Race Information

The No Hands Heavy Half became an instant classic in 2021. We upped the ante and added a 35K and 50K to the mix.

Participants of this race will run along the historic Western States trail, out to “No Hands Bridge”, then tackle one of the toughest climbs in the area: the dreaded K2 training hill. Both the 8k and Heavy Half courses include killer single-track trails along the banks and canyons of the American River; the Half Marathon will cross “No Hands Bridge”, up K2 then towards Cool, CA. Not to be outdone by Training Hill, everyone will climb the punishing Overlook Hill to the finish line, where you’ll revel in the 50 meters of perfectly flat path. 50K runners extend the adventure by crossing over highway 49 to traverse the Wendell T. Robie trail and continuing to explore the Auburn State Recreation Area. The Half may be heavy, but the 50K is down right Furious. The course is varied and far from monotonous, allowing runners to push past discomfort and focus on what’s enjoyable.

Location: American River Canyon Overlook Park, Auburn, CA

Date: January 11, 2025

Events: 8K, Heavy Half Marathon, 35K, and 50K

Start Times:
● 50K – 7:30 AM
● 35K – 8:00 AM
● Heavy Half – 8:30 AM
● 8K – 9:00 AM

Check-In & Bib Pickup:
Race Morning @ Overlook Park
● 6:45 AM – 9:00 AM

Time Limit: There is an 8.5 hour limit for the 50K.

Parking: Parking is free and available within the American River Overlook park, and adjacent streets. Carpooling is always strongly encouraged.

Race Capacity: The No Hands Trail Run will have a capacity of 400 runners, across all distances.

Course Information

Detailed Course Map | Aid Station Distances and Cutoffs | Elevation Profiles

Aid Station Supplies

Inside Trail Racing aid stations are replete with an optimal variety of glycogen-replenishing, electrolyte-replacing products. The following is a list of some of the foods and beverages each aid station may provide: Gu Energy gels, chews, and Stroopwafels, trail mix, pretzels, potato chips, Oreo cookies, Coke, Ginger Ale, water, Skratch Labs Sports Hydration Mix, PB&J sandwiches, M&M’s, salt tablets, bananas, watermelon, and tangerines. Aid stations are also equipped with general first aid items, including Salt-Stick tablets, but no anti-inflammatory medicine.

Skratch Labs is 80 calories per serving with minimal sugar (4g per 100 ml) and a ratio of sugar (glucose + fructose) that is optimized for faster absorption, an electrolyte profile that actually matches what is lost in sweat (800 mg sodium, 80 mg potassium, 100 mg calcium, and 80 mg of magnesium per liter)

As distances between aid station vary, we strongly encourage all runners to carry at least one 20oz bottle during their run.

Cupless Event

This a cupless event, meaning aid stations will not have paper cups available for runner use. Each runner will be responsible for carrying their own water bottle or reusable cup. Reusable cups are made of silicone, are collapsible, and easy to carry with you while you run. Going cupless will keep hundreds, or thousands, of paper cups from being thrown away or left littering the trails. Read more about our cupless events here. Reusable cups by HydraPak will be available for purchase at each event for $5.

Volunteer

Without the support of enthusiastic and caring volunteers producing our races would not be possible. Volunteers of all ages and abilities help with setup, check-in, aid stations, course marshaling, timing, and post-race food.

Volunteering is a fun, novel way to experience races, play in the outdoors, and spend time with friendly people. All volunteers receive a free race T-shirt, free food, and the ability to earn credit toward a future Inside Trail Racing event, commensurate to the amount of time worked.

To volunteer for this year’s event, please submit our online volunteer form.

Shirts

Most of our race shirts are District Perfect-Tri tri-blend fabric shirt. This tee is made with top-of-the-line sportswear technology to heighten performance during your toughest workouts. With sun defense, moisture-wicking technology, quick stain release, and comfortable fit, this tri-blend performance crew serves the needs of every athlete. It’s the perfect year-round choice for outdoor sports and exercise. Get the most out of your workout with this tough, hardworking tee.

Features:
     - 4.5-ounce, 50/25/25 poly/combed ring spun cotton/rayon, 32 singles
     - 1X1 rib knit neck
     - Shoulder to shoulder taping
     - UPF 30

To be guaranteed a shirt and shirt size, you must register by December 28, 2024.

The Fine Print

Entry fees to our trail runs are non-refundable, and we do not offer transfers or deferrals to future races. Only registered runners can participate, and you may not exchange your entry with another individual. However, with advanced notice, we are happy to credit part of your entry fee to a future Inside Trail Racing event. A credit worth 50% of your original race fee will be issued if the cancellation is received at least 3 weeks prior to the race. There will be no credits or refunds provided if a cancellation is made within 3 weeks of the race. Credits will be available for 1 full year from its issue date. Only registered runners can participate, and you cannot exchange your entry with another runner.

Hosting a trail running event is an expensive and risky endeavor. All race costs are paid for well in advance of race day, so there is no financial gain to be made if a person does not show up on race day. We want all of our registered runners to show up, run, and have fun. While we understand that injuries, conflicts, emergencies, deaths, and other unfortunate events happen and may impact your plans for participation, we must adhere to our cancellation policies.

We do not cancel races due to rain or heat. Due to trail work, closures, or for myriad other reasons, permitting agencies may require changes to the publicized courses at any time prior to an event. This is out of our control, and we therefore will not offer refunds or credits in such a situation. If a race location is changed, but still hosted on the same day, we will automatically transfer the registration over to the new venue, or entrants may choose to run the race remotely and we will mail awards. If a race is postponed all entrants will be transferred to the new date.

If the situation does arise where ITR must outright cancel an event, for any reason, there will be no refunds. This could include earthquakes, floods, extreme weather, unsafe air quality, pandemics, or any other "Act of God". There will be no refunds, but future race credit or deferrals may be available, dependent on the circumstances and how close to the race date the event was cancelled. We will communicate with all registered runners as soon as possible regarding the cancellation and any pertinent information.

Event's current local time: 1:42 PM PT