The Rugged Raccoon Night Race 2024

We are excited to be partnering with Merrell.

We share common values and a belief that everyone deserves to enjoy the outdoors!

We are also proud to announce that this event is sanctioned by Athletics Ontario.

The Rugged Raccoon Trail Race is a trail race held at Wildwood Conservation Area in St. Mary's, ON, with both day and night options.

This is a really great trail- it is a lot of fun to run. Although there will likely be mud on the course (there almost always is) and there are plenty of rocks and roots, we consider this to be a very fast and fun course. There really is a little bit of everything on this course and, although there are some climbs, we do not consider this to be a hilly course. There are lots of great lake views and there are plenty of long, winding flat sections where runners can really rip, if they so choose.

For those of you who enjoy running in the woods at night, this might just be the event for you! It is also a great opportunity for runners who are training for an upcoming 100k/100mi race that will require you to run through the night.

If you are new to night running, we've got some tips that you might want to consider:

1) The brighter your light, the safer it is. A bright light will allow you to see all of the rocks and roots and, as an added benefit, it will most likely help to keep the sasquatches at bay. Everyone know that bigfoot hates bright lights.

2) Animals sound 100x bigger at night so don't be afraid if you think you hear something. A chipmunk frolicking amongst the fallen leaves will sound like a medium-sized dog and a raccoon will sound like a bear. There is nothing to fear on these trails. There certainly is no shortage of wildlife in the Conservation Area, just nothing to worry about. In the past years, participants have seen frogs, snakes, chipmunks, squirrels, raccoons, a skunk, fox, an owl, and countless deer.

3) Running at night is way more fun with friends. Don't worry, you will not be alone out there. There will be LOTS of other runners with you on the trail and we will have "sweeps" on the course making sure that nobody gets left behind.

Race Schedule:

Saturday, May 4, 2024:

3:00pm- 25 km day race start

4:00pm- 50 km race start. Everyone must be off of the course by 10:30pm. If you require more than 6.5 hours to complete the course (which many participants will), we will be offering an early start option, which will start at 2:00pm. If you need more than 8.5hrs to complete the course, we can start you earlier- no problem!

7:00pm- 25km night race start (sunset is at 8:33pm on May 4th). Everyone must be off of the course by 10:30pm. If you require more than 3.5 hours to complete the course (which many will), we will be offering an early start option, which will start at 5:30pm. Walkers are welcome but will need to start at 5:30pm.

8:30pm- 10 km run start (cut-off time is 10:30pm- walkers are welcome).

Race Details:

There will be 3 distance options to choose from: 10k, 25k, and 50k

-The 10k course is an out-and-back. Runners in the night race will start in the light but finish in the dark. This will be on the new route that we started to use last year.

-The 25k night race will start at 7:00pm, which is 1.5 hrs before sunset. This will allow you to have the opportunity to get into your trail running groove before it gets completely dark. Sunset happens at 8:30pm on race day. The time cutoff is 10:30pm. If you need more than 3.5 hrs to complete the 25km race, we are offering an early start option, which will start at 5:30pm. Participants that start early, will count as official finishers but will not be eligible for podium prizing.

-The 50k race is now in it's second year. Runners will start at 4:00pm and get to complete at least 1 loop in the light. The sun will start setting around 8:30pm so anyone who can run the course in under 4.5 hrs will finish in the light. The 50km course is a double loop of the 25k course (which, is actually more like 24k so the 50k race is more like 48k. A nice change from some of our other courses that run a bit long!)

Everybody running at night will be required to have a headlamp or flashlight (minimum of 100 lumens but 200 lumens or more is recommended) for this race, regardless of the distance you are racing (headlamp is strongly encouraged over a flashlight).

As this race takes place in early-May, runners should be expecting some mud- usually there is plenty! We can't guarantee it but we're pretty sure there will be some sloppy sections. If that worries you... GOOD! We encourage you to step out of your comfort zone- that's when the magic happens! Plan on getting dirty and bring a bag to put your muddy shoes in after the race.

Check out the following video from our 2022 event:

Aid Stations:

There will be 4 full aid stations on the course. They will be at 4.5k, 10k, 15k, and 20k. Each will be fully stocked with great stuff and awesome volunteers. The 25k runners will hit each aid station once.

Runners can expect the usual ultra staples- water, an electrolyte drink (Skratch labs), pb & j, sweet and salty snacks.

Race Inclusions:

Runners will get a cool shirt, a teeny tiny race bib that you don't have to cut or fold, some other race goodies, chip timing from Chip Time Results, race photos from Sue Sitki, and a very cool race medal, which, for this year only will have a Star Wars theme since the race is on the unofficial Star Wars Day (May the 4th Be With You!"). Here is the medal design:

Camping at Wildwood:

Do you want to keep the good times rollin' after the race?

Camping is available at Wildwood. We will have a group camping site, which you can book through the park. Unwind by a campfire after the race!

Our Race Charity:

This race is in support of 'Ontario Nature'. Their Nature Guardians Youth Program supports youth and teens who are leading conservation initiatives such as:

• Offering hands-on opportunities for meaningful engagement and community involvement through outdoor events and campaigns
• Developing the knowledge, tools and networks youth need to create lasting, positive change through conservation action
• Providing insight on volunteer, education and career opportunities to help youth grow the skills, experience, and confidence needed to make a difference

Refund Policy:

Happy Trails Racing has a policy regarding race refunds/transfers: register with confidence knowing that you can take advantage of our early bird pricing and, if you need to back out, you can do so up to 30 days before the race with a 100% race credit that can go towards any future Happy Trails event. It doesn't expire. Unfortunately, we cannot accommodate cancellations within 30 days of the race. However, participants are welcome to transfer their bib to someone else without any penalty up to 5 days before the race. Please keep in mind that everything we need to order to have you at our race is done so at least 30 days out.