The Afton Trail Run is a challenging and scenic trail race featuring 25KM and 50KM distances. The race was established in 1994 and annually draws runners from several countries, 25+ states and hundreds of Minnesota cities. The race takes place entirely within the borders of Afton State Park just outside …
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The Afton Trail Run is a challenging and scenic trail race featuring 25KM and 50KM distances. The race was established in 1994 and annually draws runners from several countries, 25+ states and hundreds of Minnesota cities. The race takes place entirely within the borders of Afton State Park just outside of Hastings Minnesota.
The race consists of a hilly 25K loop (two loops for the 50K), winding through the state park’s trail system. The race is held 100% off road, primarily on very runnable and not overly technical minimum maintenance gravel service roads and double and single track trails. There are 7 long climbs per loop, rising from the river valley and down again with a good mix of rolling and flat terrain between the hills.
Afton State Park lies on a glacial moraine, scribed with deep ravines running down to the St. Croix River. The 169 mile St. Croix River was one of the original eight United States rivers to have significant portions placed under protection by the National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968. Within the park, sandstone outcrops have been exposed in some of the ravines. The vertical drop from the blufftop to the water is just over 300 feet. A few patches of remnant prairie survived the decades of farming that took place on the blufftop. Today the former fields are being restored to prairie and oak savanna. The ravines leading down to the riverbank are thickly wooded with oak, aspen, birch, and cherry.
The Afton Trail Run makes an annual financial donation to the state park ( in the neighborhood of $60,000.00 as of 2022 ) and its organizers, volunteers and runners volunteer in the park, maintaining trails and doing invasive species removal / restoration and more.
The Afton Trail Run is organized by Rocksteady Running and directed by John Storkamp. Rocksteady Running produces several trail and ultrarunning races in the state of Minnesota. Our races are put on by longtime trail and ultrarunners. Our focus is on sustainability, runner safety, runner experience and giving back to the trail, parks and communities where our events are held. Our mission is to create experiences that facilitate connection. All credit is due to our army of volunteers and our wonderful Minnesota trail running community.
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Outstanding Race!!!
Overall Rating: One of the top 3 races I have participated in. Course Difficulty: This course was hard for me, but I was there for the hills, and was not … MORE
Overall Rating: One of the top 3 races I have participated in.
Course Difficulty: This course was hard for me, but I was there for the hills, and was not disappointed. As a true flat-lander I needed to see where I was on hill climbing for an upcoming 100 miler and with about 4200 feet of ascent and descent over 50k this was a good place. The trail was a double 15.5-mile loop composed of some very runnable portions and some moderately technical portions. No water crossings this year, but certainly could be if it rained. In over 30 ultras, I have not been on a course with this much constant elevation change…it was a really good challenge. There were 300ish runners that started in the 50k, and it never felt crowded.
Course scenery: Old growth prairie, forest, and plenty of time along the River.
Race Production: Outstanding!
Pre-race communication was thorough and given with plenty of time to make any necessary adjustments. The only thing that didn’t seem to go perfect was packet pick up on race morning which started about 5 minutes late due to having to set up (this is a non-issue, the team that was working on it – roughly 20 people – acknowledged us and let us know what was happening) actual pick up took about 2 min after that. There were plenty of port-a-jon’s at the start finish, so even with a lot of people, there was no waiting. The race started on time with some words from RD John Storkamp; there was a one hour staggered start between the 50k and the 25k, and I only saw about 10 of the 25k folks (who were super-fast) while I was on the first loop. The trail was marked as well as any race I have done, with officials at the major interchanges to give direction – I never felt like I was lost or confused. The aid stations and volunteers were awesome! Times were posted immediately.
Race Swag: Good. Custom running hat and finishers woodallion.
My Performance: Ok. As a flatlander I expect to struggle on hills. During my normal long runs, it is common to get less than 500′ of elevation change in 25 miles. I got the first loop done in a little over three hours, but my heart(rate) was acting up and my stomach felt really sick, and then the leg cramps…for miles. I decided to walk, and my heart got lined out, but the gut never really felt better and for the first time in a while, after the race I was actually on the ground with full on calf and foot cramps while trying to take off my shoes. I ended up walking most of the second loop but met some wonderful people who were good company. I ended up further down in the field than usual but got what I came for…challenging hills.
Final notes: This course is unique, and the army of volunteers is really impressive. I had heard rumors that once you ran a “John Storkamp” race, it would spoil you forever, and this is true. He is an outstanding RD! Coming from a culture and part of the country where running is still an outlier sport, I am always surprised at the depth and longevity of the Minnesota running community; there are just so many really good, very experienced, super nice runners.
I cannot recommend this race enough. If you are looking for a challenging but very enjoyable run, go and do this race! You will find your quads burning and then crying, and your calves cramping, but you will smile the whole time.