Ten Spring Runs
Most of us are still hopping over frozen puddles and snow banks, but for runners spring is the start of the running season and many have been out there getting in shape for some early season runs.
While wearing extra layers in April and May before it warms up, it helps to have goals worth training for. Here are 10 great spring runs to get you motivated.
*story updated April 28, 2017
2017 Peak Ultras, May 5-6
If you’re looking for distance and trails, chances are you’ll be able to find a race at the 2015 Peak Ultra in Pittsfield, Vt., along Route 100. Home to the legendary Death Races, organizers have created 10-, 30-, 50-, 100-, and 500-mile races – none of which are for the faint of heart.
Depending on your distance, your race will have a different starting date and time at the Aimee Farm. The longer races will complete a 10-mile loop 10, 20 or 50 times. Each loop has 2,400 vertical feet of climbing, therefore the 30-miler will feature 7,200 elevation change, the 50-miler will feature 12,000 elevation change, 100 miler will feature 24,000 elevation change, 200-miler will feature 48,000 elevation change, and 500-miler will feature 120,000 elevation change. With all that distance to go, remember the clock is ticking. All races have a cut off time at 10:30 p.m. on May 6 without exception. www.peak.com
39th Annual Sap Run, April 30
A sap run has two meanings. In the spring, it’s when the sap in the maple trees begins to flow. But it’s also a great run in northern Vermont. As part of the Saint Albans Maple Festival, runners race 8.5 miles from the Swanton Teen Center in downtown Swanton to the heart of the downtown on Main Street in St. Albans. Winners of the Sap Run receive prizes of pure Vermont maple syrup donated by the Vermont Maple Festival. All proceeds of the Sap Run benefit the St. Albans Recreation Commission. Participants can register until the day of the race and will be transported by bus to the starting line at 8:30 a.m. www.stalbansrec.com
Middlebury Maple Run, May 7
Rightfully referred to as “the sweetest half,” the Middlebury Maple Run and Relay is a scenic half marathon in the heart of the Champlain Valley, surrounded by views of the Adirondacks and the Green Mountains. This half marathon has earned a reputation as friendly and well organized, starting and finishing on the edge of Middlebury College and coursing through its beautiful campus, there are many aid stations and hundreds of volunteers (as well as crowds) cheering on the 800-plus runners. The 13.1-mile course is on a mix of paved and hard-packed dirt roads on a rolling course through farm country and back into town. And new for 2017: a 3-mile fun run. There’s live music, good food, maple syrup trophies for the winners, a generous prize purse, finishers’ medals and a category for two-person relay teams in case you’re still not quite in shape to run the full half. The starting gun goes off at 9 a.m. www.middleburymaplerun.com
39th Annual Steve Zemianek Bennington Road Race, May 7
The “Zem-Benn” has become a long-standing tradition in southern Vermont, with 3.8-mile and 10K races open to all ages and abilities. Races get underway at 9:30 a.m. with the start of the kids’ half-mile race. The 3.8-mile and 10K both start at 10 and follow a paved course in the Bennington area. In 2000, the Bennington Road Race was renamed in honor of longtime Mt. Anthony Union High School track and field coach Steve Zemianek. Coach “Zem” was a fixture at the race for many years and a number of his former athletes continue to compete each year. Proceeds of the race are donated to the Coach Zem Scholarship, presented to a graduating Mount Anthony Union senior who competed in track and field or cross-country. www.runreg.com
27th Annual Champlain Classic, May 7
The Champlain Classic is a scenic trail run along Lake Champlain and Shelburne Bay. The 5K and 15K courses are split between roads and the Ticonderoga Haul-out Trail — a packed gravel trail that retraces the route the Ticoderoga took as it traveled from the lake to a final resting spot at the Shelburne Museum. Neither distance is very hilly and both races start at the Shelburne Town Hall at 9 a.m. and finish at the same location. www.champlainclassic.com
Dandelion Run, May 20
For a beautiful springtime half marathon in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, look no further than the Dandelion Run. Organized by the folks at Kingdom Games, “The Dandy” is a hilly and leg-burning challenge through the famous dandelion fields of Derby, Holland and Morgan during high spring in the Northeast Kingdom. Runners enjoy live bluegrass and folk music along the route. It’s a tough race, but one not to be missed. The half-mile distance and 10K course start at the Derby Beach House in Derby, Vt. and finish at the same location. Registration and sign in start at 7:30 a.m. before a 9:00 start. www.dandelionrun.org
Vermont City Marathon, May 28
If you’re looking for your first marathon or hoping to set a personal record, the Vermont City Marathon welcomes you. Long recognized as a great race on a great course, the marathon starts in the heart of Burlington, climbs up to the University of Vermont campus before descending to several long out and back sections that extend north toward Colchester and south along the lake’s shoreline and through Red Rocks Parks and many city neighborhoods. The final four miles are on the Burlington bike path, finishing by Lake Champlain in Battery Park. Along the way you’ll enjoy all kinds of live music and one of the best crowds you could hope to have cheering you on. www.vermontcitymarathon.org
Mount Tom Road to the Pogue, May 13
Trail runners looking for a scenic trail race with historic overtones should lace up their shoes for a run through the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park. Starting at 8:30 a.m. at the Forestry Center in Woodstock, the 6.1-mile race runs through red spruce forests on old carriage trails before looping around a pond. The race includes an ascent of Mount Tom, overlooking the historic Woodstock Village before a blistering 1.8-mile descent to the finish line. www.roadtothepogue.com
7th Annual Shires of Vermont Marathon and Relay, May 21
The Shires of Vermont Marathon and Relay is a picturesque point-to-point run through five towns in southwestern Vermont. The race begins at 8 a.m. at Bennington College’s VAPA Building and runs through the small town of North Bennington before entering the back roads of Shaftsbury. The halfway point is at the Federated Church in East Arlington and crosses the Chiselville Covered Bridge with spectacular views of area mountains. The race enters Manchester on back roads and finishes at Hunter Park in Manchester Center. www.bkvr.net
Infinitus, Goshen, May 18-27
Infinitus claims the title “the longest trail race in the state,” with an 888K (551-mile) option that starts on May 17 and gives runners 10 days to complete laps through the wilds of the Moosalamoo National Recreation Area. Based out of Blueberry Hill Inn, lesser mortals have a chance to run these gorgeous trails with 8k, 80k, marathon, 100-mile and 250-mile options. In 2015 (the first year) and 2016 only one person finished the full 888K. But plenty more tried. endurancesociety.org
