Rain Today, Sun Tomorrow

Yes, it is raining today.  We may get about half an inch of rain once this is all done.  Fortunately, tomorrow we'll have a nice sunny day.  The trail should soak up most of this rain without any problems.  There will be a few muddy spots, but it won't be a mudfest.  When you get 125 runners going around a 10-mile loop three times, whatever mud we have tends to get magnified.  I still think its going to be great conditions come Saturday morning. I'm excited for all of you runners!

Current Weather Forecast for Saturday:
Low: 30
High: 56
Sky Conditions: Mostly Cloudy
Chance of Rain: 4%
Winds: 15 mph from the SE
Race Director Comments:  I'm starting to believe...this might be alright!

It's almost close enough to race day that I trust this forecast.  Almost!  I've been fooled before.  I hope to see a few people at early packet pick-up (Friday, 3-6pm at Body n' Sole Sports).  If you pick up your stuff on Friday, you do NOT need to check-in again on race morning.  Also, on Friday afternoon, I'll have the latest trail conditions report.  I'll see the rest of you on race morning (check-in from 6:00-7:15am).  Race starts at 7:30am on Saturday morning at the Clinton Lake north fork boat access parking lot.  NO EARLY STARTERS--everyone starts at 7:30am.

WARNING ONE:  There are tons of leaves on the trail, so be wary of possible hidden rocks and roots. There aren't many rocks on the course, but there are roots. I haven't had too many problems stumbling over roots in recent training runs. Of course, after 20 miles, you'll start to let your feet drag and you may find a few roots grabbing you. This isn't a road race, so I assume if you signed-up, you are comfortable with basic trail running and the possibility of falling over rocks, roots, or fellow runners. 

WARNING TWO: Even when the weather is good, the wooden bridges can be slick--almost like ice.  Please be careful as you approach and go over the many small wooden bridges.  With the rain today, there will still be a bit of moisture in the air (and ground) on race morning so the bridges could be very slippery. Plus, there could be some frost early Saturday morning.