Testimonials

Best Race I have ever done.. Everything about the race was amazing start to finish and all the things I didn’t see that made the race flawless.. I will be doing all your races… – Dana

You guys did it again, congratulations! A great race, challenging course and conditions, yet the greatest volunteers with satisfying snacks and ICE! You guys are great! Maybe I should have gotten a shirt to advertise, whenever I wear one of the earlier ones, people always ask!! Thank you! – Bonnie B.

Just wanted to thank you for a very memorable day, my first ever Afton Trail Ultra. It was amazing and everything I was told, and more. Thanks for a well run race. – David W.

Just wanted to say thanks for putting on such a kick-ass race! It was an awesome way to start the weekend, and I’m more proud of that than any of the other races I’ve done this year, and hooked, too. I’ll be back for more, most definitely! Give the rest of the team a pat on the back too — everyone (start to finish) was great. – Katie S.

Dear Afton Race Organizers, Thank you so much for hosting such an amazing race!
Today was my sister and I’s first trail race. We had a fabulous time and were amazed at the kindness of the trail running community. We have run numerous road races and none of them have been able to compare with the spirit of camaraderie we sensed at your event. Thank you for all your work. All the best – Abbie U.

Thank you to all the rest stop people for making access to electrolytes and simple carbs so effortless, thank you to the trail groomers, coordinators, grill masters, check in specialists, the park ranger who kept our toilet paper supply from running out and everyone else who helped make another great trail run this year. Thank you, thank you! – Paula W

Thanks again for putting on an amazing event. I have tremendous respect for you, and for this race. The VOLUNTEERS are simply awesome! In fact, the group of runners that show up each year seem to be some of the nicest people I’ve ever met. So thanks once again for making this happen! – Robert D

Thanks again guys for a great run! I’m from Arkansas and was really impressed by the management and organization of this run. Great day for all! – Kate

Absolutely top notch race! Beautiful well marked difficult course, awesome aid, sweet shirt and token and… most of all, AMAZING volunteers! Thanks so much to all of you. Your smiling faces, good cheer and help were much appreciated. From filling my pack with water and ice, helping me with bug spray or opening shot blox or just giving encouragement, ya’ll were right there and happy to assist. You ROCK! I’ll definitely be back next year. – Melissa

Awesome 25K!! A HUGE thank you to the RD and ALL volunteers!!! Best Volunteers EVER!!!!I will def be doing it next yr!!! – Sally

Another fantastic event. Kudos to all the staff and volunteers. I think a fellow runner said it best when he described it as EPIC. If you were on the fence this year but didn’t do it — don’t miss it next year! I won’t be. – Rick

What a race! Man, can’t complement you guys enough on the markings, aid stations, volunteers (and their great attitudes!)… Well done guys, what a beautiful day! – Cole

I realize it’s somewhat after the fact, but I wanted to pass on to you and your race team what an incredible job you all did putting on this year’s Afton Trail Runs. I have never seen a race that was so well-organized and staffed by enthusiastic volunteers who clearly had the runners’ enjoyment, safety, and well-being as their top priorities. While I ended up having to drop out toward the end of the race, I still consider the event an overwhelmingly positive experience. I will absolutely be returning to take another shot at it next year, in no small part thanks to the support I know will be waiting for me from the ATR team. Thanks again, and please pass along my gratitude to all the Afton volunteers. -Todd

I just wanted to personally thank you for organizing another incredible event! Packet pick up was seamless, the course was well marked, the volunteers were top notch and the aid stations are consistently the best I’ve ever experienced! Very impressive work. – Steven S.

I just wanted to say thank you very much to you and everyone involved with Afton and all the amazing volunteers. At these races it never ceases to amaze me the things the volunteers will do to help totally random people reach their goals. Sounds corny but each time after all these races I always feel so much better about how we as people are doing and how we still care about each other…even complete strangers…and are always/still willing to help and be there for each other. Thanks again. – Aaron L.

This was my first time running at a Rocksteady Running event and really enjoyed the whole event. I live in upstate New York and have done a few of races around there and Afton was one of the best I’ve participated in across the board. I found it very similar to a race in New York with the same kind of history and community called The Escarpment Trail Run. I’ve never experienced such a festive and joyful race atmosphere as I did at Afton. I’ve been wanting to run one of the Superior races for a while and this left me more excited to do so. Thanks so much for the work you do. – Shawn B.

Thank you for an awesome race. It was my first trail race, and now I am hooked. Such a warm and welcoming community, and I am still on a high from all of the smiles that I saw on the trail. – Sara F.

I wanted to thank you and your crew for a great event this past weekend. I’m not a runner who enters these races to win…I enter for an opportunity to push myself physically, yes, but more so mentally. I always start the race with a heart filled with gratitude that I have the health and the means to participate. The challenge is to keep the gratitude front and center even when things get uncomfortable. You and your team do such an extraordinary job of providing the support needed to achieve that goal: the atmosphere is festive, supportive and inclusive, the trails is well prepared and well marked, the aid stations are filled with people who REALLY seem like they want to do whatever they can to help drive success, whether *success* is a winning time, finishing with a smile or a slower paced effort to get across the finish line under the time limit. Thank you for the time and effort you invest to make all the logistics run perfectly. Even more than that, thank you for building such a strong, positive spirit and then figuring out how to spread to all the volunteers and all the runners so it all just glows. You truly have created something very special. – Kris H.

My wife and I ran the 25k this year. We are both happy runners – a few marathons, hood to coasts, others. We live down the road in Woodbury. I’m writing you solely to commend you on how exceptionally well-run this race was. We were nothing short of flabbergasted by the support stations, the volunteers, the communications, and the finish. In particular, I’ve never been so happy to see such a great spread of food and the smiling faces helping me to plop it on my plate. With so many races out there, there is a lot of variability in the effort put into them, and an even wider variability in the outcomes. Yours was truly at the top. Thank you. We’ll be back next year. Kindly, Travis and Kaite O

You and your crew do a wonderful job of putting this race on for us runners. I cannot even imagine how much work this would entail, but you and your crew need to know that your time and efforts are greatly appreciated. I guess the best way I could explain Afton (and other races you direct) is that it is “not about the race itself, it is about the EXPERIENCE”. Without the volunteers help, us runners would not be able to have the great experience. Your volunteers are second to none. I did read your letter to the volunteers, and all I can say is “well said”. Your aid stations are great. The people are great. Even my wife, Ann, says your aid stations are some of the best she has ever seen (she crews for me all the time so has seen her share of aid stations at different races over the years)! Respectfully – Dave J.