Mile In My Shoes (MiMS)

Run Afton, win goodies, and collect good vibes while supporting a great cause by becoming a Mile in My Shoes (MiMS) FundRacer!

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.

 

What is a FundRacer?
FundRacers use their Afton Trail Run experience as an opportunity to raise critical funding for Mile in My Shoes. Because MiMS is a 501(c)3 organization that relies solely on donations, every FundRacer plays a critical role in allowing MiMS to bring the power of running to more people in need. FundRacing is simple – MiMS helps you create a FundRacing page to share with family and friends, or raise your funds in other ways! (MiMS can help!) The more you raise, the more perks you receive: $300 – Official MiMS tech tank or shirt. $500 – Exclusive MiMS supersoft hoodie. $1000 – All of the above + MiMS run hat + your race entry refunded (up to $100). At the $2000 level you could earn free, guaranteed entry into ANY 2025 OR 2026 Rocksteady Running race of your choice  * Limited to 3 entries each for each of the RSR lottery races per year; Superior Spring Trail Race & Superior Fall Trail Race. If you hope to raise $2K or more in hopes of securing one of these lottery-bypass entries, please communicate this to MiMS in advance to find out if there are still entries available.

 

Here’s how to get started:

1.) Learn more about MiMS HERE http://www.mileinmyshoes.mn/about-us and FundRacing HERE http://www.mileinmyshoes.mn/fundracing

2.) Sign up to FundRace HERE https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf-qpPMgTBDMUnld0pLO6EVk8c15xQMqVue90Ut6yf59f0D9Q/viewform. MiMS will reach out to you within 24 hours with info and support on getting started fundraising.

3.) If you are not yet registered, register yourself for Afton as normal during the registration period before the race sells out or registration closes. MiMS will reimburse you up to $100 of your entry fee if you achieve $1000 in fundraising.

4.) Fundraise and race (FundRace) for a great cause! FundRacer resources can be found HERE http://www.mileinmyshoes.mn/fundracing-toolkit

5.) Questions? Email fundracing@mileinmyshoes.mn

 

Your Support Makes a Difference:
The Rocksteady Running community raised nearly $10,000 for Mile in My Shoes in 2023!

 

Welcoming MiMS Members and Alumni:
In addition to the FundRacing component of the Rocksteady Running / Mile in My Shoes Partnership, MiMS Members and Alumni are encouraged to participate. This year, we will be offering free entry to Alumni Members ready to tackle a long-distance trail run like Zumbro, Afton or Superior. We will also be hosting a Mile in My Shoes team at an Endless Summer race to introduce new runners to the magic of the trail.

“After 16 years incarcerated, I came out feeling like I had a scarlet letter on my chest. I honestly didn’t believe there were good people in the world. Mile in My Shoes changed all of that. After just two or three weeks of team runs the wall I’d built up around me had come down. My mom said “Wow, I got my son back.”

- MiMS Alumni Member

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.