COVID-19

We are approved and will be moving forward with our races this fall. With our small races, you likely won't see huge changes but we will be doing what we can to help keep people safe. That being said, you are participating in the race at your own discretion. Do not sign up if you don’t feel comfortable being around 50-100 people. If you aren’t feeling well on race day or even a couple days prior, please don’t come.

We will have hand sanitizer on site and may make changes to the after-race refreshments, water stop, and awards ceremony to help keep close contact with others to a minimum. Please consider bringing your own water bottle and light snack for after the race along with wearing a mask when not running. Thank you in advance for your patience as we navigate through our races and we look forward to seeing you on the trails!

Important Note

This is the official race registration page for the Union Grove Trail Races. Please refer to the Sioux Falls Area Running Club's website and SFRAC Facebook page for more information on this race, the Trail Race Series, and membership.

www.runsiouxfalls.org / www.facebook.com/RunSiouxFalls

*NO REFUNDS - BUT...you can cancel your registration up to 14 days prior to race day and put your full entry fee towards any of our future races* *NO VIRTUAL EVENT WILL BE HELD*

Pricing

4 & 8 mile races are the same price.

’20 SF Run Club Member: $30 till Sept 7th - $40 through race day

Non-Member: $35 till Sept 7th - $45 through race day

Not a member and want to become one? Sign up at www.runsiouxfalls.org

Sign up for all three races at once! Select ‘3 Race Series' for the 4-mile or 8-mile Union Grove Trail Races to sign up for all three short or long races. Need to change which distance you run for any of the races? Just contact the race director through the ‘Ask a question’ link on ultrasignup.com
*only one price for the series: $100
*Runners who run all 3 races will earn a special swag gift!

About This Race and Course Description

Union Grove Trail Races will be ran for the first time in 2020. Just a couple miles off of the interstate you wouldn't think there would be such a great little park waiting there to be ran, hiked, or biked.

Union Grove is a mix of woods and prairie with rolling hills throughout. The trail is multi-use and is generally 6ft wide in most places with a defined track. It's mostly gravel and hard packed dirt but there are sections with roots and grass too. The races will start/finish in the same place, a day use area with a small parking lot and vault toilet. The races will head directly onto the trail and complete a loop for the 4 mile finish while the 8 mile runners will repeat the loop for a second time.

There is a modern comfort station (bathroom, shower, sink, water fountain) in the camping area of the park if needed. There is also a wonderful 1 mile single track trail that loops through a different section of the park that is a must run for a warmup or cool down.

Video of course: https://youtu.be/ZNh0HU-gYZk

FAQ

Do we need a park pass to get into the park on race day?

Yes, all State Parks require a park permit, or day pass to enter the park. Self registration envelopes will be available at packet pickup so you can fill out your information in advance and drop your envelope in the drop box. You can purchase an annual park permit online or at Scheels, The Outdoor Campus, Wal-Mart, and Ace Hardware. Go here for more information: http://gfp.sd.gov/state-parks/permits

Do we get a shirt for participating?

Maybe...for the Trail Series Races we will be giving out different swag items yearly.

Are the races chip timed?

Not at this time and we do not anticipate ever needing chip timing for our races.

Are headphones allowed?

Yes, but you must be mindful of your surrounding if wearing them. Trail races generally take more concentration given the terrain, and with narrow trails and many turns, you'll need to be able to hear if people are needing to pass you and take directions from any volunteers.

Can I get my money back if I can't run?

No, but if you do cancel 14 days prior to the race, you can put your fee towards another race in the series.

I've never run trails, how do I train for these races?

Find a gravel road, run on the grass next to the sidewalk or bike trail, or better yet, head to Sertoma Park and run the flat, wide trails there. There is also single track trails along the south side of the bike trail in Yankton Trail Park between Minnesota and Western Ave and in Tuthill Park. This will get you used to running on uneven ground. Be very careful as you ease into it and be mindful of you footfalls. After you've mastered that, head to any of the other trails around Sioux Falls: Leaders Park, Great Bear Recreation Area, Big Sioux Rec, Good Earth State Park, Newton Hills, Beaver Creek Nature Area, Union Grove State Park, etc. SFARC host a group run every Thursday night at Good Earth State Park - 6pm - if you'd like to run with a group too.

Can I run with my dog?

No, pets are not allowed to run in the Trail Race Series.

NO Race Day Registration!

Online registration ends Thursday, September 10th at 5PM!

NO LATE REGISTRATION! We will NOT have registration at packet pickup or on race day to keep volunteers and participants at safe distances, as much as possible.

Points Series

Points per person for each race are all calculated relative to the finish time of the overall first place finisher. Each race is assigned a set number of total possible points based on difficulty and distance – this is the most points any one person can attain from this race, and the overall first place finisher will finish with this number of points.


To calculate your individual points total for a race, we divide your finish time in minutes by the finish time of the overall first place finisher in minutes, then multiply that fraction by the total number of possible points for the race – that is your point total. This calculation is done for every finisher for each race we are counting towards the series, including races outside of the Sioux Falls Area Running Club Trail Series, like the Broken Toe and Oakwood Lakes trail races. We carry a running total of all the points you’ve accumulated, and at the end of the season, these are used to determine standings and prizes.


Here is an example with very rounded numbers for illustrative purposes:
The Newton Hills 2-mile trail race is assigned a total of 500 points.
The first place finisher crosses the finish line in 14 minutes flat.
Random Runner crosses the finish line in 18 minutes flat.
14/18 = .7777
.7777 x 500 pts = 388.88 pts


Random Runner receives 388.88 pts for the Newton Hills 2 mile trail race and this is added to his or her running point total for the series.


*So, no matter what place you finish in, it is beneficial to finish as close to the first place finisher as possible to improve your points total for that race.


Points totals will be posted on social media and the SF Run Club website within 5 days of the race being completed. As of now (7/8/2020) only the Oakwood Lakes trail race is a go and part of our series. Broken Toe is TBD if it will be held.

Volunteers Needed!

Sign up to volunteer here: https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/5080a45adac2eabfc1-union

Event's current local time: 2:25 PM CT