Race Update #3

GET Race Day is Almost Here!

We are so excited you are joining us for the First Annual Grand Explorers’ Trail Race! Below you will find some additional details and last minute reminders as we are only a few days away from the race.

Getting to the Park

This is a reminder that the start/finish line for the race is at Grand River Park. Do not go to Grand Ravines Park!

The Ottawa County Road Commission is planning to resurface two sections of Fillmore Road near the park and this may affect packet pickup on Friday evening and race day on Saturday. We expect it to be completed by Friday but if not use 24th Street to get to Fillmore. Please allow an extra 10 minutes to get to Grand River Park as you may have to take that detour.

Packet Pickup Details

Packet pickup will be at Grand River Park in the lodge, both on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning. Packet pickup is available on Friday from 4:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. and race morning from 7:00 a.m. until 8:00 a.m. When you pick up your packet, either on Friday evening or on race day, you will be given a race bib, a shirt or hat (whichever one you chose at registration), and a timing chip.

Please don’t lose the timing chip! We need to return them to the timing company after the race. You will need this in order for your time to be accurately recorded.

Parking

We have received permission from the Parks to use the grassy area leading into the park for parking. Please follow the instructions from the parking volunteers to maximize the use of this area. We do have close to 300 runners so any carpooling you can do with friends or family would be appreciated.

Aid Stations and Bathrooms

Our aid stations will have water and ice. Aid Station #1 is located near the Grand Ravines Lodge, at 1.9 miles for the 5K and at 2.3 miles for the 10K. Bathrooms are available in the Lodge, which are most easily accessed after the 5K turnaround when you run past the lodge. Aid Station #2 is for the 10K only and is located at the Grand Ravines dog park at around 3.7 miles. Bathrooms are available right beside this aid station. 10K runners will hit Aid Station #1 a second time at around 4.5 miles.

Race Start Logistics

We may change up the start order for the 5K/10K from what we originally posted to avoid congestion. We will have final instructions at the starting line.

Post Race Activities

We will have some snacks and drinks available after the race. This includes Soldadera Cold Brew Coffee and Fruit Frenzy Popsicles for $3 each. A few of our sponsors will be there to provide giveaways, information, and items to purchase.

Ottawa County Parks staff will have a nature-themed craft activity for kids. The park has some picnic tables available and grassy areas so that you can hang out while waiting for others to finish. You are welcome to bring your own lawn chairs if you want. As soon as all age group winners are in we will start the awards ceremony.

Race Update #2

Below you will find some additional details and last-minute reminders as we are less than a week away from the race.

Getting to the Park

This is a reminder that the start/finish line for the race is at Grand River Park. Do not go to Grand Ravines Park!

The Ottawa County Road Commission is planning to resurface two sections of Fillmore Road near the park and this may affect packet pickup on Friday evening and race day on Saturday. At this point, they are planning to be finished by Friday evening but that is weather-dependent. Please allow an extra 10 minutes to get to Grand River Park as you may have to take a detour.

Please be aware that the kids’ race starts at 8:00 a.m. and the 5K/10K start at 8:30 a.m. If you arrive at 8:00 a.m. or shortly after you may have to wait a few minutes to park as the kids’ race runs down the main park driveway before turning into the woods.

Parking will be on the paved spaces in the park and along the road down to the river. If you have to park along the road it will be a walk of a few minutes to get to the start/finish area. The park does not want us to park in the grass as there are sprinklers in the grass!

Packet Pickup Details

Packet pickup is available on Friday, June 23, at Grand River Park Lodge from 4:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. and race morning, June 24, from 7:00 a.m. until 8:00 a.m. When you pick up your packet, either on Friday evening or on race day, you will be given a race bib, a shirt or hat (whichever one you chose at registration), and a timing chip. Course maps and safety pins will be available if you need them.

Please don’t lose the timing chip! We need to return them to the timing company after the race. You will need this in order for your time to be accurately recorded.

We cannot guarantee shirts or hats if you registered after midnight on June 15. We did order extras, but be prepared if we happen to run out of them. We have had a great response to our event! Thank you!

Race Day Registration

There will be race day registration from 7:00 a.m. to 7:45 a.m. No shirts or hats are guaranteed but if we have any extra we may make them available.

Course Markings

The course will be well-marked with ribbons, arrows, and flags. There will not be volunteers at every turn but we will have flags and ribbons to indicate the course direction. There will be volunteers at potentially confusing turns where the two races diverge. The 10K course will be marked in orange and the 5K course will be marked in yellow. Do not step across any ribbon on the ground! Look for ribbons around trees or posts periodically to let you know you are on the trail and at turns there will be ribbons/flags immediately after the turn to let you know you made the correct turn. Take a look at the maps before race day. It is your responsibility to follow the course as marked! The 10K has more turns than the 5K so it is extra important that you have your heads up.

5K Course Change

There will be one slight change on the 5K course from the published maps. After you go up the hill at the Grand Ravines Lodge and turn around you will follow the sidewalk to the front deck (river side of the Lodge) and then run across the Lodge parking lot and down across the grass. This will mean less running where cars could be and will also allow you to take in the best view in the park at the front deck of the Lodge. We will have plenty of flagging in this section and a couple of volunteers so just look for the yellow flags and ribbons.

Race Details

The kids’ race will start at 8:00 a.m. from the parking lot near the finish line. The kids’ race is stroller-friendly and dog-friendly. In the event there are still any kids on the course at 8:30 a.m. we may hold them back from finishing briefly to get the 5K/10K runners/walkers started. For the 5K and 10K we will employ a mini-wave start (starting at 8:30am) in order to decrease congestion. The trail is narrow and there is a turn in the first 100 yards. Start order will be the following:

1. 10K Runners
2. 5K Runners
3. 5K/10K Runners with dogs
4. 5K/10K Walkers and Walkers with dogs

Please listen to the announcer and come up to the line when your group is called. Faster runners should arrange themselves at the front and slower runners towards the back. If you will be running part-time and walking part-time we ask you to start with the walkers. The race is chip timed so your time is only measured when you cross the timing mat to start (the kids’ fun run is not timed). We will have some pre-race instructions before the races start.

No strollers are allowed for the 5K/10K races. If you have a dog, please pick up after your dog.

Race Finish

After you finish, there will be volunteers on hand to retrieve your timing chips (except for the kids’ fun run because there aren’t chips for that). A finisher’s medal will be given to you after you finish. Please don’t walk off without turning your chip in. After you do that, there will be food and drink available next to the finishing area. A few of our sponsors will be there to provide information and some give-aways. Ottawa County Parks staff will have a nature-themed craft activity for kids. The park has some picnic tables available and a lot of grassy area so that you can hang out while waiting for others to finish. You are welcome to bring your own lawn chairs if you want. As soon as all age group winners are in we will start the awards ceremony.

Awards

We have many awards for the top runners and we will be allowing overall and age group winners to pick the award that they want. Second and third-place age group awards will be gift certificates. The overall winners will be based on gun time, not chip time. All other awards will be based on chip time. For age group awards, you must be present at the awards ceremony in order to pick up your award.

Join Us for the First Annual Grand Explorers’ Trail Race!

What can we say? This trail race is Grand:
Grand River, Grand Ravines, Grand bridges, and Grand views!

The course starts at Grand River County Park winding you through a natural surface trail until you hit the newly completed Idema Explorers Trail segment that leads you along the Grand River to Grand Ravines County Park. 

If you are running (or walking!) the 5K, you will turn around at this point. If you are running the 10K, you will continue to wind yourself through Grand Ravines Park, around the dog park, through the meadow, across the Idema suspension bridge, and back through the woods to Grand River Park. Sounds pretty GRAND, doesn’t it?

Bring the whole family! There is also a 1-mile kids run/walk. After the kids’ event, there will be a nature-themed craft for kids provided by Ottawa County Parks.

Bring your dog, too! We’ll have prizes for the first dogs across the finish line. We ask that you register your dog (dogs participate for free) so we know how many dogs will be participating.

To learn more and register, run over to the race website.

Net proceeds from this event support the Ottawa County Parks Foundation. 

Race Update #1

We are now about four weeks out from the Grand Explorer’s Trail Race and we wanted to give you some preliminary information to let you know about the plans for race day. We are excited about running the race in these two beautiful parks and hope you will let your friends know about this great opportunity to enjoy the amazing Ottawa County park system. The rains came a month ago and rebirth is visible everywhere that you look in the parks. The spring ephemerals have finished blooming and now the trees are budding and flowering throughout the parks.

Dogs

After much discussion and many requests from runners, we are going to allow dogs on a 6-foot leash (max) to run the race with their handlers. Due to the initial narrowness of the trail, we will use a staggered start to start any runners with dogs at the back of the pack. There is a section of the trail that is out-and-back so we do ask that any runners with dogs take the necessary steps (e.g. shortening the leash, stepping to the side, etc.) when encountering runners coming the other direction. We are excited about offering the option to run with dogs and may even have a few prizes for the top dogs.

Walkers

We have received numerous questions from people wondering if they can walk the course. Yes, the 5K should not be a problem. The timing company will be set up until 10:30 am. That allows two hours for race completion. For the 10K, it can also be walked in that amount of time but that would take a good effort to do it. You are welcome to walk the 10K course but it is possible that you will finish after the clock has been put away. You can still participate in all of the festivities for the day. You may want to print out a map of the course and take it with you if you think you will be on the course for longer than two hours. We will be closing up at 11:30 am as there are other reservations for the park facilities that day.

Arrival Time on Race Day

On Race Day, the Kids’ Fun Run starts at 8:00 am and the course does utilize the driveway into the park. It is preferable that you arrive before 8:00 so be aware that if you arrive after 8:00 you may have to wait a few minutes for the kids to clear the driveway before parking. We will have volunteers directing traffic that morning.

Course Notes

5K Course – The 5K course is a little longer than 5K, probably closer to 3.4 miles. There isn’t a good way to shorten it so we just want you to know that it will probably not be a PR course for you.

10K Course – The 10K course is also a little longer, probably closer to 6.4 miles and does include a section that descends on stairs in Grand Ravines Park. If the stairs are wet you will want to be careful as wet wood can be slippery. We plan to have a volunteer in this area of the park.

Directions to the Park

Please be aware that the start/finish area is at Grand River County Park. Google Maps will give you the correct routing to get there. Do not go to Grand Ravines North or South! These parks are nearly adjacent to each other and are similarly-named, which does cause confusion at times.

Visiting the Park

If you want to visit the parks ahead of time, now is a great time to go. The river has receded (it often overflows its banks in the spring) and the entire course is accessible. Be aware that the non-paved sections can still be muddy right now but generally dry out well by June.