We invite all trail runners to join us for the Footprints Trail Run. We’ll start the day off with a trail race, winding from the Outdoor Center through singletrack, ski trails and dirt roads up to Craftsbury Common on either a 5 or 10-mile course. But the race is just the starting point for a broader conversation.
In addition to great food, music and tasty beverages at the Craftsbury Farmers Market, our post-race celebrations will culminate in a send-off for Footprints’ newest climate leaders. Each Footprints' camper will give a brief presentation on the climate action project that they developed over the prior week at Footprints Running Camp. Proceeds from the race will go into a fund to help campers implement those projects in their home communities.
We hope you’ll be part of the action both on the course and in the post race conversations. We’ll share the topics of the Footprints camper projects prior to the event and we challenge you to find ways that you can plug in your knowledge, your networks, and your ideas to these projects at the post-race celebration. Together we’ll send the Footprints community home equipped to take meaningful climate action!
Register now on UltraSignup.
Interested in volunteering? We’d love your help! Email running@craftsbury.com for more info.
Pre-Race Information as of Thursday, September 28
Parking
Will be at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center. There are a limited number of EV charging stations onsite.
Carpool
Please bring friends to the event and carpool!
Bib pick-up
There is no day-of-race registration. Bib pick-up will start at 8:30am on the deck of the Outdoor Center’s Activity Center. This is the main ski lodge building. Please plan to pick up your race bib by at least 15 minutes before your start (start times: 9:30am for the 10-mile, 10:00am for the 5-mile).
Bag drop
This race is a point-to-point. We will take one backpack or bag per racer to the finish line for you! Be sure to drop it off at bib pick-up before you start.
Bathrooms
At the start you can use the bathrooms in the Outdoor Center’s AC gym building. Access the building from the same deck where registration is. At the finish (Craftsbury Common), please use the portapotties along the north side of the Common near the bandstand.
Course
Both courses feature a mix of singletrack and wider ski trails that wind around the Outdoor Center’s Trail network. The 5-mile course will be marked with pink and yellow signs. The 10-mile course will be marked with white and red signs and will include a section that passes through Hosmer Point summer camp. The last 1.7 miles of both courses go on dirt roads to get up to Craftsbury Common and this section will be marked with yellow signs with blue arrows. There is a very short (<¼ mile) section of pavement near the end.
The courses feature twisty sections of singletrack and will run significantly slower than a road race of a comparable distance. Climate presentations are slated to start at 11:45am. Some 10-mile runners may be on the course longer than this, but the climate action talks are designed so that you can easily listen in at different points of the presentations. The Farmers’ Market will be open until 1:00pm.
Rules of the Road
Some sections of the race will travel on the road. ALL ROADS WILL REMAIN OPEN FOR THE DURATION OF THE RACE! There will be cars. All racers must run on the left side of the road and no more than two abreast. Please run single file as vehicles approach, and check both ways when making a road crossing. There will be course marshals at key locations to help guide you and manage traffic, but you are also responsible for making safe decisions.
Medical Support
There will be medical support staff/volunteers onsite. Sweep bikers will help monitor the back of each race.
Aid Stations
We have been working towards reducing waste in our aid station set-ups. A couple ways we do this is by offering products with limited packaging and by using reusable cups.
Aid stations will be equipped with water, electrolyte drink, and some snacks (pretzels, oranges and bananas, house-made coconut date bites).
Aid station locations
Aid Station #1: 10-mile course only (mile 3.1)
Aid Station #2: Serves both 5-mile (mile 2.5) & 10-mile (mile 7.5) courses
Race day Schedule
8:30am - Bib pickup opens at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center (Activity Center deck)
9:30am - 10-mile race start at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center
10:00am – 5-mile race start at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center
10:00am – Craftsbury Farmers’ Market starts on Craftsbury Common.
10:00am-1:00pm – Food vendors open
11:45am - Post race celebrations begin on Craftsbury Common. Brief awards ceremony followed by climate presentations by Footprints campers.
12:30pm – 1:45pm rolling shuttles from Craftsbury Common Farmers’ Market back to the parking at Craftsbury Outdoor Center
1:00pm – Farmers’ Market ends. Lunch vendors close.
Lunch
Racers will be given a food voucher and drink voucher at the finish line to redeem at the Farmer’s Market for Lunch. Food vendors include Chef Nadav, Chole’s and Davey’s.
Food voucher = RED
Drink voucher = BLUE & WHITE
You can use one voucher per vendor. Food voucher is capped at a $20 value; drink voucher (non-alcoholic) is 1 voucher per drink.
There will also be a water station available at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center table.
Post Race Vendors
In addition to the vendors offering lunch, you will be greeted by all of the Craftsbury Farmer’s Market vendors at the finish line. The Craftsbury Farmer’s Market (voted #1 in Vermont in 2022) offers a wide range of products – check out the full vendor list here.
Also, we are excited to be joined by the following local businesses for the day:
Bivo - makers of stainless-steel water bottle
Be sure to bring your wallet to support some amazing local, climate-minded businesses!
Awards
We will have awards for the top three individuals in each gender category in the 10-mile and 5-mile races. Awards presentation will happen at 11:45am ahead of the Footprints climate conversations.
Climate conversation
Footprints Campers have spent the past week in Craftsbury workshopping grassroots climate projects that they hope to implement in their home communities. Starting at 11:45am Footprints campers will be presenting these projects in small groups. Racers are encouraged to wander between groups and listen and give campers supportive feedback and ideas. Race proceeds will go towards supporting Footprints campers in implementing climate action projects in their home communities.
Shuttles
Shuttling will happen after the race between 12:30pm – 1:45pm and will run on a rolling basis every 5 to 10 minutes. Shuttle pick-up will happen on the northern side of the Common and will drop-off at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center (race parking lot).
