New River Trail 50K

I wanted to post some information about a new 50K trail race planned for 2008 - the New River Trail 50K. The inaugural event will take place on October 11, 2008 in Fries, VA, which is about 13 miles from Galax, VA near the NC/VA border. This region has some fantastic trails and natural areas and will no doubt make a great locale for a trail race. The race is being organized by ultra runner extraordinaire Annette Bednosky. Annette needs no introduction but for those whose head has been underground for the last few years, she is an accomplished ultra running veteran with wins at several races including Western States, Rattlesnake and most recently, Hellgate. If her RD ability is half of her running prowess, we are all in for one heck of treat come October.

Proceeds from the race will go to The National Committee for the New River (NCNR) an organization that protects, restores and educates about one of the oldest rivers in the world. The New River's watershed includes North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia and the NCNR does work in all three states. Entrants will also have the opportunity to make a contribution to NCNR's Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring Program. This option will be included on the registration form at active.com (link included on the race website).

Annette is striving to have this be a "green" race, using local, recyclable items and products from companies with "green" practices as much as possible. In the spirit of being green, minimal disposable materials will be used and those that must be disposable will be recyclable. Finally, she is striving to have 75% of the goods used for aid station supplies and runner giveaways come from local manufacturers and/or growers. Way to go Annette! This is a great way to support the local economy and help out Mama Earth at the same time! This is something we should all do more of. I know what my plans for October 11th are and encourage readers to visit the race website to learn more and sign up through the online registration link. You can also contact Annette through the website with any questions that you have.

Best of luck to Annette with the New River Trail 50K. This is sure to be the first year of a great event. Be sure to check out the website and learn more about the race and the causes it supports.