2026 ESTRS French 5KM Recap

“If you want to go fast, go alone – if you want to go far, go together”. Niko and Donald enjoying a great night together at the ESTRS French 5K – photo credit Pat Lehnherr

Greetings Friends,

Thank you for taking part in the 2026 Endless Summer Trail Run Series French 5KM at French Regional Park last Wednesday evening. Light rain showers in the morning were followed by some heavy rain in the mid-afternoon. After that it did not rain another drop, and while the course was a little slick in a few spots, overall we had good conditions for the race. The cool weather offset the slippery spots and folks ran some great times. With Grandma’s Marathon weekend following just a few days after, it was one of our smaller ESTRS races in awhile, but we still saw about 250 people participate. No surprisingly, good times and good vibes were the theme of the night!

A huge thank you to French Regional Park / Three Rivers Park District for hosting us and taking such great care of the park, and trail system.

As always, all credit is due to our amazing volunteers – thank you!

Results:
Results can be found HERE https://www.athlinks.com/azp/ctlive/event/91428 – please let us know if your result is missing or you see anything in error.

Photos:
Thank you photographers! You can find photos HERE https://www.estrs.com/photos/

ESTRS Next Up:
There are still spots left for both of the remaining series races. Lebanon 7MI on Wednesday July 8 and Spring Lake 5MI on Wednesday July 29, we hope to see you there.

Afton Trail Run:
Are you ready to go long? The 33rd Annual Afton Trail Run 25K & 50K is on Saturday July 4 at Afton State Park in the stunning St. Croix River Valley. Registration closes on Thursday June 25, 2026 at 11:59PM CST or once the field limit has been met. https://www.aftontrailrun.com/

Please consider volunteering at the Superior Fall Trail Race / Superior 100:
Make a weekend of it and come volunteer for the 36th Annual Superior Fall Trail Race / Superior 100 on September 11 & 12, 2026 (Superior 100 is the 10th oldest 100 mile trail race in the country) – info HERE https://www.superiorfalltrailrace.com/read-first/

RSR Online Store:
We have an online store with a few things you might like including the new ESTRS Mushroom T-Shirt, Sweatshirt and Poster | https://www.rocksteadyrunning.com/shop/

RSR Online Community:
This is just a boring old forum; sans advertising, manipulative algorithms, etc. https://community.rocksteadyrunning.com/

Mile In My Shoes:
It was awesome hosting the ‘MiMS Trail Team’ at French again this year! Get to know our charity partner and get involved! Mile in My Shoes https://www.estrs.com/mile-in-my-shoes/

Financial Assistance
Are you someone or do you know someone that wants to run one of our races but finances are a barrier? Reach out, we will help.

Sponsors:
A huge thank you to all of our awesome Sponsors and Partners! You can learn more about each, HERE https://www.estrs.com/sponsors/

Twin Cities Running Company
ACG
Bridge Realty – Bill Pomerenke
Domino’s Pizza – Platinum Pizza!
Best Day Brewing
Vaniply / Vanicream
Consilience Coaching
State Farm Insurance – Geri Martin
North Coast Running
Trail Transformation
Northwoods Running
Performance Running Gym
Climb Above Endurance Coaching
Mile in My Shoes
AFSP Minnesota
St. Croix Law
Critical Connections Ecological Services

In Closing:
It is an honor doing this for you and with you. We are grateful for your support, and we never take that support for granted. We hope to see many of you at the Lebanon 7MI.

Sincerely,

John Storkamp
Race Director
Endless Summer Trail Run Series

Volunteers checking runners in for the nights race – Photo Credit Cary Johnson