Event Description
Mountain Watershed Association and the Youghiogheny Riverkeeper would like to announce the inaugural Ohiopyle Falls & Trails Trilogy in Ohiopyle State Park. The festivities and races will take place Saturday, Oct. 12, and Sunday, Oct. 13, 2019. This series of races will highlight the variety of recreational activities the river valley provides by giving river and trail lovers alike a weekend of paddling over the Ohiopyle Falls, trail running and mountain biking. Take part in all or just one race, come to watch, or do a little bit of both.
Event details and schedule
OHIOPYLE FALLS & TRAIL TRILOGY SCHEDULE:
Saturday, October 12, 2019
8am - Mountain Biking "Poker Run" Begins
9am - Ohiopyle Falls "Day Pass" Begins
Noon - Ohiopyle Falls Race Begins
4pm - Ohiopyle Falls "Day Pass" Ends
Evening - Concert (Band TBA) near Wilderness Voyageurs
Sunday, October 13, 2019
8am - 10K, Half Marathon, Full Marathon Begins
5pm - Full Marathon Cutoff
MOUNTAIN BIKING:
The Ohiopyle Biking Club Poker Run is a mountain bike event that will showcase the best single track Ohiopyle has to offer. Starting at the main trailhead riders will have three hours to make the 1500+ ft descent down into Ohiopyle. Which trails they take is totally up to them but they will need to stop at 5 checkpoints along the way.
Each checkpoint will be located at various points of interest on the trail system. Each rider will have a map given to them that shows where each checkpoint is and some suggested routes to take in order to hit each of the 5 checkpoints.
When riders get to a checkpoint they will draw a card from a deck, and a volunteer will mark their scorecard with the card suit and rank. When all the riders make it down the mountain to our final checkpoint they will have 5 cards marked on their scorecard, this will form their poker hand. The person with the best 5 card hand at the end of the day wins a portion of the entry fees.
Riders can ride solo or with a group of friends and everyone can ride at their own pace. Mileage will depend on your chosen route but should end up being between 8 and 15 miles. No poker skills needed. Our volunteers will check the cards and declare a winner.
PADDLING:
"Day Pass" users will need to put-in on river right above the falls on their first lap. From there, participants are allowed to take-out at the Lower Yough Put-in to hike back upstream of Ohiopyle Falls. After the final lap, participants will take-out at the Lower Yough Loop Take-out.
The Ohiopyle Falls Race (single, timed) will start at the Middle Yough Take-out and end at the bottom of Ohiopyle Falls. Any Ohiopyle Falls Racer will receive a "Day Pass".
Decked Boats Only! Working on allowing inflatable kayaks...
TRAIL RUNNING:
All three trail races are on single track, technical, hilly, rocky, muddy terrain for 95 percent of the courses.
Aid Stations will include Cooked salted potatoes, Sweet potato chips, Cookies, Pretzels, Pickled beets, Bananas, Orange wedges, Dates, Dark chocolate squares, Hot chocolate (dairy free), Almond butter packets, Skratch fuel hydration, Water.
Top three females and males in each race will be awarded. Winner will receive award as they cross the finish line. No awards ceremony. All finishers receive finisher medal. All runners receive an Ohiopyle Falls & Trails Trilogy t-shirt.
COURSE DESCRIPTIONS:
Full Marathon Trail Race Description:
Run from the Falls Overlook upstream. At 0.1 miles, bear right at Falls Market, and then make the very first left to get on the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP), a double track, flat rail trail. Run across two high bridges over the Yough River. At 0.9 miles, turn left where it says "Campground" and quickly turn right to enter Beech Trail. You will enter Beech Trail at about one mile into the run. You’ll see official state park sign for Beech, which runs parallel to the GAP. At about 2.3 miles when you come to a T in the trail at a stream, turn right to go down a bank back to the GAP. Run 1.7 miles on the GAP. At mile 4, you will see the signs for Jonathan Run. Turn left at the signs and run a short distance uphill until you see the sign for Kentuck Trail on your left. Veer left to get onto Kentuck Trail. Run uphill for three quarters of a mile until you get to the campground, where you’ll come out onto a campground road near a parking lot. Turn right onto the road, pass the parking lot on your right, run through the four-way intersection to the edge of the woods on the other side and connect to Kentuck Trail.
Run to Tharpe Knob overlook, a beautiful view! When you get to Tharpe Knob, you’ll exit the woods into grass where you’ll see a playground and pavilions, which is Tharpe Knob Picnic Area. Stay in the grass, turning right to run along the tree line to the wide uphill path leading to the overlook. From the overlook, run down the fitness trail for about half a mile to connect back to Kentuck Trail. Turn left on Kentuck Trail then loop down the fitness trail to return to Kentuck Trail. Run 1.8 miles until you see the sign for Great Gorge. Make a right at the Great Gorge sign and run mostly downhill for 1.5 miles until you get to the GAP again.
Turn right on the GAP (this is where the half marathon and full marathon courses split away from one another).
Marathoners will continue running along the GAP for 3/4 mile to Baughman Rock/Sugarloaf trailheads. Marathoners will cross both high bridges on the GAP and enter Sugarlaof Trail at the Middle Yough takeout parking area on the. Follow the signs for Sugarloaf Trail, on the right. You'll gain lots of elevation on Sugarloaf Trail for nearly four miles. Once you reach the Sugarloaf Sledding Area, turn right and follow the flags to Kim trailhead for a 1.8-mile loop back to Sugarloaf sledding area. From there, cross the road to connect to Canyons Edge Trails, beautiful rolling single track. Run two miles to McCune. Make a left onto McCune and run the four-mile loop back to Canyons Edge. You'll backtrack on Canyons Edge and connect to Sugarloaf Trail again for just half a mile. Cross the road to Baughman for more single track (it just keeps going!). Run 1.2 miles to Baughman Rock Overlook (make sure you take time to look at the view), then head downhill for 2.5 miles back into Ohiopyle. Run down the GAP for about a quarter mile, turn left at the Visitors Center/old train station and then a quick right down the paved road, cross the main road, Route 381 and run along the sidewalk along the Yough River to the finish, with a spectacular, world famous view of the falls. You will finish where you started.
Total elevation: 4,000 ft
Cut-off: Nine hours
Half Marathon Trail Race Course Description:
Run from the Falls Overlook upstream. At 0.1 miles, bear right at Falls Market, and then make the very first left to get on the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP), a double track, flat rail trail. Run across two high bridges over the Yough River. At 0.9 miles, turn left where it says "Campground" and quickly turn right to enter Beech Trail. You will enter Beech Trail at about one mile into the run. You’ll see official state park sign for Beech, which runs parallel to the GAP. At about 2.3 miles when you come to a T in the trail at a stream, turn right to go down a bank back to the GAP. Run 1.7 miles on the GAP. At mile 4, you will see the signs for Jonathan Run. Turn left at the signs and run a short distance uphill until you see the sign for Kentuck Trail on your left. Veer left to get onto Kentuck Trail. Run uphill for three quarters of a mile until you get to the campground, where you’ll come out onto a campground road near a parking lot. Turn right onto the road, pass the parking lot on your right, run through the four-way intersection to the edge of the woods on the other side and connect to Kentuck Trail.
Run to Tharpe Knob overlook, a beautiful view! When you get to Tharpe Knob, you’ll exit the woods into grass where you’ll see a playground and pavillions, which is Tharpe Knob Picnic Area. Stay in the grass, turning right to run along the tree line to the wide uphill path leading to the overlook. From the overlook, run down the fitness trail for about half a mile to connect back to Kentuck Trail. Turn left on Kentuck Trail then loop down the fitness trail to return to Kentuck Trail. Run 1.8 miles until you see the sign for Great Gorge. Make a right at the Great Gorge sign and run mostly downhill for 1.5 miles until you get to the GAP again. Turn right on the GAP for about one minute. Then turn right onto Great Gorge Trail proper, the main GG trail, which has official state park signs directing you to it, and run a wide dirt trail for 1.5 miles until Cucumber Falls. Turn left to run across the old bridge above Cucumber Creek, then bear left to run down the stairs to the bottom of the falls. Switchback to the right right to run in the direction of the Yough River. Run a half mile along the river rocks, right next to the river, then make a right just past the old brown building on your right to lead away from the river and to the Route 381 bridge/sidewalk crossing over Meadow Run. This is the final stretch to the finish! You will finish where you started, at the Falls Overlook area.
Total elevation: 1,400 feet
Cut-off: Four hours
10K Trail Race Course Description:
Run from the Falls Overlook upstream. At 0.1 miles, bear right at Falls Market, and then make the very first left to get on the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP), a double track, flat rail trail. Run across two high bridges over the Yough River. At 0.8 miles, turn left on Great Gorge spur trail (it is unmarked and NOT the main Great Gorge trail; it is the first trail on the left after passing the main Great Gorge Trail sign.) Run uphill on single track for three quarters of a mile (stay left as you pass the intersection for the campground midway). At 1.6 miles, turn left onto Kentuck Trail and run to Tharpe Knob. You’ll exit the woods at about 3.0 miles into grass where you’ll see a playground and pavilions. Turn right immediately and run along the tree line to the wide uphill path leading to the overlook. From the overlook, run down the fitness trail to connect back to Kentuck Trail. Turn left on Kentuck Trail at 3.5 miles. Run along Kentuck Trail and make a right back down Great Gorge spur (the same way you ran up) at 5 miles. At the bottom of the hill, turn right onto the GAP rail trail and run across the two bridges. Turn right at the Visitors Center, turn right onto the street/sidewalk and cross the main road at Falls Market. Make your way back to the finish, running downstream along the river until the finish line at the beautiful 18-foot Ohiopyle Falls! The course is a lollipop and about 6.7 miles, a bit more than the official 10K (6.2 mi) distance, in classic trail race style.
Total elevation: 1000 feet
Cut-off: 3 hours
Rules & Regulations:
No removing or tampering with signs, flagging or directional signs - any runner caught doing so will receive a DNF.
No transfers (i.e., if you sign up for the marathon, you cannot transfer to the half, if you sign up for the half, you cannot transfer to the 10K - do your training and commit!)
No pacers.
No drop bags.
No cutting course or going off-trail - any runner caught doing so will receive a DNF.
Runners must stop to help injured runners.
No littering.
Smile and have fun!
MORE INFORMATION & UPDATES:
http://www.mtwatershed.com/yough-defense-series-spotlight/
