I only found out about this run from a FB page of another race that I did (Trenton 10K). I had never done a trail race and I needed some sort of motivation for spring so I signed up. Registration was easy as it was online.

There was packet pickup the day before at Great Harvest Bread Co., however I opted out as there was pickup on the day of the race. The run was located at Tyler State Park in Richboro, PA, so it was only about a twenty-five minute drive from Princeton. Parking was easy and it was nice since they had people flagging you down and directing you where to park. This being a small race, I was impressed with how organized it was on the parking aspect.

Packet pickup was fast and easy. The shirt was a nice long sleeve black tech shirt. I was pretty pleased with it. However, one thing that was disappointing about it was they actually had women's sizes but both my friend and I weren't aware and we both apparently signed up for a men's small. Not sure where we missed that but it was kind of a bummer as the shirts we got were a little big.

Anyway, they had a nice small setup of booths of local companies. They had port a potties (maybe 3 or 4) and it was sufficient and I didn't have to wait long. It was a brisk cool morning and it was nice that they warned us by email that the course would be muddy due to the large amount of rain a couple of days beforehand, so I was prepared and ran in my older shoes.

The run started at 9:30am and we got there a bit early. As it got closer, we headed to the start line. I had never been to a small run like this, so there we are all waiting and I look at my watch and it is very close to 9:30am, and all of a sudden I hear a horn for the start. There was no warning at all so I had to quickly start my Garmin. It was just surprising that it started so quickly as usually you hear them talk and there is a countdown, but I guess that is what you get at some of the smaller races.

The run was pretty good throughout the first mile, however between miles one and two started the hills. I was not expecting the hills. Not one bit. We would go up, then down. We ran through corn fields, and the trail even went on a little bit of pavement but not much. The hills were what killed me and there was definitely mud on the course. There was a section where if you didn't step in the right place, your shoes could have definitely sunk deep. It was great that they had water stations and they were in the perfect spots, so that was a plus. The course was pretty challenging for me as I wasn't prepared for the hills. I guess it was for many, because I noticed many people walking up them.

The finish line was nice, it was nice to see people cheering, even if it wasn't the hugest crowd, the cheers were still there and it was great! At they end there was water and they even had pancakes with syrup. It was a nice touch and the samples of bread from Great Harvest were pretty yummy.

In all the course was great. I just need to practice some hills for next time and now I know why they call it the Looney Leprechaun. ;)