With Paine to Pain now just two months away, we wanted to share with you some articles on trail running (for those who’ve done little), introduce our newest sponsor, link to reviews we received last year (for those of you who haven’t yet had the guts to sign up) and give you the volunteer contact info if you can’t run but want to help out.
If you haven’t registered yet, you can register online at active.com or by completing the entry form on our website.
First up is the news that REI — one of the great outdoor co-op retailers in the country – has now joined us as a sponsor. They just opened a huge, new store in Yonkers in the brand new Ridge Hill shopping complex off I-87.
Second up, a few articles to help with training for those tackling trails for the first time (or to give confidence that yes, you really can do this race):
Six Tips to Start Hitting the Trails (active.com)
Trail Racing 101 (Runners World)
Beginner Trail Running (multiple articles) (Trail Runner Magazine)
Blaze Any Trail (7 all-terrain tips for your off-road steps) Men’s Health
The Ups and Downs of Trail Running (Sky Runner)
Third up, some reviews from last year in case you haven’t yet registered for this year:
And the 2010 Reviews Come Pouring In… (Paine to Pain Blog)
Paine to Pain 2010 Reviews (active.com)
Batting cleanup, we always keep our ears open for volunteers, since we know how important they are to runners. Water stops, registration, finish line, parking, hanging signs, marking trails, we got lots to do.
And if the thrill of volunteering isn’t enough by itself, we also offer to any volunteer a $10 discount off of next year’s race.
And, if you can coax someone else to join our merry band of volunteers, we will give you another $5 off next year’s race. (Max discount $15, don’t forget, this is a fundraiser for the trails.)
To volunteer for one of the great half marathon trail races in the northeast U.S., please contact our Volunteers Poobah: Greg Stern.
You can also follow us online with updates as we get close to the race by joining the Paine To Pain Facebook group, or following us on that Twitter thingie (@PaineToPain).