50M/50K/26K
September 6 & 7
Land of the living forest, an ecosystem at the southern edge of a vast and uniform, northern boreal forest. Comprising over 65,000 acres of rolling hardwood forests, with meandering rivers make it a runners dream.
In this 15th year of running, the course has been redesigned threatening to be the most challenging course in the Ontario Ultra Series. So not to turn those early little sensitivities into full blown crises, you will want to pay special attention on the attached walk through of this year’s trail run.
The key to this trail run is to plan ahead. Be sure to eat and drink properly before heading out, and start conservatively. Keep the pace down until well into your run. As the hours go on, you’ll learn what you can and can’t do in the 15th running of the Haliburton Forest 2008 Trail Run.
Note 1: if you run more than 2 minutes, without seeing a small flag, backtrack until you find one – you are off course
Note 2: due to logistics the 25K will be 26K
Date: Saturday September 6, 2007
Cookhouse: Opens for Coffee & Bagels @ 5:00AM
Starting Time: 5:45 at the Gate to the Forest, for
roll call & Prayer for 100M/50M/50K
Start for: 100M-50M-50K: 6:00AM SHARP
Course: Double out and back
FYI: the markers you will see on the Forest roads are in Miles
COURSE FOR 26k – From Base Camp you run 1.1K before turning right onto East Rd. Now on a gradual downhill, leveling out at 1.6K – at 1.7k you bear right passing the MacDonald Boat Launch (Submarine Stop – Be careful of the Submarine & rail tracks). Continue on until you hit the East Road again where you will then proceed on Poachers Trail 2.2k point. A few good little climbs to start Poachers but levels out and then a nice long descent until the end of the trail at 6.1k.
At the end of the Poachers Trail,
you turn right and proceed up the road ½ K – There will be an aid station
there. At The Pass go left and follow the winding trail until you hit a road
again - go right and you see the sign for Redstone Vista. Proceed up the
trail till you see the sign “To Ben’s Trail” 7.5K and proceed left
until you hit Ben’s Trail 8K and go right and follow Ben’s until you hit the
Krista Trail 10K where you will proceed right. (Just before the
intersection of Ben’s & Krista is the Forest Shrine – u can leave a little
something on the shrine if u want to appease the Forest Gods & to ensure
The Spirit Women of the Forest guide u and keep you on the right trail)
Over the balance of Krista you encounter more 2 good hills and descents in a very dense forest section. Coming out of the forest area, down a long hill, is the 26K turnaround aid station - Proceed back the way you came to Base Camp & the finish line.
100 Mile, 50 Mile/ 50K - Start Point: Base Camp
From Base Camp you run 1.1k before turning right onto East Road. Now on a gradual downhill, leveling out at 1.6k. At 1.7k you leave East Road (bear left) passing by MacDonald Boat Launch (careful of the Submarine and the rail tracks). (Next time around, there will be an aid Station here, aid station #2) and then intersect East Road again at 2.25k where you go left. Over the next 1k you encounter two hills and leveling out a 3.1k. From here you encounter a series of modest rollers. Shortly after aid station #3, you turn left on the Red Trail @ 6k to reach the Normac Trail at 6.388k
Now on the Normac Trail (single track trail) you climb a very challenging (500 metre) hill section, then level out and descend for a short distance you encounter another serious climb (700 metre) leveling out at the 8.0k mark. Continuing on Normac you pass the Dog Trail arriving at East Road. again. Distance now traveled 10.1k
Continuing again on East Road, you turn left, run past the MacDonald Boat Launch (aid station #2) (watch out for the sub) for the second time, but when you arrive at the East Road, this time you cross the road and take Poachers Trail - 11k point. As the challenge continues you encounter a hill at 12k leveling out at 12.5k and about 200 metres later climb again reaching hilltop at 13k. Now a long descent until you reach 14k then leveling out to the trails end at 15.5k.
At the end of the Poachers
Trail, you turn right and proceed up the road ½ K. Here u will find aid station
#4. At The Pass go left and follow the winding trail, till you see the sign for
Redstone Vista (16.83K) . Proceed up the trail till you see the sign “To
Ben’s Trail” (17.18) and proceed left till you hit Ben’s Trail
(17.7)and go right and follow Ben’s till you hit the Krista Trail (20.10) where
you will proceed right. (Just before the intersection of Ben’s & Krista
is the Forest Shrine – u can leave a little something on the shrine if u want
to appease the Forest Gods & to ensure The Spirit Women of the Forest guide
u and keep you on the right trail)
Over the balance of Krista you encounter more hills and descents in a very dense forest section. The first aid station you see on the Krista is set up for the 26k runners – please procees another k to yours. Coming out of the forest area, you will see a Hunt Camp, and then a little further Marsh Lake Observatory at 24.2k you are now on a flat logging road. Continuing to the 25k turnaround you reach Aid Station #5. Here all runners go left ¼ k and then return to Aid Station #5 to make the 25K.
Note: The 50k runners proceed back in reverse on the section previously run.
The 50 milers and 100 milers continue & cross a bridge over the Marsh Creek and then an immediate left to the Black Creek Trail. This trail is somewhat more forgiving, takes you through a scenic hardwood forest section until you reach East Road. At the East Road again, go right and a few feet down the road is aid station #6 and the 30K mark. From here you start the Lookout Trail.
On Lookout you start a long climb, topping out at 31.1k (we do not climb all the way to the Lookout) then a long descent leveling out at 32k. Crossing a wooden bridge you bear left onto Sprucetree Trail at 33k. A nice sandy old Forest road will bring you back to the East Road at 35.1k. At the T- junction you make a right and then an immediate left to start the King & James Trail.
The King & James Trail you climb again for about a kilometer, level out for 500 metres then a long descent for another kilometer. A few more rollers over the next couple of kilometers. At the junction of the Green & King & James, the trail changes its name to the Red Trail, and here you bear right. You reach Aid Station #7 at the 40K point. For the 50 mile runners you are half way. When the 100 miles runners return here, you will only have 25 miles left to Base Camp. GO FOR IT !!!