Riddle Run Winners Get a Spot In Clinton Race?

Looks like the tradition of giving the Riddle Run winners (male & female champions) a spot in the closed Clinton Lake 30-Mile Trail Run is going to continue. I had a recent cancellation from a registered runner and felt it was just the "right thing to do" to offer up 2 possible spots for the Riddle Run 28-mile winners. It's fairly equitable and it creates a bit of buzz among local runners (and even some Chicago area folks that want a spot in Clinton so they can do the full Grand Slam). Anyone is welcome to do the free Riddle Run 28-mile trail event. If you win, a spot will magically open up for you in the Clinton Lake ultra...it's not a FREE opening, but you can register for Clinton Lake within 2 weeks of a Riddle Run victory at the regular race cost. That's quite a deal. There may be other openings for people on my race wait list, but you never know. Train, race, and WIN YOURSELF A SPOT!

So, does this mean there will actually be a Riddle Run #11 in late January? I sure hope so! Running with Jeff this morning and chatting about my blog posts (what else do runners do at 5:45am in the dark and cold?)...he's inclined to do it all again...just with less fanfare and publicity. No guarantee, but mark those calendars for the last Saturday in January (Jan 30th) and expect to do a 28 mile run at Lake of the Woods trail in Mahomet, IL. The run usually starts around 8am. Jeff uses the "4-mile loop" which is part of the full 5-mile trail system at the park. Here is more information about the park and trail:

Trail Map (pdf)
Topo map of trail (jpg)
Map of Lake of the Woods Park (pdf)
Directions to Trail

Here is my race report from the 2009 Riddle Run (the 10th edition).

This is the same set of trails that plays host to the infamous Buffalo Trace 7-Day Stage Race in the summer. Now that is one heck of a challenge! Unfortunately, the 7-day stage race may not happen in 2010. Of course, that's what people were saying about Riddle Run too. Hmmmm....