – we would love to have you shoot pictures for us from your aid station.

Your volunteer WRAPS will be sent out to the aid stations or will be available at your volunteer position.  Be sure to come up and eat lunch (burgers and veggie burgers) after you are done volunteering!

Finally, if it looks like your aid station / volunteer position has “too many” people, don’t fret… we all want to be super useful / helpful / effective and shoulder a big load but one of the reasons the Afton Trail Run has a great reputation both locally and nationally is that we have one of the greatest volunteer forces of any trail race / ultra anywhere.  It is a very long day and having a lot of people volunteering helps take pressure off of everyone and allows people to take a breaks from time to time and ensures that runners are getting great personal attention – this is huge.  We need people to be as fresh as possible at the end of the day when it is time to do even more hard work and get packed up and cleaned up!

If anyone has any questions please let us know.  Thanks again for giving your time and helping to make the Afton Trail Run what it is!

Thank You,

John Storkamp
Race Director
Afton Trail Run

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.