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RACE INFORMATION START: 7:00 a.m. on May 10, 2008 at the Holdingford Trail Head on the Lake Wobegon Trail. The race is run entirely on the Lake Wobegon Trail. Runners will head north from the Holdingford Trail Head for .86 miles and then back through the town of Holdingford and the towns of Albany, Avon, and St. Joseph. The race finishes at the trail head in St. Joseph. COURSE: The course is flat, fast, and pretty. The course will not be certified in 2008 but has been accurately measured. The Lake Wobegon Trail is a 10 foot wide newly paved asphalt bike trail on a former railroad track. The trail is smooth and has no cant. There is very little elevation change at any time along the entire length of the course. The trail is primarily rural except as it passes through the four small towns along the route. Many people feel that the trail from Holdingford to St. Joseph is the prettiest portion of the Lake Wobegon Trail. WEATHER: The average
high for St. Cloud on May 10 is 67 degrees. The average low is 42
degrees. The sunrise is 5:52 a.m. SAFETY: The trail crosses public roads and private drives at a number of points along the trail. These crossings will not be controlled and runners must yield to vehicles. Runners should use caution at all trail crossings. WATER STATIONS: Tentatively water stations will be located an average of 2.6 miles apart on the course with the furthest distance between water stations anticipated to be 3.6 miles apart. Other water stations will be 3.0 or less miles apart. Sports drink will be available at approximately one-half of the water stations. Volunteers may have hard candy or fruit available at some stations. TOILETS: Trail heads at Holdingford (start and mile 1.7), Avon (mile 18.1), and St. Joseph (finish) have toilets and water fountains. SPECTATORS: Space and parking is limited at most water stations. Water stations are generally located adjacent to public roads and often not safe locations for children. Friends and family are encouraged to spectate from the trail heads in the towns of Holdingford, Albany, Avon, and St. Joseph. FINISH: Pigment dyed finisher t-shirts and finisher medals will be awarded to all runners who complete the course within the six hour time limit. Refreshments will be provided to all runners at the finish. AWARDS: Trophies will be awarded to the male and female overall and masters winners and prizes will be awarded to the top male and female finisher in each category: 18-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, and 60+. REGISTRATION: The 2008 race is limited to 100 runners. Entry fee is $25 postmarked by April 1, 2008 and $45 postmarked after April 1, 2008. Registrations will be accepted only until May 5, 2008. NO RACE DAY REGISTRATION. PACKET PICKUP: Race bibs will be picked up before the start at the Holdingford Trail Head from 6:00-6:45 a.m. on race morning. TRANSPORTATION: Runners may park at the finish at the St. Joseph Trail Head and ride a bus to the start at the Holdingford Trail Head. The bus will leave the St. Joseph Trail Head promptly at 6:00 a.m. No other transportation will be provided to the start. NO TRANSPORTATION WILL BE PROVIDED BACK TO THE START FROM THE FINISH. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Contact Sharon Hobbs at shobbs@rnoon.com for additional information. NOTE FROM THE RACE DIRECTOR: Welcome to our website! I hope that you are seriously considering running the Lake Wobegon Trail Marathon with us this year. We are excited about being able to offer a marathon run entirely on the scenic Lake Wobegon bike trail. You will have no worries about getting lost on this course. After the turn around in less than one mile, runners simply follow the trail to the finish. There is only one turn on the entire course where the trail ‘T’s at about 11 ½ miles and runners go left at the ‘T’. This is our first year with this race so we are trying to keep it simple. Thus, the runner limit this year. We wanted to keep the entire race on the trail for simplicity this year, and thus, we have the short out and back stretch at the start. In future years if the number of participants grows, we will likely shift the start to another location within the town of Holdingford and run to enter the trail at a point north of the Holdingford Trail Head. This is also why we did not certify the race this year, we want the flexibility to revise the course as the race grows. I hope that you decide to join us at the Lake Wobegon Trail Marathon this spring! Sharon Hobbs Race Director |