Quarry Shack 5 Miler 6th Annual 10/31/26
- Date:
- Sat, Oct 31, 2026 at 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
- Location:
-
1069 Main St.
Cambria County, Pennsylvania
15961
United States
OpenStreetMap Google Maps - Links:
- runsignup.com
- Tags:
- 5 Miles Run Trail Walk
Quarry Shack 5 Miler 6th Annual
October 31, 2026
This Year's Race Will Be On HALLOWEEN!!!!!
INTRO:
Come relieve history while running Ghosttown Trail's first ever nighttime race now in its 6th year that brings fun and excitement to all who partake. This 5 mile race will be held on the Rexis Branch, this race is currently the only standalone race held on this section. You will start right past the closed gate next to the old train at the Rexis trailhead. From there you will run 2.5 miles out then turn around about a tenth of a mile after the Red Mill Bridge you cross over on the trail, coming back to where you started. It's a completely closed course. There are no road crossings or any intersections you have to worry about. Its a straight out and back in the dark on a beautiful section of trail. This means you will required to have some sort of light for you to see while running. It's a great chance to have some safe fun near Halloween while running in the dark. If you never ran in the dark this is a SPOOKTACULAR opportunity to get you feet wet and see what is all about and why people
enjoy it, while being around friends.
The reason behind the name of the race is there is a old Quarry Shack with some local history to it, about 2.25 miles into the race on left hand side going out and right hand side coming back. It was also used for some scenes in the movie "The Boonies" which is a good horror movie to watch.
COURSE INFORMATION
I measured the course by sticking to the right side of the trail on the way out then on right side of the trail the way back so you should always be running on the right side of the trail in the direction you are heading. I did not take out the tangent curves because I want all runners to stick to the right side except to pass someone. This adds safety to the race and should allow no interference between runners heading in opposite directions. This is important since the race is at night. Even though it's basically flat rail trail you will still have 115 feet of total gain on the way out with no descent. There are no hills it's just a slow steady incline. On the way back you will be running all downhill retracing that 115 feet which now becomes descent. Enjoy the free speed coming back.
There will be one water stop on the course about 25 feet from the turn around under a pavilion along the trail, that way as you go around the turn you can throw your cup in the trash directly across from the aid station. Please try to keep cups in that area and not way down the trail for easier clean up after the race. The Turn around will be well marked, there will be a huge Halloween decoration indicating this is where you turn around at. Both the aid station and turn will have signs indicating they are coming up.
There will be Halloween decorations along the course and some lighting to show the cool things along the course. The Halloween decoration along the course are bigger and more noticeable then in the past, even more spookier and noticeable. We will continue to use the bigger more noticeable decorations. There WILL NOT be anyone jumping out at you.
Halloween costumes are encouraged. The scarier and odder the better. Makes the race more fun if you choose to dress up. Think Spirit of the season. I Would say the vast majority of the field has dressed up in the past. Each year we try to go spookier with the things we use on the course.
There will be a start/finish Line arch with Quarry Shack themed banners on it (weather permitting).
PRICING:
Pricing is $20 until October 5 at 6pm then it becomes $25 till registration closes, then $30 day of race. There is day of registration starting at 5:30pm and ending at 615pm. Cash or Check only day of. Credit cards will not be accepted day of.
Children 10 and under will be free till registration closes then children will be $10 day of. Please see the rules for more information. Though children's registration are free, they must still purchase a t-shirt to get one.
LOCATION
Address: 1069 Main St. Vintondale, PA US 15961
Location coordinates: 40.485057, -78.923931 Race starts at Rexis Trailhead in Vintondale. (Mile 0) Will start right past the gate by the old train.
AWARDS
Top 3 M & F overall, top 3 in each age group for the run: 10 and under, 11-14,15-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70+
Top 3 M &F for Walk. Plus returning this Year two age group categories for both top 3 male and female for 45- and 46+. Trying to make it more fun for everyone.
(no duplicates, awards will not be mailed)
*children 10 and under must run the race under their own power to be eligible for age or overall group awards. Having been pushed on a stroller or carried by someone will not qualify. Awards will be similar to the past few years.
Time Limit: 1 Hour 30 minutes. (18:00 minute pace per mile)
Schedule of events
5:30 pm registration opens
6:15 pm registration closes
6:30 pm race starts
8:00 pm race ends (must be across mats by 8pm to be included in results)
8:05 pm awards ceremony
Accommodations:
We want to make sure participants who may need some accommodations are certainly welcome. Please reach out ahead of time so we can make sure to care of those needs.
WALK DIVISION
We will be awarding the top 3 overall male and top 3 overall females who are in the walk division. Plus returning this Year two age group categories for both top 3 male and female for 45- and 46+. Trying to make it more fun for everyone.
You must also finish within the 1:30 time frame. There is no running allowed. You will be disqualified if caught running and your signed up for the walk division. There will be serious race walkers present. So no running even as you see the finish line come into view, that will be grounds for disqualification. This also includes jumping, skipping ect... you must walk the entire time.
REGISTRATION
Registration opens at 5:30 pm and closes at 6:15 pm. Race starts at 6:30 pm sharp. Awards at 8:05 pm. Must be across mats at 8:00pm to qualify for awards.
WHATS INCLUDED:
Custom race Bib Number, custom race sticker, chip timing finish, safe environment, post race snacks chance to make lasting memories and a chance to explore nighttime running. There will be a lot of things set up to take pictures with for your enjoyment at the finish line and registration areas one of my main goals is to give you lasting memories.
LIGHTING:
Personal lighting will not be provided, must provide your own source, headlamps, waist lights, handhelds, or some form of lighting device will be required. There will be some official lighting at the start/finish line, at registration and during awards. Otherwise the course will be dark. Remember its a nighttime race so expect it to be dark. Please come prepared we will not have any light sources to hand out if your forget yours.
PHOTOS:
One of the things that make Only Eye Athletic races stand apart form other races is our photo opportunities and uniqueness. You wont see this anywhere else. There will be trail cameras set up along the course to try and capture you passing by during the race, it makes it even cooler that they are pictures in a night vision setting, I will say this is hit or miss at night because they don't always capture people running to close by them.
Ill have items set up for you to take pictures with at the start/finish line, these will be set up before the race and wont be taken down till we clean up, though with natural lighting they can come out better before the race starts, but why not take before and after with the items. I also will be filming the entire finish line with a go pro. While I'm at the finish line ill be taking photos and short clips as well with my phone to go along with the long form filming. These will all be posted online after the race. When they are all up ill send a email out, it will take a few days to get them all up.
FOOD/LIQUIDS
We will provide water at the water stop. There will also be post race snacks, ill try to have nice standard variety. There will also be water at the finish line area.
RULES
We are testing out the free child registration option for those 10 and under. We require at least one adult to be present at the event to watch the child. The adult does not have to run beside the child during the event, but we ask that you use your best judgement in letting the child run alone if you choose to let them.
There is to be no unsupervised children to be dropped off at the event. We Are not responsible for watching or taking care of a child, if a child is dropped off unsupervised by anyone we will contact the authorities, this is for safety purposes and liability purposes on our end and your along with everybody in attendance. Again we are not responsible for any unsupervised children and unsupervised children will not be allowed to participate, if found after the event they will be stricken form results.
We ask no pets be brought on the course or around the event. We love animals but not everyone is comfortable around them. Since it is a night race bringing a pet becomes a trip hazard and anyone violating this rule will be D.Q. Actual service animals are permitted. Headphones are allowed. Please be courteous to fellow runners and listen at a reasonable volume so you can hear other runners coming or calling out if they are passing you. Strollers are allowed but must have a lighting device on the stroller.
We DO NOT mail awards. Stick around to receive your award. We do not allow you to come and pick it up at your convenience either. We understand you may have to leave early for work or family obligations so be a adult and get with us beforehand if you absolutely must leave early. We highly discourage having someone pick yours up during the awards because again you should have seen us before leaving and not everyone has that luxury to have someone there. We believe as a running community we all need to support one another in this community as it grows with each race. That support includes all the way through the award ceremony. We all need to celebrate the accomplishments of every participant at all events we attend and the hard work that goes into each persons training to get them from start to finish. That's why we want you to stick around. Also its nice to have people cheer others on as they finish.
Also no smoking, alcohol or drug use is permitted in any area the race will be using this includes parking lots, staging area, race course or restrooms. These are our rules along with rules of the trail. Remember this is a kid friendly event where young lungs are at play along with the possibility of adults with health issues. we are trying to make this event safe and comfortable for everyone.
No throwing any trash/garbage along the course. Whatever you start with you have to end with. The only exception is the ability to throw trash away is at the water stop at that garbage can there.
To be considered for awards you must finish under you own power, whether walking or running, as stated above children must participate under their own power as well to be considered for awards, being pushed inside a stroller will not count for children they must use their own two feet the entire time.
Headphones are allowed, we ask you to please be courteous to fellow runners and that you listen to your audio at a reasonable volume so you can hear other runners coming or calling out if they are passing you.
SWAG Shirts: We are switching back to t-shirts this year. Its a really cool design. The shirt deadline is firm on October 5th at 6pm. After that firm deadline we cannot order you a t-shirt, we also do not order any after the event or mail shirts to you if you do not make it, so you must be present to get your shirt even if you order one you must pick it up at the event or your forfeit your shirt purchase. T-shirts are a $10 add on. As in the past not everyone wanted a t-shirt so to keep registration fees lower we offer it as a add on. Additional shirts can be purchased.
We do not offer refunds, cancellations or transfers at this time.
Refund/Cancellation:
We do not offer refunds, cancellations or transfers to our other events at this time. This event will go on no matter the weather unless by some chance a state of emergency is declared. You can however switch between the run and walk before registration closes and before the official event starts. If you do not know how to switch online before registration closes get in contact with me and ill do it for you. If you decide to change day of, it must be before the start of the race. Once the race officially starts you can no longer change between the walk and the run.
Run signup does offer insurance for races in case something happens that you can not make it such as a vehicle breakdown, illness or injury. We enabled this feature for this race so if you want you can purchase insurance while registering but it does not go thru us directly it goes thru runsignup, please read whats exactly covered and the rules for it. The insurance can be purchased when you get to the checkout its at the bottom.
Any questions please reach out to us so we can get you the correct answer.
TIMING:
Chip Timing with a mass start with chip finish. Unless there is a strict covid restriction policy then the race will go to a starting mat time trial event with runners being spread out at the start. Race will not be cancelled unless a natural disaster. You bibs will have a chip on the back so time is accurate once you cross the finish line. For the timing mats to read your time properly have bibs placed on the front of your body. If bibs are placed on your back it will not get read properly.
RESULTS
Results will be posted online after the race at www.smileymiles.com, please be patient it may take 24 hours for results to be fully posted. I will also post a link to them after they are posted.
MISC:
Please be respectful of the trail, course and parking areas, along with fellow runners, volunteers and spectators. We want to continue to have this race on a yearly basis so its important we respect the trail to be allowed to use it again in the future. It's a super nice trail and was named PA trail of the year in 2020.
There will be a photo op area near the start of the race. That way you and your friends before and after the race can take some pictures to remember the event and memories you made.
Bathrooms are located about a tenth of a mile from the parking lot. Near the Eliza Furnace. There are both men and women restrooms with 2 toilets in each room. There is trail info on this building as well if you want to come back and visit sometime.
Photos of neat things along the course that you can potentially see, videos of where to park along with the most up to date information will be on the Facebook event page. This will also include a elevation chart, pictures of awards, shirts and bibs once designs are finished.There are multiple items all within a half mile of the start of the race. these include a cool bridge, Eliza Furnace, a shooting fountain out of the creek form a mine directly below, a old jail cell, and a coal miners memorial.
Also use the donate button above to help cover costs of new Decorations.
MORE INFORMATION:
Please Follow us on all of our different social media platforms at: ((contests coming soon)) so you will be up to date on all important race information and other great content.
https://www.facebook.com/onlyeyeathleticsofficial
https://www.facebook.com/onlyeyeathleticsofficial/groups
www.youtube.com/onlyeyeathletics
https://linktr.ee/onlyeyeathletics
Promo Videos
From 2024- promo #1- https://youtu.be/Qan4fFXCUz8?si=TukzBb2uVMO0Fst5
From 2024 Promo #2- https://youtu.be/VQnyayU6E4k?si=pwYZ4Ey0Rp2aadtB
For More info check out the "OFFICIAL" Facebook event page.
https://www.facebook.com/share/16tvy9nMPP/
Youtube: Videos of the course and where to park
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTRU9kObtUbAR8IqXiQOeZg