In the Woods 30A 50K
I’m pleased to announce that registration for the 2023 In the Woods 30A 50K is OPEN! We're proud to be the ONLY ultramarathon on 30A. If you're from outside of the local area and/or have never heard of 30A, "30A" is both a road AND an "area," if you will. We're often regarded as having "the world's most beautiful beaches." Well, needless to say, we have some pretty amazing forest as well! The In the Woods 30A 50K will be taking place on Saturday, Feb 25th, starting and finishing at the Grayton Beach State Park. The race starts at 7:00a and the finish line closes at 4p - both start and finish will be at the Grayton Beach State Park trailhead. Beginning with the 2023 race we'll be utilizing a staggered start, with 25 runners starting every 10 minutes. More on the staggered start in a moment. Also beginning in 2023, there will be THREE race categories from which to choose from: the 50K solo, the 2-person relay and, our newest category, the 3-person relay. AJ's Grayton Beach will be serving as the Race HQ for the In the Woods 30A 50K.
Course
From the Grayton Beach State Park Trailhead, runners immediately head into the woods where they'll run on some of the prettiest trails that the state park has to offer. Runners will quickly hit a fantastic stretch of trail that runs along the banks of Western Lake. After crossing 395S for the first time, runners will be treated to the endless pine forests of Pt Washington State Forest. After a second crossing of 395S, runners will ultimately make their way back to Grayton Beach State Park. If tackling the In the Woods solo, runners will complete an identical second lap. If participating as a 2-person relay, the changeover point is at the trailhead. Runner #2 will complete an identical lap as completed by runner #1. For the 3-person relay, split up the course as your team sees fit. Seriously! In fact, the members of your team are even free to run multiple times, if that’s how you wish to do it. The ONLY rules: your team must run and complete the official 50K route as established (duh), and do it utilizing the 3 runners that you registered. That’s it. NOTE: you can obviously utilize the Tuk Tuk to get runners to the trailhead; but other than that, each team is responsible for getting their runners to where they need to be to run their leg(s). A "team car" is absolutely permitted, and there will be multiple locations along the route that could be used as "changeover points." As mentioned at the outset, we will be utilizing a staggered start. And also as previously mentioned, the race will be starting at the trailhead parking lot. The trail literally starts at the parking lot and the parking lot itself is small. Therefore, to ensure an orderly and safe start to the race + to eliminate congestion on the trails, we’ve decided to utilize a staggered start. In short, 25 runners will be assigned a specific 10-minute block of time. Runners are free to start at any point during their assigned 10-minute block. For example, if assigned the 8:10-8:20a block, you may start at 8:10a. Or 8:14a. Or 8:19a. The Elite runners…those who anticipate sustaining a pace of 8:00 p/mile or faster, will be encouraged to start in the first wave of runners at 7:00a. After the Elite runners start, we’ll be starting the relay teams and then the remaining solo runners. We're expecting ~150 total solo runners + teams, so ALL runners should anticipate starting by 8:00a. We utilized this format for a couple of races during COVID and it worked beautifully. In fact, some folks wanted us to keep it. Well, if you were one of those people you're now getting your wish! :)
NOTE: There's (very) limited parking at the trailhead parking lot, so runners are highly encouraged to park at AJ's Grayton Beach. We've booked two Tuk Tuks from Tuk Tuk 30A - they'll transport runners the .83 miles from AJ's to the start line. Or feel free to walk and use the trek to the start line as a warm-up. If you absolutely insist on driving to the start line, you can park in the grass adjacent the parking lot. You will likely be pretty nasty after running; personally speaking, I'd rather funk up Tuk Tuk 30A's seats than my own, but...up to you!
One last note: if you plan on maximizing your enjoyment of the course and anticipate taking more than 8.5 hours, please feel free to start your race at 6a: reason being, we lose our Sheriff's Deputy support at 3p, so we need everyone across 395S for the last time and on their way to the finish line by then. Obviously you won't be eligible for age-group awards, but it's all good...we're glad to have you! PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE check in with a race official before you take off. The timing company will be at the trailhead early, so you can notify them that you're leaving. This is very important for accountability purposes.
Click the following link to view the raw course + download the TCX/GPX data
Terrain
I should take this opportunity real quick to discuss the terrain just so there are no surprises. From the outset of the race you can expect tree roots, rocks, sand, and maybe even some fallen over trees. You can also expect a few sections of standing water and mud. In other words, pure awesomeness!!! Again, I just wanted to discuss the terrain so no one shows up on race day expecting a groomed running path with no trip hazards and with aspirations of going home with clean shoes. Simply put, not gonna happen!
Awards
Once you complete your race hop in a Tuk Tuk and head the .83 miles to AJ's Grayton Beach. The winner and runner up from the men’s and women’s solo races, and winner and runner up from the men’s, women’s and mixed (i.e. team of at least one man + one woman) 2-person and 3-person team races, will receive awards. The top 3 solo finishers from each age group will also receive awards. All race finishers will receive a nifty finisher’s award. And VERY SPECIAL to the In the Woods 30A 50K: all solo runners who finish the 50K in UNDER 5 HOURS will receive the (soon-to-be) coveted In the Woods 30A 50K "U5 Club" Stein. One note on the solo option: For any runners who believe that finishing the solo 50K before 3p (8 hour mark) may be an issue, feel free to start the race early. Starting before the group start will disqualify you from contention for any winner or runner up awards; but if awards are of no concern, then feel free to start early!
Post-Race Social
As far as particulars with regards to the post-race social, all registered runners with a bib will receive TWO beers + vittles to be determined. Your bib will have three tabs across the bottom: these tabs are what will get you the beer(s) + vittles, so be sure to hang on to your bib!!! NOTE: if you do wish to partake in the beers, you must have a valid ID on you to get served! If beer is not your thing, they will also have a full selection of non-alcoholic beverages, i.e. soft drinks, tea, coffee, etc. For friends and family on-hand, they will also have their full menu available. We're also going to have live entertainment at the social.
Packet Pick-up
Early packet pick-up will be on Friday, February 24th from 3-6p at a location to be announced. If you can't make it on Friday, no worries, there will also be packet pick-up on race morning at the start line from 6:00-6:45a. Awesome race swag as always! This year all registered runners will receive the official In the Woods 30A 50K race shirt.
Additional Details
Promo Codes: ACTIVE DUTY military, police, sheriff's deputies, fire, and paramedics, please use the HERO1 promo code to receive 25% off your registration. RETIRED military, police, sheriff's deputies, fire, and paramedics, please use the HERO promo code to receive 15% off your registration. All of the local-area middle school + high track and cross-country team runners can get 10% off by using the SCHOOL promo code. Area running clubs should have their own code (provided to them by us) for 10% off. If you've forgotten what it is, please hit us up. If you want to run, but the registration fee will truly set you back due to current financial hardship, please give us a holler at RunRotorhead30a@gmail.com. We set three registrations aside each race for folks in such a predicament.
A portion of the proceeds from registration for the In the Woods 30A 50K will always go to the Point Washington Medical Clinic. They provide primary medical care to our community and charge NO FEES for the service. They "charge" donations only. Needless to say I’m pumped that we can support them. Check them out at: https://thepwmc.org.
Professional race timing will be provided by our friends at International Running Company. Check them out at https://www.internationalrunning.com/
