Well, we probably should have seen this coming, but even the Trail Running Series is getting big enough now to make the state worry about weekend problems at Castlewood State Park. The Rangers have asked us to cancel this Sunday’s 5k Championships. So, this Thursday will be our finale for the Trail Run Series.
Alpine Shop and Big River Running want to thank you for helping us make the series such a success and we’ll be meeting with the State Parks to plan out next summer’s schedule soon – knowing weekends are out from now on!
It’s just proof that St. Louis is truly looking for fun activities to do – even through one of the hottest summers on record. Thanks St. Louis for making the Off Road Racing League such a huge success!
Partial refunds for individuals that paid up front for 5 races?
Hannah- We’ll take care of everyone. Last thing we want is for anyone to feel taken advantage of. We’re just disappointed we couldn’t do the race. Thanks for being a part of the series!
Thank you! Just checking. I agree, too bad no finale. This series has been tons of fun! Looking forward to Thursday.
Bummer about the race. This series has been a ton of fun and really sold me on trail running. I’ll definitely be hitting the trails regularly now.
What’s the deal with the park not wanting weekend activities? I can’t see 50 (or even 100) extra people in the park being a problem.
Oh well, I’m sure you did your best with them and keeping the peace is just as important as anything. Thanks for all of your work on the Series. Looking forward to Thursday!
-SC
Since the trail series has been such a big hit is there a way to add more events during the colder months when the park is quiet (weekend).
Where can we check to see if the race is on this week? Not sure if you’ll hold it in the rain or not.
Thanks,
Oscar
All information will be posted here on this site, as well as on facebook.com/alpineshop. At this time, the races are on. Trail runners can’t do as much damage to the trail as mountain bikers can so we have some more leeway than we did with the Short Track Series. So… we hope to see you all out there!
John-
We’ll look into it. It’s not as simple as just adding more events, unfortunately. We have to permits taken out for each one of these events along with insurance approvals and manpower. But we can’t tell you how happy we are to hear people want us to keep doing these. We’re definitely looking to expand the series for next year!
-Todd
Scooter-
The problem isn’t that they don’t want weekend activities, it’s that they’re already packed on weekends with various activities (from weddings, corporate picnics, family get-togethers, etc.). None of us could have predicted how popular both the mountain bike races and the trail runs have become this year. While we’re ecstatic to see the interest, we also want to make sure we are working together with Castlewood to protect the long-term viability of both series. So, that’s why we’ve agreed to cancel it. Hope everybody understands.
-Todd