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The Endless Summer Trail Run Series hosts 4 to 5 weeknight trail running races per season from May to August at different parks located throughout the Twin Cities.  Race venues include; Lebanon Hills Regional Park in Eagan, Hyland Park Reserve in Bloomington, French Regional Park in Plymouth and Murphy Hanrehan Park Reserve in Savage.  In 2019 we brought the Endless Summer Trail Run Series to Spring Lake Park Reserve in Hastings and it was hailed by many of our long-time participants as one of their favorite ESTRS locations.

Hosting a race at Spring Lake Park had been a long time ambition of race directors John and Cheri Storkamp as both of them were born, raised and still live in Hastings today and have been visiting the park for over 30 years.  They regularly run, walk and ski at the park and are excited to showcase it.  Here’s a fun fact… it just so happens that John and Cheri got married at this very park in 2003!

While Spring Lake Park Reserve in Hastings is on the Southeastern edge of the Twin Cities, it is not quite as far as some might think – it clocks in at only 25 miles from downtown Minneapolis and 20 miles from downtown St. Paul. We fully expect that the Endless Summer Trail Run Series faithful will be motivated to leave work just a touch early and join us for a race that we have been quietly planning for years, and for good reason.

Spring Lake Park is perched on the bluffs high above the Mississippi River with stunning views of the deep river valley and contains some seriously awesome trails.  The 5 mile race will begin on wide ski trails up on the prairie in order to spread out the field. Within 1.5 miles of the start, runners will enter the woods, running some very scenic and winding double-track trail through maple-dominated hardwood forest. About two miles into the race runners will enter a stunning section of moderately technical single-track, just runnable enough to pick your head up and steal some views of the river as you are running right on the bluffs edge. Leaving the woods, approx 5KM into the race, runners will hit the water stop which is adjacent to the start / finish area. Runners will then cross a very unique bridge, take a hair-pin turn onto a short stretch of stunning single-track.  Shortly thereafter runners will encounter a very short stretch of two-way traffic and will then find themselves on more ski-trails that loop through a beautiful stand of towering pines which provide a soft bed of pine needles underfoot. Wrapping things up, runners will hit some rolling double-track trail again, that will allow for some final passing, and then come into a field with great views of the river again, and, the finish line!  As always, runners stay for fellowship after and will cheer in the last runners while taking in the gorgeous views from high above the river.

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About the Endless Summer Trail Run Series:
Remember when you were young and the summer days were hot, relaxing and seemingly endless?  Well, as adults we still get that but usually only on weekends and holidays… until now.  The Endless Summer Trail Run Series is the brain-child of two passionate Minnesota trail-running main-stays – Rocksteady Running and Twin Cities Running Company.  The series was created to provide low-key, low-pressure trail running / racing opportunities for people of all ages, abilities and levels of experience. Whether you are a seasoned trail or road racer, first time trail-racer, need a tune-up for your next race, need to get in some speed-work or just want to have some pizza, pop and beer with us at the finish – running one or all of the races in the series is for you.  The Endless Summer Trail Run Series has garnered a strong local following and has gotten significant national media coverage as one of the best organized and most well attended trail running series in the country!  Rated as one of the best values in local running, the entry fee for each individual race in the series is only $25.00 and runners get a well marked, well staffed, chip-timed race – a unique sticker, pizza, beer and other refreshments at the finish.  Register early, all races have sold out in advance the past four years.