2023 Trail Race Series Info! 2023 Sioux Falls Run Club Trail Race Series! We are back for year 7 with a return to Big Sioux Rec and a new permanent partner race at Good Earth State Park! All Race Registration Closes June 1st! Sign up for all 4 races by June 1st for a special swag race shirt! A race every month from June to October! Every race chip timed by 605 Running Company! New swag, free kids races, points series, sign up today! One Ear Deer Dash at Oak Grove
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Volunteers Needed! Tuthill Park Trail Races
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Volunteers Needed! Big Sioux Rec Trail Races Registration for all 4 races:
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Volunteers Needed! Newton Hills Trail Races
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Volunteers Needed! 605 Trail Festival @ Good Earth
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F.A.S.T. - State of the Dirt Thanks for your support of Falls Area SingleTrack! We’re looking forward to continuing our mission to protect, create and enhance quality trail experiences for mountain bikers in cooperation with other trail users in the Sioux Falls area during the 2023 season! Our goal for 2023 is to focus on community engagement, and trail-building education to foster the next generation of trail builders and to continue to develop new trails along the Sioux River Greenway. Be on the lookout on our social channels and website for trail building, maintenance, and education opportunities. What have we accomplished since the last state of the dirt? A ton! Here are the key takeaways:
Ben Blomberg, President
We have added 3 additional trail leaders to help us keep up with the ongoing maintenance of all of our locations. The following individuals will be our trail leaders for the 2023 summer season: Andrew Hoy - Dunham & Legacy Parks We are so grateful to these individuals for stepping up and helping us stay on top of all of the maintenance needs for the summer.
FAST continues to maintain trails at the following parks:
The trails are looking good and riding great. We will address any needs to these trails as they arise and will continue to make small improvements to them this year.
Tuthill Park We have replaced the main drainage bridge and several others with an upgraded bridge design that will be studier and better suited to handle the water flow within the park.
Pasley Park This trail was officially completed in the summer of 2022. We will continue to maintain and make adjustments to the trail as needed.
This trail was officially completed in the summer of 2022 as well and we again will continue to maintain and make adjustments to the trail as needed. Already this year we have installed trailhead signs and a bench. If you haven’t already, be sure to check out this new addition.
FAST applied for IMBA's Trail Accelerator Grant Program to help fund the planning and design for this project and was awarded $25,000 in match funding for a trail concept design. We are doing our preliminary walk-throughs with IMBA’s Trail Solutions at the beginning of June. Once a design plan is drafted we will be open to opportunities to coordinate with trail-building professionals and start fundraising for the project in the coming year. We are hoping to release the design plan to the public sometime this summer/fall.
FAST has plans to add trails along East River Boulevard in Cherry Rock Park. More details to come on this throughout the summer. 25 by 25 So with all these new trails, where does that leave us on our goal of 25 miles of trails by 2025? With all of the additions, we are at around the 16-mile mark.
RTP Grant FAST has fulfilled its obligations and completed the projects associated with the Federal Recreational Trails Program Grant by updating the bridges at Tuthill Park.
Events Follow our social media channels for updates on upcoming rides, volunteer sessions, and other events happening throughout 2023. Some may include:
Membership There is strength in numbers. FAST continues to be an independent 501c3 non-profit organization. We are a volunteer-driven, membership-based organization that relies on membership dollars to cover operating costs. All of our work is performed by dedicated volunteers, but the tools, materials, insurance, equipment rental, and a thousand other necessary items all cost money. Your support helps us make strategic investments that will ease the cost of maintenance and allow us to plan and develop new mountain bike trails in the Sioux Falls area. Falls Area Singletrack is a chapter of the International Mountain Bike Association (IMBA). We have taken steps in aligning with IMBA and unifying a worldwide mountain biking movement. Organizations more closely connected to IMBA have an increased level of support for sustaining our local group's infrastructure including joint membership. A FAST membership is also automatically a membership with IMBA. Membership processing through IMBA is now $39 for a membership fee per member per year or $50 per year for a family membership. There is also a monthly membership option for as low as $5 per month. Join or renew your membership today! JOIN FAST-IMBA |
Summer Running Tips - As the summer temps ramp up so do our hydration and nutrition needs! Whether it be a race or training, this topic will remain important. Here are some helpful tips to beating the heat and staying hydrated and energized. Part of our talk with SFARC member and registered Dietitian Charlotte Kooima! Click Here |
Trail Series ‘22 Registration NOW OPEN!
Registration for the entire 4-race series is now live! Complete all 4 races and receive and additional FINISHERS long-sleeve shirt, sporting all four mascots! Membership discount on individual and series registration offered in ultrasignup. Click here to register for any or all of the Trail Series races brought to you by the Sioux Falls Area Run Club! This year the SFARC is shaking up all things 'Trail Series'! For the first time, the SFARC will add a fourth race and an additional race director to the lineup! Race director, Nathan Schwab, and his trail series crew have been busy finalizing the exciting details of this year’s trail series line-up. As in previous years, the crew has arranged for two races (always in revolving locations) with the series finisher to be held at Newton Hills State Park. The three races we’re accustomed to running in the series will be held this Aug-Oct; however, this fourth race, will be held on June 4th, and will officially kick off the 2022 Trail Series. View ALL THE DETAILS here: https://mailchi.mp/1a8800966521/trail-series-information-13500785 |
Letter From The President - Winter ‘21 Letter from the President: Wow! I have almost completed my first year as president of the Sioux Falls Area Running Club. This year sure flew by, and yet, we accomplished so much. As this year comes to an end, I reflect on some of the amazing things our group achieved. Club members prepared and served 2 meals at The Banquet, volunteered at races like the Skedaddle and Sioux Falls Marathon, co-hosted the kids’ cross-country races, organized running related talks where our members shared their knowledge and experiences, held our annual summer social, and hosted a number of social group runs just for starters. Our trail series had record numbers of participants in each race and the swag was top notch! We also hosted our first trail race for kids, something we plan to make an annual event. I love seeing new people attend our events! We will have our big winter social coming up soon, so watch your email and social media for details about that. I hope to connect with many of you there! I have enjoyed watching our club and the Sioux Falls running community as a whole grow over the last few years, and foresee it continuing to do so. One of our biggest achievements in 2021 was getting Sioux Falls designated as a Runner Friendly Community by the Road Runners’ Club of America. This is a huge honor and illustrates what a great place Sioux Falls is for runners! A plaque is now located at City Hall to recognize this honor, which the city has earned for the next 5 years. I hope to do as much, if not more, for our group this upcoming year. If you have any ideas or event suggestions, please do not hesitate to reach out and let me know! If you are interested in being more involved in the club, we would love to have you! We are seeking more board members and always have volunteer opportunities available. As always with this time of year please enjoy the holidays with your family and friends. We’ll have lots of running related events coming up in the new year! See you in 2022! ~ Eva |
2021 Trail Series Race Recap I want to start off by saying a huge thank you to all the volunteers who helped out this year, several helping in multiple roles in several races. Thank you to all our sponsors who helped us with funds and in-kind gifts. And of course thank you to all the participants who signed up, ran, and supported us yet again this year. I'm humbled that in a year when races were a plenty around us, we again set records for signups when we were definitely forecasting less numbers than in 2020, when we were about the only races still going on in the area. |
A New Shop for Runners & Animal Lovers |
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From jackets to jackalopes, wiredesigncompany.shop features apparel, accessories and wall art for the runners and animal lovers in your life. To see the wearable goods and gifts in person, visit our booth @ the Sioux Falls Marathon Expo this Saturday, Aug. 28 from 10am-4pm. Can’t make the Expo? The shop will be at all 3 trail races this fall: • Sept. 11, 8am, Great Bear Ski Valley • Sept. 25, 8am, Tuthill Park • Oct. 9, 9am, Newton Hills State Park When purchasing from the shop, 10% of the profits will be donated to SFARC at the end of the year. All artwork was designed by Kristi Wire, one of our very own SFARC board members. |
Letter From The President It’s a New Year and with that comes change. As 2020 came to a close Nathan Schwab stepped down as our club president. Nate will continue to be very involved with the club as a Board member and the Director of the Trail Series. We are fortunate to have his continued dedication to the club! I have some big shoes to fill, but I am up for the challenge!For those of you that don’t know me, I’ll share a little about myself. I started running in 4th grade when my teacher, who was a runner, introduced me to the sport. I have been running ever since and cannot imagine my life without running. I ran on competitive cross-country and track teams from middle school through graduate school. Now I mainly run for fun and fitness, and only race occasionally. I have been involved with the running club since I moved to Sioux Falls in 2010 and I look forward to taking on more responsibilities with the club as the President this year. If you have any ideas for the club, let me know!While I am excited to take on my new role with full force, 2021 continues to bring the uncertainties we faced in 2020. I look forward to when we can have a club social and get back to regular group runs and races. Until then, we will continue to get creative, adjust, and be flexible to find fun ways to get our club members connected and involved while staying safe. I plan to create more opportunities for us to get involved and give back to our community. If there is anything you would like to see the run club do, let me know.Until we can get together in person, stay safe and happy running!- -Eva Gut |
Run Club Membership Discount! Just in time for tax season, Fair Tax is offering SF Run Club Members a 30% discount! Call up longtime Run Club member and board member to set up your appointment today! https://fairtaxinc.com/ Fair Tax Inc |
Interview: Jeffrey LeMair Jeffrey LeMair started out his athletic career as a boxer, and a darn good one at that, with 9 District Golden Glove Championships and even going toe to toe with the great Sugar Ray Leonard. It was suggested from a boxing coach that he might want to take up running. He had always run as part of his training, but never competitively. Once he took it up though there was no looking back. His passion took over and his competitive drive took hold: 5K, 10K, Half Marathons, Full Marathons, and then the Ultras- 50K, 50 milers, 100K, but a finish at one distance had eluded him- 100 miles. Jeffrey’s mother was a huge inspiration on his life. When she passed away in May 2019 at the age of 102.8 this became his motivation to once again pursue the elusive 100 mile distance at the age of 66. He set out to look for a 102.8 mile race and finish. Jeffrey decided on the Lost Soul Ultra in Alberta Canada. With the help of friends, Jeffery began training And then 2020 happened. Like many of us, Jeffrey had to face the heartbreak and disappointment of watching races cancel and postpone all around him. He planned to use many races that were cancelled as a buildup to his 100 miler, but Jeffery kept pushing on. At the suggestion of friend (and SFARC member) Andie Weber Bennett, Jeffrey signed up for the Mines of Spain Ultra after the Lost Soul Ultra was postponed to 2021. In addition to his goal race being postponed, injuries started to rear their ugly head: from struggles with hydration and muscle spasms, to a back injury that required a neurotomy days before the big race, but Jeffrey was determined. When race day came Jeffrey was as ready as he would ever be and set out. However, even the race itself was not without its hiccups. There were times he took a wrong turn and missed an aid station, but that only motivated him to know he was closer to his 102.8 mile goal. One of my favorite things about the running community is its encouraging spirit and this race was full of that spirit. An aid station attendant who had planned to pace a different runner handed his clipboard and pen over to another person and left to guide Jeffrey on his last few miles because exhaustion had taken over and which way to go had become confusing for Jeffrey. Despite all of these challenges, Jeffery finished his first 100 mile race with plenty of time to spare at the young age of 66! Being able to sit down and hear his experience leading up to and through the race was nothing short of inspiring. As someone new to running, it was truly an honor to share a table and a conversation with a gentleman who has logged over 62,000 miles, the old school way, in small calendars since he started running. Jeffrey embodies the spirit of the running community in his generosity, humility and encouragement. He is truly a legend in so many ways. Jeffrey plans to run the Lost Soul Ultra in 2021 because as he put it, it’s a great race, well put together, and he’s already paid for it. We look forward to hearing all about it! By Ben Hoefer |
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