Night Train returns and all three distances are back: the 50K, Half Marathon and sunset 5K. The race follows an old Rail Trail through beautiful countryside. The countryside is as historic as it is beautiful. Site of some of the last battles of the Civil War (including the last Union General to die) the course follows fields, small towns and historic Farmville.
The race begins and ends at Camp Paradise again this year. This means that every runner will finish their race crossing the bridge. The fireflies and moon make the finish something to behold.
The 50k race begins at 5:30pm. The half marathon begins at 6:5 and the 5k begins at 8pm. There is a 9.5 hour time limit for the 50k and a 4 hour time limit for the half marathon.
Don’t let the fact that this is a relatively flat rail trail fool you. The weather is a major factor. It will be extremely hot and sunny.
There are also extended distances between aid stations. All runners must carry water (I recommend carrying at least 20 ounces). Failure to carry water will lead to disqualification by my staff.
Even though it’s flat, this is not a PR course. It is hot and the course is slightly long (closer to 32 miles for the 50k) Come prepared to run, have fun and enjoy the scenery.
All runners will start and end at Camp Paradise. 5k runners will travel 1.55 miles over the bridge, turn around and return. 50k and half marathon runners will travel 5.3 miles to the first aid station in downtown Farmville. Half marathon runners will travel another 1.3 miles to a turnaround and return to the start.
50k runners will travel 5.7 miles to the Tuggle Aid Station. They will then travel another 3 miles to the Prospect aid station. They will travel 1 mile past here to a turnaround and then retrace their steps. Crew can access their runners in Downtown Farmville, Tuggle and Prospect.
Women will receive a tank top (which fits true to size). Men receive t-shirts. All finishers of both races will receive an award.
The top 3 runners of each gender in each race will also receive prizes.
Since this race is close to the 4th of July we will also give out an award for most Patriotic runner for each gender.
The race will be chip timed.
As always we are thankful for everyone who helps us in society. So all Law Enforcement, Fire, EMS, Teachers and Nurses should enter the code THANKS for a discount.
This race is cupless! Cheap, portable cups are available on Amazon for $5-15. You have to carry water for this race so carrying a small, portable cup should be no big deal.
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Hot but the finish is beautiful.
This race is hard. This is not a course to PR on due to the weather and I walked a good chunk of the race. In 2024, there was extreme … MORE
This race is hard. This is not a course to PR on due to the weather and I walked a good chunk of the race. In 2024, there was extreme heat, and the race director did his best to add more aid stations. Granted this is a trail so there’s only so much that can be done.
That said this has the best finish out of every race I’ve done. I finished at sunset over the high bridge and then the fireflies come out and it’s just amazing.