About No Man's Land
In 1803, the United States purchased 530 million acres of land from France. Before the United States came along, Spanish-controlled-Texas and French-controlled-Louisiana had a long disputed history of the official territorial border. So as to not enter into military action with Spain, the U.S. proposed a "No Man's Land" where neither country had jurisdiction. Sam Houston Jones State Park happens to follow the Calcasieu River, which is the Eastern border of what used to be "No Man's Land" thus giving our trail run its name. Because there was no ruling government pirates like Jean Lafitte, used No Man's Land as a base of operations. Local legend has it that his treasure is hidden somewhere along the Contraband Bayou or Calcasieu River (maybe a lucky runner will find it). By 1821 the U.S. had formally ratified the Adams–Onís Treaty marking the border at the more western Sabine River (where the Texas-Louisiana border is today).
Course Description
No Man's Land is an 8 mile looped course around the perimeter of Sam Houston Jones State Park. It begins on the Riverwalk Trail (marked Orange), continues on the Longleaf Pine Trail (marked purple/ blue), and connects back on the Stagecoach Trail (marked yellow). 90% of the course is on trail and 10% is on road.
The course will be well marked. Flags are placed along the trail as "confidence markers" and arrows are placed to mark all turns.
One loop has approximately 125 feet of elevation gain and descent with the majority of the elevation being rolling hills on the blue trail. The trails still have plenty of technicality because of many roots, continuous twists and turns, and water crossings/ bridges. Its a great trail for people just coming into trail running, but still offers many challenges for trail veterans. Course Map and Elevation Profile can both be found in the pictures above.
Danimal
From 2016-2019 this race was produced under the Danimal race name. The course is slightly different now with the trail changes post-hurricane Laura, but for "comparable" results history, you can view those results with this link:
https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=40935
From 2020-2023, the race did not happen due to hurricane damages, and park renovations.
Schedule
Packet pickup will be available at Sam Houston Jones State Park Pavilion on Friday October 18th from 12:00pm - 6:00pm.
Race day Packet pickup will be from 6:30am - 7:30am.
When you arrive at the park, let the rangers know that you are here for the race, we will be covering entry fees for participants only.
There will be a mandatory prerace meeting at 7:45. All distances will have a start time of 8:00am with a 10 hour cutoff at 6:00pm.
If entrants exceed expectations, we may push the 8 miler start time back by 15 minutes.
Aid Stations
• Aid Station 1 - Start/ Finish Pavilion, manned and fully furnished aid
• Aid Station 2 - Mile 4, manned water/ electrolytes, snacks
Pacers
Pacers are only allowed for the 50K race, and only for the final 2 loops.
No muling! Runners must carry their own hydration, food, etc. Only 1 pacer per runner at a time.
If you are planning to have a pacer, please pick up a "pacer" race bib for them at packet pickup.
Awards
Awards will be given out to the top three male and female in each distance.
We will also have one DFL (Dead Flipping Last) award for each distance given to the person that enjoyed the course the longest.
There will be no age group awards.
Drops / Refund Policy
If on race morning you decide to drop to a shorter distance, you must notify the race directors before the start of the race. If you do not notify us and you drop to a lower distance during the race, you will receive a finisher's award for the distance completed but you will not be eligible for awards.
No refunds.
No rollovers to the next year.
No transfers to another person.
Camping and Accommodations
There are plenty of hotels nearby in the greater Lake Charles area (Westlake, Sulphur, Moss Bluff included).
If you want to stay in the park, Sam Houston Jones State Park offers cabins and RV spots through the state park website.
8 Mile Ruck
Through a partnership with the local organization "With You," we are excited to bring an 8 Mile Ruck Division in addition to the 8 mile run. With You is a non-profit that supports first responders through both mental and physical therapies. The ruck will start roughly 5 minutes after the run, and will have the same cutoff. 2 divisions will be determined by weight. Dry weight requirements will be 30lbs for people >150lbs and 20lbs for people <150 lbs. The weight standard is the weight standard. Because of the remote nature of some of the trails, we will not allow anyone to start the ruck with intentionally heavier dry weight or in gear not designed for rucking (i.e. Firefighting, EMS, or Police gear) Please visit withyouswla.org for more information.
Dogs / Music / Littering / etc.
Dogs are allowed in the park as long as they are leashed. If you are found with your dog off leash, we will have to count you as a DNF. As much as we love dogs, this race is for you!
Headphones are allowed, however, the trails are mostly single track and are still open to hikers, bikers, and others not racing, be courteous of other people trying to enjoy the park.
Littering... Just don't. We will have trash cans at the aid stations, and there are some along the trails that the park maintains.
Event's current local time: 6:54 AM CT
