The Great Scorpion Trail Run is one of the best trail races you will find in Mississippi and may be one of the best marked courses you’ll ever run. Come enjoy a day of good times and great people. Bonita Lakes Park in Meridian, Mississippi is one of the region’s …
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The Great Scorpion Trail Run is one of the best trail races you will find in Mississippi and may be one of the best marked courses you’ll ever run. Come enjoy a day of good times and great people.
Bonita Lakes Park in Meridian, Mississippi is one of the region’s great trail systems and has a little known characteristic: scorpions. What better way to pay tribute to these little critters than to give them their own race.
The course is a great mix of single track and jeep trail. The Great Scorpion Trail Run will offer root, rocks and hills to challenge you, while the views through the trees of Bonita Lakes will make you smile. The final leg of single track for the loop is the Mardi Gras Trail complete with Mardi Gras beads and a welcoming downhill. Each loop ends with you passing the RFID antennas to capture your split. The parking area is right on the course, so feel free to setup your own pit stop without having to venture far away from the course. This course is marked really well. From Red plastic plates with the Scorpion logo to red and black flagging tape to neon green arrows and marking sprayed on the ground; a lot of effort is put into keeping you on the right track so you only have to focus on running.
Benefiting the National Alopecia Areata Foundation.
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Best locally grown 50K
This race is in my hometown park and my favorite small town trail race. It's technically difficult but totally worth the pain! I train on these trails, and I've completed … MORE
This race is in my hometown park and my favorite small town trail race. It’s technically difficult but totally worth the pain!
I train on these trails, and I’ve completed the 50K each year and each time I run these trails, they surprise me. Definitely worth the trip if you’re not from Meridian!
Please read my previous years reviews of this race!
Awesome Trail race!
This is my 4th 50K and 3rd time running Scorpion. It's a pretty challenging technical course with lots of hills & things to trip over! (elevation gain - 3200ft) The … MORE
This is my 4th 50K and 3rd time running Scorpion. It’s a pretty challenging technical course with lots of hills & things to trip over! (elevation gain – 3200ft)
The course is approx. 7.8 mile loop. 50k runs it 4 times. There’s also a 25K and 12.5k option (12.5K is perfect for anyone wanting to do a trail race but not “Race”. A lot of 12.5K folks just go out to enjoy the trail and have fun. A great introduction to trail running!)
This year, it rained for 3 days prior which made everyone nervous about the conditions. But fortunately, the trails drain pretty well and the usual spots were pretty muddy.
The race is EXPERTLY organized with awesome awards and super cool medals (this year they were made of wood!) I managed to pull out a 3rd overall female and a 13 minute PR this year!
Definitely a repeater!
Extra Muddy this year
This is a local Trail race with a personal touch. I ran this last year as well (it's inaugural year). This year's race was extra muddy! 6-8 inches of rain … MORE
This is a local Trail race with a personal touch. I ran this last year as well (it’s inaugural year).
This year’s race was extra muddy! 6-8 inches of rain fell within the 2 weeks prior which made the trails more difficult. Overall this race is expertly organized with well stocked aid stations and friendly volunteers. A definite must for any trail runner!
Best 50K in Mississippi!
This race was held in my hometown park. 2018 was it's inaugural year. Tim & Caroline worked diligently researching the best (& worse) practices for trail races and I believe … MORE
This race was held in my hometown park. 2018 was it’s inaugural year. Tim & Caroline worked diligently researching the best (& worse) practices for trail races and I believe they have created a masterpiece!
PACKET PICKUP: PP was at a local runner-friendly hotel. They even caught some nocturnal scorpions in the trails and brought them for everyone to check out. Excellent swag bag and all questions were easily answered there.
COURSE: The roughly 7.5 loop is run twice for the 25K and 4 times for the 50K. At first I thought I would get bored running the loop 4 times, but each loop felt different. The first loop is partially in the dark (race starts at 6am) which was a little scary for me but with a headlamp and a plan to start slow, I successfully ran the first loop without falling. 🙂 The course includes a nice mix of bike/hiking trails, the gravel road and horse trails. Had it been all bike trails, it would have been B-R-U-T-A-L. The horse trails and gravel roads gave your legs and your mind a bit of a break. This would be a great race for a first time trail runner!
I ended up taking a “graceful” tumble on loop 2, and ended up with a flesh wound. If you don’t draw blood in the trails, then your still a trail virgin!
AID: There’s an aid station in the trails (near the halfway point) that you pass by twice. Water, Gatorade as well as medical aid was available. There is also a fully stocked tent at the start/finish as well as medical personnel there to assist if necessary.
RACE: The finish line is feet from where you would park. I was able to leave a drop bag and extra food nearby to grab each loop. A lot of runners simply let their tailgates down and left their food/needs there to grab as the came by. The finisher medals and awards were custom and really cool!
This is definitely a race I will be repeating!