If you ran in either the Leatherman’s Loop or A Mild Sprain (or both) then you are listed in the Trail Mix 2016 standings.
This is our 3rd Trail Mix series and we’re hoping to bring it to as many runners as possible!
The good news is even if you haven’t run in your first 2016 Trail Mix Series race yet, you can still complete the series and possibly win your age category or the whole thing – BUT you must enter all 4 fall trail races in the series to complete it for 2016 if you did not run the Loop or A Mild Sprain in the spring.
The benefits are multiple — even if you aren’t in the running to take your age category or the series.
You get to hang out and race with some super (and modest) people. You get to visit and explore beautiful locations around Westchester and Fairfield Counties. And through trail racing you can connect back to nature in a way that road racing can’t match.
If you see a problem in the results or standings, please let us know ASAP. The most common problems are name differences between races (e.g. Liz and Elizabeth, Jim and James, etc.) Considering over 1,600 different runners are being tracked at this point it is not possible for us to automatically match names in the standings database with these minor differences (we need to fix them by hand). It will help immensely if you pick a “race name” and stick to it for the series races when you register. Your race series volunteers appreciate the help! 😉 If you have already registered using a different name, we can change it if you let us know.
Come on out – We’d love to see you on the trails and in the Mix!
The third race of the 2016 Trail Mix Trail Series is set to go on September 18th, 2016.
“Where The Pavement Ends” is held at Lake Windwing in Ridgefield CT. This year marks the 5th year of the race at the Ridgefield location. Race director Geoffrey Morris is getting ready for a big crowd.
Where the Pavement Ends is a fun and challenging trail race: fun for the everyday runner who can experience the beauty of these beautiful trails and challenging for the competitive trail runner who can match up against the best racers in the northeast.
It’s 4-plus miles of sometimes narrow and hilly terrain. All of the muscles that never get any work from all of that road running will definitely be used on this course. It is a great mix of fire road, single track, flats, hills, and one fast downhill section right towards the end.
Come to Lake Windwing and Run! We’re looking forward to seeing you there!
Nearly 400 runners came out for “A Mild Sprain” the 2nd race in the Trail Mix Series on Sunday, May 22nd, 2016. Congratulations to Race Directors David Vogel and Brant Brooks!
Next race (3rd of 6) in the Trail Mix Series is “Where The Pavement Ends” on Sunday, September 18th, 2016. It is a 4.5 mile trail race in Ridgefield, CT.
The second race of the 2016 Trail Mix Trail Series is set to go on May 22nd.
A Mild Sprain is held at Sprain Ridge Park in Yonkers, NY. This year marks the 5th year of the race. Race directors David Vogel and Brant Brooks are gearing up for a big crowd and record fundraising for JDRF, the charity that the race raises money for.
Come to Sprain Ridge Park and Run! We’re looking forward to seeing you there!
The third race in the series is called “Where The Pavement Ends” and is held in 9/20/16 at Lake Windwing in Ridgefield CT. More information on that race closer to the date.
The first race in the 2016 Trail Mix Trail Series is three weeks away!
The Leatherman’s Loop is a 10k trail race at Ward Pound Ridge Reservation. This year marks the 30th consecutive year of the Loop. The race organizers are in race mode taking care of all of the details before the race.
Note: The Loop Lottery is finished and the race is full.
One way to guarantee Leatherman’s Loop entry is to complete the Trail Mix Series the year before. Any runner who runs in 4 or more Trail Mix races is eligible for automatic selection when they enter the Loop Lottery.
A few weeks after the Loop is the second race in the series: A Mild Sprain on 5/22. More on that race when the Loop concludes!
We are bringing back the Trail Mix Trail Series for a third year in 2016!
Runners can compete in the series by completing at least 4 of the 6 races in the series. The best four count towards the point totals for the series if runners complete five or six of the series races.
Runners who complete the 2016 series are eligible for automatic selection in the 2017 Leatherman’s Loop Lottery. (Runners who completed the 2015 series are eligible for automatic selection in the 2016 Loop Lottery!)
The races in the Trail Mix 2016 are, in chronological order:
All of the Trail Mix series races are on Sunday mornings.
Hope this helps you plan your 2016 race calendar and you can join us and run in the series.
….David, Brant, Lee, Barry, Mark, Geoff, Rob, and Tony (the Trail Mix race directors)
*if you are a past Trail Mix participant, contact the Loop race directors for possible late entry consideration. Mention “Past Trail Mix participant” in the subject of your contact form and plead your case.
We wrapped up the 2015 Trail Mix Series with the inaugural running of the Raven Rocks Run at Ward Pound Ridge Reservation this past Sunday morning.
Note – ALL runners who completed the 2015 Trail Mix Series by running at least four of the six races in the series are eligible for automatic selection in the Leatherman’s Loop Lottery as long as they enter the Loop Lottery in January 2016. There are 66 runners who qualify for the automatic selection. See links to Men’s and Women’s standings links above for listing of these runners.
Series Leaderboard
Tiffany Carson on the Gazebo Hill at Run The Farm (photo by Dave Mann)
For the Women’s Trail Mix Series, Tiffany Carson took home the overall women’s series. Rachel Massa had a strong finish at Raven Rocks placing 2nd overall and locking her into the 2nd overall position and the F30 age category win.
Tracy Lawrence-Black used her 3rd place finish at Raven Rocks to vault into 3rd place overall and secure the F50 age category win. Teren Block had a strong showing at Raven Rocks as well to just edge out Lindsey Obrig from the F40 age category win.
The other women competitors in the 13U, the Juniors (14-19), and the F60 category did not run enough 2015 races to qualify for Trail Mix scoring.
Gerry Sullivan in the home stretch (Photo by Tom Casper)
For the Men’s Trail Mix Series, Gerry Sullivan ran in all six Trail Mix races and had locked up the overall Trail Mix #1 spot by the 5th race. For Raven Rocks he ran with his son Eamonn Sullivan, placing 11th and 12th. Eamonn secured his 13U category win finishing 5th in the Men’s Trail Mix standings.
Michael Diblasi was second overall in the Trail Mix, securing the M20 age category win.
In the closest age category division in the series, Virgil Bretz edged out Charles Glass by enough points in the final race of the season to take the M40 category.
Matthew Potenza won the M30 category with a comfortable margin over Luke Albrecht.
Longtime Loop runner Bill Bradsell took the M50 category while James McGough took the M60 category. Longtime Loop race director and runner Tony Godino ran away with the M70 category and sealed the deal with a strong finish at Raven Rocks.
Some final highlights:
Jerre Skeats, Judi DeMuro, and Mary Ann Cox completed all SIX 2015 Trail Mix Series races to date.
Eleven men competed in all SIX of the 2015 Trail Mix Series races: Gerry Sullivan, Charles Glass, Todd Henrich, Eamonn Sullivan, Lee Willett, Charles Vaccaro, Alan Wegener, Jeff Thompson, James McGough, Eric Foxhall, and Chris Cassone.
66 Runners finished the 2015 Trail Mix. This compares favorably to the 25 who completed the 2014-2015 inaugural series.
Nearly 2,000 different runners competed in at least one race in the 2015 Trail Mix Series.
Last but not least: FOUR runners have run in EVERY SINGLE TRAIL MIX RACE SINCE 2014! – That’s 9 for 9! Congrats to Jerre Skeats, Charles Glass, Charlie Vaccaro, and Eric Foxhall! When we establish a Trail Mix Hall of Fame your names will be on the first ballot!
There are some categories that are decided and there are a bunch of ways the results can go in the final race in other categories. The Raven Rocks Run will decide the fates of everyone still on the cusp.
Remember: ALL runners who complete the 2015 Trail Mix Series by running at least four of the six races in the series are eligible for automatic selection in the Leatherman’s Loop Lottery as long as they enter the Loop Lottery in January 2016. There are currently 66 runners with at least 3 races in the series under their belt.
Overall Series Leaders
Tiffany Carson on the Gazebo Hill at Run The Farm (photo by Dave Mann)
For the Women’s Trail Mix Series, Kori Krichko has a narrow lead over Tiffany Carson. However, in talking with Kori at Run The Farm she let us know she was moving out of the area before Raven Rocks so would miss her chance to get her 4th race in the series. In this case the women’s series will be decided between Tiffany, Rachel Massa, Lindsay Obrig, Tracy Lawrence-Black, and Teren Block. Each of these women could potentially notch a victory at Raven Rocks and secure the Trail Mix 2015 title.
Gerry Sullivan in the home stretch (Photo by Tom Casper)
For the Men’s Trail Mix Series, Gerry Sullivan ran in all five Trail Mix races to date and has already locked up the overall Trail Mix #1 spot. He does not even need to run in Raven Rocks to take the prize since it is mathematically impossible for second overall runner Michael Diblasi to catch up with him, even with a perfect 100 point finishing score. Michael won A Mild Sprain outright and beat Gerry to the finish at Leatherman’s Loop. But Gerry won Where the Pavement Ends and Run The Farm outright when Michael did not compete. In their other head-to-head contest, Gerry (#2 finisher) beat Michael (#3 finisher) in the Sarah Bishop Bushwhack.
The Age Group Awards
We give out one age group prize for each gender and decade: for example, we have a prize for best Male 40-49 and another for best Female 40-49. If there’s only one eligible runner in a given category – then they win it! If there are no eligible runners in the category, there is no winner for 2015. Last year’s series winners are here for reference purposes.
For the Women’s age group categories, the races look as follows:
12 year old Sydney Bieber finishes strong in Run The Farm 2015. (photo Tom Casper)
For the Female 13 & Under category, Sydney Bieber simply has to finish the Raven Rocks Run and she will win the age category for the 2015 Trail Mix. For the F20 category, assuming Kori Krichko either wins the overall title (still possible) or does not compete in Raven Rocks Run, then Erin Lindon would simply have to finish Raven Rocks to lock up the F20 age category.
The F30 category is a bit more involved. If Tiffany Carson wins the overall 2015 Trail Mix title, then Rachel Massa will be the F30 champ if she races like she has in her prior three Trail Mix events (which is a good bet). The dark horse in this category is Keely Cheslack-Postava who can take over the lead with an above par performance but only if Rachel stumbles — which she hasn’t done to date.
Lindsey Obrig (photo by Rob Cummings)
The F40 category is the most unpredictable. Lindsay Obrig has a 3/10 point lead over Teren Block. Lindsay edged out Teren in two of the three Trail Mix races they went head-t0-head in. Both runners have 4 races under their belts so this race is a chance to eliminate their lowest score. For Lindsay that is a 94.286 in the Sarah Bishop Bushwhack and for Teren her lowest is also in Sarah Bishop but is a slightly better 95.7145. Assuming both runners compete in Raven Rocks this means Teren has to finish not only higher but several spots higher than Lindsay to make up the gap. Last year’s overall Trail Mix Series winner Karen Haitoff is the dark horse in the F40 category. She would need two sub-par finishes from Lindsay and Teren as well as an excellent finish in her own race to have a hope of catching up.
The F50 category is owned by Tracy Lawrence-Black. She already has the 4 races needed under her belt. Even with a perfect 100 point finish, none of the other F50 runners could catch up to her 97.3468 average score. Kathy Jackson needs to finish Raven Rocks to qualify as a Trail Mix finisher. Mary Ann Cox and Judi DeMuro both have run in 5 of 5 races in the series to date and are guaranteed spots in the Loop Lottery if they choose to register for next year’s race.
There are no other Women’s Trail Mix participants after F50.
For the Men’s Trail Mix age group categories, we have a few close races and a few that are already decided.
Eamonn Sullivan is #6 overall and has locked up the Men’s 13 & Under category with a current score of 97.3944. He has raced in all five of the Trail Mix races to date, even beating his Dad, Gerry Sullivan, in A Mild Sprain back in May.
Michael Diblasi at Sarah Bishop (photo by Rob Cummings)
Michael Diblasi just has to finish Raven Rocks to secure his Trail Mix M20 title and an automatic selection if he enters the Leatherman’s Loop Lottery in early 2016.
No M30 runner has more than 3 Trail Mix races completed. This means it is potentially anyone’s prize, depending on how many competitors in the age category race at Raven Rocks. Assuming he does race, Matthew Potenza has the best chance to take the M30 category with a 93.244 points per race average after 3 races. The next closest runner is Luke Albrecht who has a 90.2709/race average. Luke beat Matthew in the Leatherman’s Loop, but Matthew returned the favor at Run The Farm. Matthew has the advantage but race day can bring surprises. Michael Firer and Dave Lesser are dark horses in this race, and with the potential for a DNS or DNF out there, anything can happen.
Matthew Potenza (photo by Rob Cummings)
The M40 category is the absolute most competitive one out there for the Trail Mix Series. With Gerry Sullivan removed from the M40 mix having already secured the Trail Mix title, we have two tough and worthy competitors, Charles Glass and Virgil Bretz duking it out. They are separated by only 8/100ths of a point after 5 and 4 Trail mix races completed, respectively. Virgil has his work cut out for him, needing around a 98.5 or better and to finish ahead of Charles to have a shot at taking the category. Charles just needs to beat Virgil to keep the category. It is worth mentioning that but for an injury just before Sarah Bishop, we would be talking about a three way race including David Hambleton who finished with a high 98+ average in his uninjured races. There isn’t even a dark horse in this race, as no other runner has the points or races to catch up to Virgil and Charles at this point.
Bill Bradsell (photo by Rob Cummings)
The M50 is another potentially close race. Longtime Loop runner and mud aficionado Bill Bradsell is in the lead and just needs to finish ahead of or within a few places behind Peter Holland to take the category. Michael Destasio is standing by in 3rd place overall to take over if any of the top 2 stumble or don’t finish the race. And since the top 3 runners have each only run in three Trail Mix races, there is always the possibility of them not competing or not finishing and being knocked out of the standings altogether. In this albeit unlikely case, dark horse Lee Willett would take the category.
Tony Muffati has roared into the catbird seat in the M60 category with strong showings in the last three Trail Mix races. If he finishes ahead of the other two M60 competitors he will definitely take the category prize. Even if he finishes well behind them, he will still likely win the category. But since he only has three of the 5 races completed, he needs to complete Raven Rocks to be counted in the Trail Mix standings. This opens the possibility (in the case of a Tony Muffati DNS or DNF) of James McGough taking back first overall in the category. Both Jim and third overall runner Chris Cassone have run in all five of the 2015 Trail Mix races and are already eligible for automatic selection in the Loop Lottery 2016.
Tony Godino at Sarah Bishop Bushwhack (photo by Rob Cummings)
Last in the list — but most certainly not least — is Tony Godino, Leatherman’s Loop founder and race director. Tony is the owner of the 2015 Trail Mix M70 age category and he just needs a finish in the Raven Rocks Run to solidify this feat. He would be the first race director of a Trail Mix Series race to take any of the prizes.
Some final highlights:
Jerre Skeats, Judi DeMuro, and Mary Ann Cox completed all five 2015 Trail Mix Series races to date.
Eleven men have competed in all five of the 2015 Trail Mix Series races to date: Gerry Sullivan, Charles Glass, Todd Henrich, Eamonn Sullivan, Lee Willett, Charles Vaccaro, Alan Wegener, Jeff Thompson, James McGough, Eric Foxhall, and Chris Cassone.
Congratulations to those runners who have secured their prizes — and best of luck to all of the rest of the competitors, whether an age category prize is in your future or not, you can be congratulated on a series well run – and savor that automatic selection in the Loop Lottery as you enter it in January 2016!
Some Trail Mix Series runners already have four or five complete races — and can improve their scores with a strong showing at Raven Rocks.
After the Raven Rocks Run is complete and results are finalized, we will announce the winners in the week or so following that race. Due to the calculation involved in the Trail Mix Series standings, we likely won’t be able to determine all of the category winners on the fly on the day of Raven Rocks. We should have a pretty good idea though — watch this space for updates.
When will we get together to get you your goodies? At this point it is to be determined. But we will let you know as discussions are ongoing between Trail Mix race directors.
We have two races remaining in the Trail Mix 2015 Series: Run The Farm (25 October) and Raven Rocks Run (15 November).
After Run the Farm we will have a pretty good idea of how many Trail Mix finishers there will be — or at least a maximum number. After Raven Rocks is complete and results are finalized, we will announce the winners in the week or so following that race.
If you have already completed the series but can’t make it to Raven Rocks, we will get your items to you either at an upcoming race or in person.
1,600 runners — 588 different women and 1,025 different men have participated in at least one of the first two Trail Mix Series events in 2016!
After Run the Farm we will have a pretty good idea of how many Trail Mix finishers there will be — or at least a maximum number. After Raven Rocks is complete and results are finalized, we will announce the winners in the week or so following that race.
If you have already completed the series but can’t make it to Raven Rocks, we will get your items to you either at an upcoming race or in person.