We are proud to announce that this event is sanctioned by Athletics Ontario.
We are thrilled to announce that we are partnering with La Sportiva for our events this year. Not only will La Sportiva be at our races with their demo fleet of shoes to try but they will also be giving away 2 pairs of shoes!
We are also now working with a new, LOCAL, nutrition company called THN Labs. They are generously providing each runner with gels in their race kit as well as gels available at our aid stations. The gels contain only 4 ingredients: maple syrup, tahini, sea salt, and rowanberry extract. For more information on the product, click on their logo below:
At Happy Trails Racing, we really try our best to offer a wide range of trail running experiences. Most of our events are perfect for all experience levels, including runners that have never done a trail race before.
THIS IS NOT ONE OF THOSE RACES!
This race is hard. Like, really hard.
With multiple major climbs, this course will have participants reaching the highest point of the entire 900km long Bruce Trail. Two of the climbs will have participants climbing close to a 1000 feet on each climb. The climbs are steep and the descents are nasty. In total, runners in the 66.6km event will climb close to 6000 feet.
This isn't going to be easy, but it is going to be memorable!
Believe it or not, we started working on this race in 2019. It was difficult to plan because we really tried to figure out a way to make it achievable for all ability levels. We threw that plan out the window and here we are!
Highlights of the race:
-Climb to the top of the Devil's Glen ski hill
-Crawling through (literally crawling through) the "keyhole" on the "Keyhole Side Trail".
-Running along side the Mad River
-Climbing the hills of the Pretty River Valley Provincial Park up to the highest point on the Bruce Trail (66.6k only)
-The entirety of the race takes place on the Bruce Trail (with some short, but special, sections on Side Trails with Blue Blazes)
-This event will support the Blue Mountains Bruce Trail Club. $20 from each registration will go directly to the club.
The Beast- 66.6km. A little bit of heaven and a little bit of hell!
Here is the GPX File: 66.6km Course GPX File
This course is the real deal. You need to do some hill training for this beast. This is not your typical trail race and you won't find anything else like this in the province. Expect some seriously slow kilometers and don't expect to make up any time on the descents - they are long and steep. The kind that of descents that jam your toes into the end of your shoes and cause you to lose toenails a couple weeks after the race.
It's probably going to be hot. There will probably be some bugs. You will earn your finisher's medal with this race.
Runners will get to do it all - Devil's Glen Ski hill climb, crawl through the keyhole (or take the longer way around), ascend the brutal climbs of Pretty River up to the highest point of the Bruce Trail and then shuffle down.
There are 4 "major climbs" and lots of "medium climbs". In total, there will be close to 6000' cumulative feet of climbing.
The cut-off time for this event is 12.5 hours, which is 5.12km per hour (a 11:43/km). It will be starting to get dark by 8:00pm on race day and all runners must be off the course before dark.
Here is a great video that shows what runners can expect (thanks to Heather Grieve, who also the first place female finisher, for the video):
Heather's Race Video
The Half Beast- 33.3km
Here is the GPX File: 33.3km Course GPX File
With around 2500' of elevation gain, this course will test your limits. Two major climbs and descents, the same hot and buggy conditions as the full course, and you will still have to crawl through the keyhole (or take the longer way around).
As you can see by the elevation profile below, you are pretty much always going up or down so don't expect to just settle into a comfortable pace and check off the kilometers - this will be work. Also, for those of you who have not yet experienced descents like these, they are tough - long, steep, and quad-crushing.
The cut-off for this event 12 hours, which means that it is suitable for experienced hikers. There is plenty of time to get it done for those who are willing to put in the work!
The Mini Beast- 16.66km
Here is the GPX File: 16.6km Course GPX File
There is really nothing "mini" about this. As you can see by the elevation profile, runners will have one major climb and descent. The cumulative elevation gain is close to 1200' and most of that comes at you all at once in the first 5km of the race.
Those who take the climb "slow and steady" will be rewarded and will get to really enjoy the view from the top. Participants will also crawl through the keyhole trail (or take the longer way). Again, like with the other events, be prepared for a hot day,
This course will take most participants 2-3 hours to complete and is definitely the best option for participants without a lot of trail running experience. It will be challenging but will also offer great views, truly unique landmarks, and awesome aid stations.
Don't Lose Your Key!
All participants will receive a Skeleton Key before the start of the race. You will be required to show your key at some point during the race. It's a really cool keepsake after the race but, be warned, if you lost your key - your race is over!
Whatever you do, DO NOT LOSE YOUR KEY!
You'll learn more about this after you register.
Aid Stations
We will punish you with the course but reward you with the aid.
The aid stations will offer plenty of support. Electrolyte drinks, salty snacks, sweet snacks, pickles, pb and j, and much more. Most importantly, the aid stations will have friendly and encouraging volunteers that are there to support you.
Aid Stations will be less than 10km apart so you can carry a little less on those climbs. However, keep in mind that a lot of this course is highly technical and hilly so you should expect some very slow kilometers. Be prepared.
Please note all Happy Trails Racing events are cup-less so you will need to have a collapsible cup or bottle to fill at the aid stations.
Race Swag
We have some really cool stuff planned for this one. Participants can expect a really great race kit that will include:
-Race Bib
-Race Sticker
-Race Shirt (softspun, available in unisex or women's cut, badass design)
-Skeleton Key (you'll learn more about this but you will have to carry it at all times)
-Finishers will earn a rad Finisher Medal. Again, super cool design for this one!
-Race Photos from our favourite race photographer, Sue Sitki
Plus, you can feel good knowing that $20 from your registration fee went directly to the Bruce Trail Club!
SCHEDULE:
6:30am - Race Kit Pick-Up for the 66.6km runners. This process will be fast so don't feel like you need to arrive super early.
7:30am - 66.6km race starts
7:45am- Race Kit Pick-Up for the 33.3km runners.
8:30am- 33.3km race starts
8:45am- Race Kit Pick-Up for the 15km runners.
9:30am- 15km race starts
8:00pm- Race Cut-off
Refund Policy:
Happy Trails Racing has a great policy regarding race refunds/transfers: register with confidence knowing that you can take advantage of our early bird pricing and, if you need to back out, you can do so up to 30 days before the race with a 100% race credit that can go towards any future Happy Trails event. It doesn't expire. Unfortunately, we cannot accommodate cancellations within 30 days of the race. However, participants are welcome to transfer their bib to someone else without any penalty. Please keep in mind that everything we need to order to have you at our race is done so at least 30 days out.