Read First

Thank you for your interest in volunteering at the Afton Trail Run  – we could not put on such a great event without your help! Listed below is important information and the steps to volunteering – at any point, should you have any questions please Contact Us.

1.) Study the website, especially the Race-Info and Volunteer-Info sections to learn about the race and see if you would like to volunteer for a race like this!  The event goes for almost 12 hours, so we generally need volunteers that are willing to work pretty long shifts.

2.) Once you have an understanding of the event and know your availability / hours you are available you can sign up to volunteer HERE

3.) After signing up, make sure your name is on the Volunteer List  (note that initially your job will show as unassigned) if for some reason your name is not showing up on the list, please try signing up again and / or contact us.

4.) Stay tuned for periodic emails from us – depending on when you sign up you may want to check for any archived volunteer emails HERE that you may have missed out on.  Check back for your assignment on the Volunteer Assignment Page – we start making assignments approximately 3 weeks from the race – we will also send out an email when all volunteer assignments have been made.

5.) Once your assignment is made go to the Volunteer Jobs Page to learn more about you job and print out any information you think you might need.

6.) Report on race day and have fun!

Again, we cannot thank you enough for your help, volunteers are the lifeblood of our event!  Please reach out at any point should you have any questions and I will be sure to get back to you.

Gratefully,

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.