Sunday, February 22, 2009
Explore trail race will begin series
Mark Taylor is outdoors editor at The Roanoke Times.
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One need not be a news junkie to know that Explore Park has been in sort of state of suspended animation.
The operation has been shuttered while a Florida developer tries to find funding for a large, mysterious tourist attraction he'd like to build on the Roanoke County property.
Given the publicity of the park's closure, many people are surprised to learn that the park isn't completely boarded up, so to speak.
The area's great little trail system, largely the result of a massive volunteer effort about a decade ago, is still open to bikers and hikers.
"I think a lot of people don't know it's open," Salem trail runner and cyclist Josh Gilbert said.
Gilbert is hoping an upcoming event can help get the word out.
The fifth annual Explore Your Limits trail running race, the first event in a new trail running series, will be held at the park on March 7.
When it started, it was a fundraiser that was also intended to showcase the park's diversity, letting people know that it wasn't just a place where interpreters reenacted life in old Virginia.
Gilbert, a chiropractor, has been the race director since the beginning, but this year the arrangement is different. Instead of putting on the race for Explore Park, Gilbert is running it through Mountain Junkies LLC, the trail running organization he and his wife, Gina, started in 2007.
Since the main park operation shut down last year, the Gilberts have been maintaining the trails voluntarily to ensure they would stay open for public use while the park's future remains uncertain.
Two distances are on the agenda for the Explore Your Limits race.
A 5-kilometer race will be evenly split among pavement, gravel and trail surfaces. Gilbert considers it a great introduction to trail running. The 10-kilometer option adds an additional 5 kilometers of single-track trail.
As anyone who is familiar with these trails will readily attest, this up-and-down terrain isn't easy. In last year's race, only one runner broke 20 minutes in the 5K and only one runner was under 40 minutes in the longer race.
As challenging as the course is, it's also beautiful.
Last year, 62 people ran in the 5K, while 51 competed in the 10K.
Gilbert said he hopes this year's race can turn out more like the 2007 event, which attracted about 180 runners.
The entry fee is $25 for the 5K, and $30 for the 10K.
The race kicks off Mountain Junkies' new Roanoke Non Ultra Trail Series (RNUTS).
Other races in the series include the Montvale 5 & 10 Mile on March 28, the Mill Mountain Mayhem 10K on April 18 and the Trail Nut 10K and half-marathon on June 6.
Gilbert said he was interested in starting the series because the Roanoke area was light on trail races that weren't of extreme -- or ultra -- distances.
"Now we've got pretty much all of that covered except a marathon," Gilbert said.
More information, as well as registration forms, are available at the Mountain Junkies Web site at mountainjunkies.net, or by calling Gilbert's office at 375-3990.
Trout group talks smallmouths
No one can accuse the New River Valley chapter of Trout Unlimited of being a bunch of trout snobs.
At its next meeting, the group's focus will be on smallmouth bass, an awesome, if somewhat under-appreciated fly rod quarry.
For the March 3 meeting in Christiansburg, the group is bringing in speakers who know a thing or two about smallmouths.
Britt and Leigh Stoudenmire run the New River Outdoor Company river guide business in Pembroke, with Britt spending nearly every day on the river during the fishing season.
The other speaker is smallmouth fanatic and writer Bruce Ingram of Fincastle, author of several books heavy on smallmouth information, including the New River Guide, the James River Guide, and Fly and Spin Fishing for Smallmouth Bass.
After their presentations, the speakers will be available for questions.
The free meeting, at which guests are welcome, will be held at 7 p.m. at the Montgomery County Government Center.
For more information, visit nrvtu.org or contact Kevin Byrd at kbyrd14@gmail.com.
Bear proposal clarification
A proposed six-day firearms season for black bear in September would apply to both public and private lands in the area where state game officials want to establish the season.
My Friday story on potential hunting regulations changes did not fully describe the proposed season's reach.
Department of Game and Inland Fisheries biologists want to set up the season in Alleghany, Bath and Highland counties, to the portions of Augusta, Botetourt, Shenandoah, Rockbridge and Rockingham counties west of Interstate 81, and to Roanoke County north of Interstate 81.
The proposal is among many changes in regulation the agency's board of directors will consider advancing for public comment at a meeting Friday in Richmond.
