Summer Solstice Trail Run is Saturday

BEAVER CREEK — The Vail Recreation District’s La Sportiva Trail Running Series continues at Beaver Creek this week with the Summer Solstice Trail Run on Saturday.

Festivities begin at 9:30 a.m. with the 1K Kids Fun Run in Creekside Park, followed by the Beck Building Company 10K and the First Bank 5K at 10 a.m. on Beaver Creek Mountain. Following the races, participants are invited to enjoy a free lunch from Moe’s Original Bar B Que and music by local bluegrass favorite Hardscrabble. This is the second of seven races in the trail running series.

RACE BENEFITS VAIL VALLEY CHARITABLE FUND

Proceeds from the Summer Solstice race benefit the Vail Valley Charitable Fund, a local nonprofit that provides financial assistance to residents of Eagle County who are experiencing a medical crisis. According to Michelle Maloney, Vail Valley Charitable Fund executive director, the group raised and distributed more than $400,000 to locals in need last year and the trail run is important to its success.

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Day-of registration for the event begins at 8 a.m. at Creekside Park in Beaver Creek. Entry fees are $35 in advance and $45 on race day. The Kids Fun Run is free and open to children younger than 12 years of age. Registration is available online at http://www.active.com or http://www.vailrec.com. In addition to the morning of the race, bib pickup will also be available from 4 to 7 p.m. on Friday at Haute Route Gear & Apparel in the Pazzo’s Building in Avon.

Free parking for the event is available at the Bear and Elk lots, with shuttle service to Beaver Creek Resort. The Beaver Creek parking garages will also be open and available on a first-come, first-served basis.

The race begins and ends in Creekside Park. Both courses wind through Beaver Creek’s aspen groves and across the lower half of the mountain. There is one aid station on the 5K course and two on the 10K course. Sponsors of the on-course aid stations are Brill Insurance Agency and Colorado Mountain Medical with start and finish refreshments sponsored by East West Resorts.

PRIZES

Prizes will be awarded to top three male and top three female 5K finishers as well as the top three male and top three female finishers in each age group (19 and younger, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69 and 70-79). All finishers receive a custom race tech shirt provided by The North Face.

Following the Summer Solstice Trail Run, the La Sportiva race series takes runners back to Vail on July 5 for the Vail HillClimb, and on July 20, runners will be challenged during the Vail Half Marathon. The Berry Picker 5K trail run is Aug. 3.

The final race of the season, the EverGold 5K and 11K, is scheduled for Sept. 14 and will feature singletrack and doubletrack trails from the Vail Golf Club to Vail Mountain and back.

A full listing and details are available by going to http://www.vailrec.com/trailrunningseries.cfm.