DARK 50

Imagine you are in the woods, all by yourself. Imagine you have never been here before. Imagine it is dark. Imagine you are wearing your trail running shoes.

THIS IS THE DARK 50!

Dutch Viking Events presents the DARK 50; a 50 km race in the dark on the Mountain Bike trails of Minto on 29-30 July.

This is the first event of its kind in the province and we are proud to host it in conjunction with Tiny Trails campground.

THE RACE

The event has only one distance: 50 kilometers. The race will start at midnight at the end of the New England Road in Minto, there where the mountain bike trails begin. A 5 km loop will be set out (which you will have to do 10 times) and every loop finishes and starts at this point; you can leave your packs, containers, bags etc. with food and drink here, because we will have at least one person here to make sure everyone is being accounted for. To make sure that you come at the right date: the race is on Sunday night!

This is the course.

The winner is obviously the first one to finish the 10 loops first.

NEW! THE RACE - Relay of 2

Now it is also possible to sign up for a 2-person relay for the DARK 50. This is a great way to do the DARK 50 if the 50K is a bit too much for you. Everything remains the same: swag, breakfast, food and water; you just run half the distance.

How does it work? Easy, when the 'gun' goes off runner #1 runs the first lap and after the first lap hands over the bib to runner #2 and so forth till the 10th lap is done! Bib does not have to be pinned, but has to be carried by the current runner.

Make sure you have a buddy before signing up; I won't be providing you with one.

To be clear, BOTH runners need to sign up!

RACE KIT PICK UP

The race kit pick up will be at the Tiny Trails campground at the beginning of the New England Road, a kilometer back from the start and will open on Saturday July 29 at 10pm. There you will receive your bib and swag. You then have plenty of time to get to the start line, either by walking or carpooling (parking space at the end of the road is limited).

ACCOMMODATION

You may be interested in camping the night of and/or before the race. Below you will find the info from Tiny Trails:

Tiny Trails is a boutique campground and taproom located 1km from the Minto trailhead. They have 10 campsites in a wooded area which are reserved for this event.

• Sites will be shared to accommodate more participants - two tents per site.
• The cost is $25 per person.
• Check-in Saturday at noon with late check-out Sunday at 3pm.
• Sites are unserviced. Access to washrooms and outdoor showers.
• Payment must be made in advance directly to Tiny Trails by e-transfer to reserve your spot.
• Please contact info@tinytrails.co to book.

BREAKFAST

Included in your registration fee is a breakfast that our volunteers will prepare for you and will be served from 7:30 am until you and we had enough.

MINTO MOUNTAIN BIKE TRAIL SYSTEM

The trails of Minto are a mountain bike Mecca, so you might want to bring your bike if you have one and come a day early or stay a bit longer on Sunday.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• This is a cup-less event, so make sure you have your own cup with you.
• We have water and some snacks available at start/finish, but you best bring your own race nutrition with you.
• There are washrooms at the campground and we’ll try to arrange a porta-potty at start/finish.
• We will have to get back to you on First Aid at a later stage.
• There are only 50 spots available.
• There will be no refunds or deferrals. A short transfer period will open as soon as the race is sold out. If it sells out, that is.
• There is no waiting list once sold out.
• There will be no race day registrations; all registrations will have to be done on-line through Race Roster. On-line registration closes July 27 at 5pm.
• By registering you automatically sign a waiver basically saying you know the risks of the event and are responsible for your own health and decisions.
• Although we absolutely love your pooches and we are certain they are well-mannered, dogs are not allowed to participate.
• After you are done with your race (and before as well) you can hang out around the campfire and relax and have a beer or so. Preferably not before the run, but that’s up to you.
• If you have any questions, concerns, or comments, please get in touch through email to joszti@hotmail.com.