Dirty Girl Trail Race

03/02/2022

So, as it turns out...Tin Mountain finally got back to me saying we could still have the race. However, I've still decided not to put on the Dirty Girl Trail Race.

Tin Mountain is now having all events sign a contract and pay for use of the facilities. And I think that's totally fine. They should do what is best for their business.

The reason I'm choosing not to do the race is that I don't want to put on a race like that where I have to sign contracts and spend a lot of money which in turn forces me to charge more for the entry fee.

I didn't just put on the Dirty Girl to put on a race. A quarter of my property borders Tin Mountain. When I was changing this women's only race from a road race to a trail race I thought it would be great for neighbors to come together, me showcasing this wonderful land to new people and in turn giving the profits back to Tin Mountain. Just a simple handshake agreement basically. We get use of the facility at no charge while in turn giving the profits back.

This allowed me to keep your entry fees low. I only had to raise them from $15 to $20 when I had a significant increase in the cost of the t-shirts. This race was never about profit. It was supposed to be a very simple race with hand timing, a great course, great prizes and (to most 😄) great shirts. Plus, it was one of the few women-only races around.

I'm just not interested in taking it to another level. This isn't my business or my job. It was supposed to be fun on the side and it was for the years that we were able to put it on for you. I had awesome volunteers. This race never could have been done without them.

And I really do have to thank Tin Mountain for accommodating us for 6 years. It was very generous on their part. And up until the last year of the race, they just let us be, and things were left as we found them.

All this said, your racing days at Tin Mountain may not be over! Lori, the director, told me they are planning to put on their own race this summer. I'll share it here on the Dirty Girl page when I find out more about it.

And once again, I thank all of you for actually making the race happen by showing up. It was a pleasure!

12/15/2021

This is not the post I planned to make, but, sadly, the Dirty Girl Trail Race has ended its run. I had planned to put it on again in 2022, but Tin Mountain has refused to respond to my multiple requests at putting on the race. The only reply I did receive was from the one person who helped us out every year. He is no longer working the events but passed along my email to the new person in his former position. I never heard from that person or the director whom I emailed twice over the last 4 months.

I just want to say thank you to ALL of you for supporting the race since its inception in 2014. I enjoyed creating and directing this race for you all so much. My favorite part was seeing the smiles on everyone's faces at the finish. (Well, except a few of you after 2016s course directing error. 😬). It has truly been a pleasure to host this race for you.

I also must thank all of the wonderful volunteers I've had over the years, many of them every year. A race can't happen without you all. Your help was greatly appreciated.

And lastly I have to thank Paul Kirsch and Tom Hooper SIX03 Endurance for their generous help and support as my co-race directors. I couldn't have done it without you.

07/08/2021

The White Mountain Milers and EASTERN MOUNTAIN SPORTS of North Conway are promoting and sponsoring a 5k Trail Race as a fundraiser for Seek the Peak 2021 on July 17th at Great Glen Trails . Top male/female win Marmot jackets.
You can register here:

RunReg - online running event registration

03/15/2021

I'm sad to say that after months of trying to make a decision on the 2021 race, I have decided to cancel it. With everything still so up in the air for event restrictions, I feel like the race would be difficult to pull off. Group size would be limited and the course would have to be altered due to the few sections where it overlaps in both directions. The Tin Mountain trail network isn't a large one so it took a lot of work to get the course at the distance it is. Also, with such a low budget race, I'm unable to afford chip timing for a staggered start. The entry fee would have to increase to close to over $50/person in order to do that. I don't know about you, but I'd probably skip registering for a low-key race with an entry fee that high. Also, the race would have to fit into the Tin Mountain wedding schedule for the fall, and there are already too many races scheduled for the fall to match a perfect date. So ultimately, the race would be more of a headache than fun. Unless things change, 2022 will still be happening.

01/02/2021

Hey, everyone. I thought I'd update you on a 2021 race. With still so much uncertainty with the pandemic, I don't have a definitive answer for those of you wondering about the race happening. I'm planning on it at some point, but I honestly have no idea when I'll have a date set for it.

All of you who registered for the 2020 race will get a refund if the 2021 race does not happen. For now your race entry fee is still sitting in the race's Run Reg account where it will be used for the 2021 race, if it happens.

I'll keep you updated when I have more information on the race. Thanks for your understanding!

06/08/2020

In conjunction with Tin Mountain, we made the decision to cancel the Dirty Girl Trail Race for 2020. Tin Mountain still remains closed with no opening plan as of yet. While most of the State is opening back up, we have no idea what rules we would have to abide by to put on the event. It's the planning aspect that makes it the most difficult to put a race at this time.

Those of you who had already registered for 2020 will receive automatic deferrals at no charge for the 2021 race. You will be sent a special code when 2021 registration opens to register.

Thanks for your understanding. Look back here for updates in December for the 2021 race.

04/26/2020

Ran the course today. This SIX03 Endurance arrow from the 2019 race is still there waiting to show the way, hopefully later in 2020.

There are definitely pros to having the race later in the year. No black flies and less leaf cover!

04/17/2020

For those of you who were participating in the race fundraiser in memory of Beth Lazor-Smith, I have deposited the full amount received so far to the charity. Thank you so much to all of you who have participated.

04/16/2020

Just wanted to update everyone that I'm still hoping to only postpone the race instead of cancel it. It will definitely be awhile before I can make any decision on a date for that, but it's probable to be in the fall sometime. That means there will be many conflicts with other postponed races, unfortunately, but it is what it is. I'll continue to keep you updated periodically on the status.

03/16/2020

The Dirty Girl Trail Race is POSTPONED. New date will be determined at a later time. Registration is closed for the time being. I'll update as I know more. Thanks for everyone's support!!

03/14/2020

Due to the uncertainty of Covid-19, it's very likely the race will be postponed. Although May 10th is still a long way off, the race prep is not. Shirts have to be ordered by April 13th. We could be in the middle of a crisis at that time. So much uncertainty.

We only have 38 people currently registered, and if you're like me, you aren't going to be registering for any race anytime soon. I just lost over $200 in race registration fees so I won't even consider registering for another race. Pandemic is not covered under the race cancellation insurance I purchased, unfortunately.

I will be in contact with Tin Mountain ASAP to find out their wishes for a new date. It might be awhile until anything is confirmed. When the definite decision to postpone is made, I will temporarily close registration.

I'm aware this could be jumping the gun, but I feel like it's probably necessary at this point.

Look for more information next week.