Description

Join us Memorial Day Weekend for the 26th running of the Charlie Horse Trail Half-Marathon or the Dirty Pony 5K to benefit Berks Co. Special Olympics. The majority of this race will be run on the Horse-Shoe Trail in Brecknock Twp, PA. It is well aided with 3 strategically placed aid stations. Packet pickup will begin at 7:30 AM Sunday morning. Day of registration with start at 7:30 AM Sunday Morning. The Half-Marathon start will be at 9:00 AM in front of Sleepy Hollow Athletic Club and the Dirty Pony will start at 9:15 AM near registration.

The Charlie Horse is not your typical race. It is part trail, part road, and part adventure. It has everything a masochist runner needs. The race will start in front of Sleepy Hollow Athletic Club on Westley Rd. For the first ½ mile, the race will be on roads to spread out the field. The course then gets onto the Horse-Shoe Trail and begins heading west. The trail is mostly single track in this section. At approximately 4.5 miles in, the course will begin a country road section for about 1.2 miles to do a bit of a lollipop to the Brecknock Twp Municipal Office building where the runners will get onto a spur trail that will lead them back to the Horse-Shoe Trail. There runners will be directed to head east on the Horse-Shoe trail back toward Sleepy Hollow. At Sleepy Hollow Runners will continue east on the Horse-Shoe trail and enter Charlie’s section of the trail for the last 5k of fun which will loop runners back to Sleepy Hollow for the finish. What’s Charlie’s section? It’s a mystery to us too: lagoons; waterfalls; campers; hikers; teenagers, maybe some chores. The only certainty is rocks, mud, and fun. Hope to see you there.

Restriction: There is a CUT-OFF at Aid Station #3 (9 miles) of 3 hours. After which, the sweepers and aid station crew will have the final determination of who continues. We ask that runners under 16 years old contact the race director for approval prior to registering. Entries are limited to 300 for the Half Marathon. Availability of shirts for the half marathon cannot be guaranteed for registrations after May 1st, 2023.
The Dirty Pony will start near the registration area and will be an all trail running of the most difficult portion of the Charlie Horse course. Day of registration will be available for both races. Charlie Horse $65 with a shirt (limited availability), $55 without a shirt. Dirty Pony $25

Half Marathon Swag

The entry fee includes a T-SHIRT (Male and Female sizes), FINISHER AGE GROUP AWARDS and FINISHER SWAG, Some pre-packaged goodies in your finisher bag. All participants are welcome to stay for post event activities.

Half Marathon Race Awards

5 Year Age Groups:
Overall Male 1st, 2nd, & 3rd; Overall Female 1st, 2nd, & 3rd; Overall Master (40+) 1st Male & 1st Female
Under 18 (1M, 1F); 18-24 (3M, 3F); 25-29 (3M, 3F); 30-34 (3M, 3F); 35-39 (3M, 3F); 40-44 (3M, 3F);
45-49 (3M, 3F); 50-54 (3M, 3F); 55-59 (3M, 3F); 60-64 (3M, 3F); 65-69 (1M, 1F); 70+ (1M, 1F)

Dirty Pony Swag and Awards

All participants will be receiving finishers swag and will be able to attend the post race activities

Notices

Due to Covid-19 restrictions most Sleepy Hollow amenities are not available. NO alcohol may be brought onto the premises.

There is a 3 hour cut off at the 3rd aid station at approximately 9 miles of the Charlie Horse course. After which, the sweepers and aid station crew will have the final determination of who continues.

Local time: 4:15 AM