Surf the Murph is a unique race at Murphy-Hanrehan Park in Savage, MN featuring a 25K, marathon, 50K and 50-Mile run. The race features a suburban course through this beautiful park. All races are on trails with two miles of single track, although the south end of the course runs …
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Surf the Murph is a unique race at Murphy-Hanrehan Park in Savage, MN featuring a 25K, marathon, 50K and 50-Mile run. The race features a suburban course through this beautiful park. All races are on trails with two miles of single track, although the south end of the course runs like a single track due to the horses.
These events are to be competitive and fun. They will be official races; however, most of the prizes and awards will be for costumes to go along with the Halloween theme.
Course Description
The course has a mixture of rolling hills, wooded trails, prairie and even a beaver dam (very Minnesotan)! Difficulty rating: 3, Terrain rating: 3.
Marking
Marking of the course will be on the left as usual and described by the race director on race day. Please be sure to watch for flags to stay on course. No off trail running, no exceptions!
Distance
Each loop is 16.7 miles. The 25K will be one loop, the marathon will be one loop with 9.5 miles of additional trail, the 50K will be two loops, and the 50 mile will be three loops.
Flashlights
Flashlights and/or headlamps will be needed at the beginning and sometimes end of the race, don’t forget your batteries!
Trash
No throwing trash on the trails! This is a great park and we have had amazing cooperation from park staff. Please be respectful of the public space as we all are during runs!
Road Crossings
You will have to cross and run along a public gravel road twice per lap. Be careful to look both ways as we will not have anyone watching traffic for you. This is a regularly used road!
Animals
There are domestic and wild animals in the park. You may need to share the trail with horses (watch for droppings). Coyotes, large owls, turkeys, eagles, large woodpeckers, deer, skunk, ground hogs, turtles, there has been one report of a cougar. No bears have been reported…
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Well done “small” off roader
Several hundred people do this race of multiple distances. You get a good quality hoodie and a handmade medal made out of wood. Post-race snacks is minimal, but perhaps unknown … MORE
Several hundred people do this race of multiple distances. You get a good quality hoodie and a handmade medal made out of wood. Post-race snacks is minimal, but perhaps unknown attendance due to COVID they skipped it. The 25k was a little long at 16.7miles, but so glad it was one big loop! About 1000’ of total elevation gain that takes you over roots, fallen trees, dirt, rock, gravel, grass, prairie. It’s got horse poo hazards, but no water hazards. 🙂 Chip timed, and they also have multiple checkpoints where people with clipboards keep track of everyone since it is a single loop done multiple times for longer distances. As it is with big loops, there is only 1 place other than the finish where you can see the runners twice. Definitely recommend and I might try a longer distance (50k or marathon distance) in the future. And maybe next time I’ll dress up in costume to get a possible award!
Fun, friendly, moderate, relatively fast
Mild elevation gain on trails wide and narrow with aid stations well-stocked every 3-4 miles. Mostly runnable and energetic atmosphere. Well organized, but the trail system offers many areas that … MORE
Mild elevation gain on trails wide and narrow with aid stations well-stocked every 3-4 miles. Mostly runnable and energetic atmosphere. Well organized, but the trail system offers many areas that can be a challenge to navigate if not well-marked. Future races must have better marked turns to avoid confusion.