Afton Trail Run Volunteer Email 5 2017 (Parking Volunteers Specific)

Date: Sunday June 25th, 2017
Subject: Afton Trail Run 2017 Parking PlanHi Parking Volunteers!

( Please note that if you are getting this email, you are assigned to help with parking, a couple of you I just added / changed from other morning assignments, so if you have any issue with this, please let me know and we can revise again! https://www.aftontrailrun.com/volunteer-assignments/ )

Again this year at Afton we have a little more complex parking plan.  Sorry for the long email but if you could take the time to review the email and the attachment, that would be super helpful!

The state park has asked that we no longer allow cars to park along the “park road” after the designated state park parking lots are full – so the solution is that we will have overflow parking down at the the Afton Alps Ski Area Meadows Chalet parking lot – runners will be able to hop onto the parks trail system from there per the attached map to walk about 1/3 of a mile to the race start.

In the past Robert Litchy has done a great job heading up parking for us at the state park lots and will do so again this year but we will also have to have key volunteers at specific points leading into both the park and into Afton Alps to guide cars in and divert cars to the Afton Alps lots once the lots at the state park lots are full.

So the plan is that once the lots (less 20 spots or so for non-race related day users and a couple of spots for anyone who is running drastically late to the race) are filled, Robert Litchy will call Dan Mattimiro who will be at the entrance of the park and tell him to start diverting cars down to Afton Alps.  Dan will also be in phone contact with Kevin Lynch who will be down at the Meadows Chalet parking lot just in case some communication is needed.  Once parking is pretty well finished up at the state park, those helping in the state park lots lots can walk down the trail leading up to the park from Afton Alps to provide direction / answer questions and ease the minds of those that are walking up .

The attached map shows where everyone on the parking team will (roughly) be stationed.  Robert Litchy has a good handle on what is going on at the Afton State Park parking lots and Jason Tintes will be overseeing everything outside of the Afton State Park lots, making tweaks as needed – I will be reviewing the entire plan on the ground with Jason, Dan and Kevin so they will all have a good handle on what is going on should you need additional direction on race day.

Robert Litchy
Afton State Park Parking Lot(s)

Dan Mattimiro
State Park and Afton Alps Entrance

Kevin Lynch
Meadows Chalet / Overflow Parking Lot

Jason Tintes
Roving / Patrol / Overseeing in Vehicle

If anyone happens to have an extra safety vest, bring it, otherwise we will have a bin of them at the back of the supply truck in the main lot / near the visitors center –  you might want a headlamp as well.

Communication is certainly key to executing the plan successfully.  Thank you all for the extra attention to this – it is just huge.  Please let me know if you have any questions at 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.