Come run in the new Mountain View Trail Half Marathon, also on Antelope Island, on Saturday, October 17, 2009. Read all the information here.

The 2009 Antelope Island Buffalo Run was a great success! Thanks to all who helped and participated. Check out the results.

Here's your chance to run where the buffalo roam and the deer and the antelope play (oh, give me a home etc.). Sing along! Antelope Island State Park is on the largest island (28,000 acres) in the Great Salt Lake. There are about 45 miles of trails there with 500 head of buffalo to dodge. Sometime they move, sometimes they don't. Anyone in the Salt Lake area who's run these trails enjoys them.

Course
All three courses will be somewhat different for 2009. There is some new trail being cut on White Rock Bay and should be some really sweet single track. The race director has previewed the new route and it should be fun. However, this new trail will result in the course being longer. The start/finish may be moved to the trailhead itself to compensate for the new trail. Check back here for course updates.

The 25K and 50K will follow the same format as always, one or two trips around White Rock and Split Rock trails.

The 50 mile course will be similar to the 2008 race. Last year's map is on the website, we'll update it when we can. The 50 mile course will take runners out the same trail as the 25K and 50K runners. So, here's a course narrative. Go from the start out to the White Rock trailhead. Follow the trail out to the Elephant Head aid station. Stop there, get drinks, food, drop bag stuff etc. Right at the Elephant Head aid station is the "Elephant Head trail. 50 mile runners must run this trail. It is a short out and back (3.6 miles total). You have the option of doing it before going out to run the Split Rock loop or as you're coming back from the Split Rock loop. Either way you gotta do it. To verify that you've done it, there will be a plastic container with a roll of stickers in it at the turnaround. Take a sticker and put it on your race number. If you don't have a sticker on your number when you finish, then we don't know if you ran it or not. BTW, while you're out there, enjoy the views to the west of the island, they are breathtaking. Anyway, go back to the Elephant Head aid station, do your thing there, then run the Split Rock trail if you haven't done it yet, then finish up the White Rock trail (this is all so confusing!). Once you get back to the trailhead, turn right and follow the dirt road going east down to Mountain View trail. Once at the trail, turn left and go one mile to the trailhead. Say hi to the cool aid station people, grab something to eat and then head south to the ranch (11.8 miles). Along the way, say hi to the wonderful aid station folks at the Lower Frary Peak parking lot. When you get to the ranch you can pick up your pacer, more drop bag stuff, something to eat from the good folks at Roosters Brewery. Then head north to the Mountain View trailhead. Say hi to the folks at Lower Frary again. Once you get to the Mountain View trailhead, grab something to eat and drink, turn around again and run the one mile down to the fence. Turn right and go up the hill following the dirt road along the fence. As you top the hill you'll see a dirt road that veers off to the right. Take this road. Follow it to the paved road that goes to the park office, then continue north about 200 yards to the T intersection. Turn left and go up the paved road about 100 yards to a trail that goes off to the right. Follow this trail to the Bridger Bay aid station at campsite #10. Get your eats and drinks and get ready for the final four miles. Follow the campground road for about 200 yards to the Lakeside trailhead (campsite #8) and then follow the trail around the north end of the island and back to the start/finish. There you go, you done finished 50 miles.

Start Times
Pay attention, especially you 25K runners. This year the start times are as follows:
- The 50 mile race will begin at 6:00am, the same as last year.
- The 50K race will begin at 8:00am, the same as last year.
- The 25K race will begin at 9:00am, the same as last year.

Here's the reason(s): First, we don't want several hundred runners all hitting the trails at the same time. Makes for a lot of dust and noise, not to mention it wakes the children, it also makes it hard to pass or be passed. Second, starting all three races at different times will spread out the slam that the Elephant Head aid station will experience. Hopefully this will keep you runners from being delayed on your quest for that PR. Third, it will bunch up the initial finishers for all three races and should bunch up all of us mid-packers as well. We think it makes it a little more exciting to have several runners crossing the finish line close together rather than one very couple of minutes. Everyone will still have until 6:30pm to finish their race, so you should still have plenty of time.

Training Runs
Come join us on some training runs out on the island. Check out the schedule here.

Schwag
We hope to have some good schwag for everyone. For 2009, you'll get the usual short sleeved tech T entry shirt. You'll also have the option of ordering a polo shirt with the race logo embroidered, or a screen printed hoodie (this just gets better every year). We'll also see what sort of free junk we can dig up to throw in your bags as well. We'll have both men's and women's style tech shirts again as well. Keep in mind that the tech shirts run on the slightly small side. We might do some new colors for the entry shirts as well. Every year we end up exchanging some out because they're too small, so order accordingly. Your entry also gets you a pass to the island for your car and everyone in it (normally $9) for all day Saturday. If you want to visit the island on Friday, you'll have to pay the park entry fee. 25k finishers will get a baseball type runner's hat, the 50k and 50 mile finishers will get a long sleeve technical shirt.

Drop bags
You will be able to have drop bags at every refreshment stop for the 25K and 50K if you want (we only have two). For the 50 mile, we'll have at least two places you can have drop bags. One will be at the Elephant Head aid station, the others will be at the Ranch and the Lower Frary aid station. Make sure that they are labeled with your name and the refreshment stop. We will do our best to get back drop bags earlier than in years past, but if you really need some clothes at the finish, keep them at the finish. If you leave anything behind after the race, we may donate the stuff to charity, or we may just go thru it and claim whatever good stuff is left for ourselves and toss the rest.

Aid
There will be numerous refreshment stops, the start/finish area and a place called "Elephant Head" for the 25K/50K. For the 50 mile, there will be refreshment stops at Elephant Head, Mountain View trailhead, Lower Frary parking lot, the Ranch, and Bridger Bay campground. You will go thru all of these twice with the exception of the ranch and Bridger Bay. In addition, the Fielding Garr Ranch and the Bridger Bay campground have decent bathrooms to use. We will have porta-johns located at the Mountain View and Lower Frary aid stations. For the 25K and 50K, after you start, "Elephant Head" is at about 3.5 miles, then again at 8 miles, then the start area at 15.5 miles, rinse and repeat for the 50k, so carry sufficient water or your liquid of choice to get you through about 7 miles. These stops will be stocked with the usual assortment of ultrafood and beverages.

Timing
We typically chip time this race. Here are some things to know about that. You do not have to cross a mat to start. You do have to cross a mat to finish. If you drop, drop at an aid station. Either give your chip to one of the aid station personnel, or bring it back to the start/finish and give it to the timers. You will be charged money if you take off with it. If you drop down in distance, make sure you notify the timers so they can adjust the results accordingly. We had a couple of screwups in 2008 because of this.

Watching the race
The course is a wide open trail, no cover, and in certain areas, you can see for several miles. Friends and family are welcome to hike the trail, bring your horse along, bring the kids, dogs (must be on a leash at all times). Bring the binoculars too. There are numerous places from which family, friends, and anyone who's interested can watch your progress, or lack thereof. We'll have some maps available pointing out the best places to watch and cheer your runner (or slogger) on. Once the 50 mile runners are on the Mountain View Trail. You will be able to see them almost the entire way to the ranch from the road. There are two places where the trail actually crosses the road and numerous places where you can view several miles of the trail. Keep in mind that you must remain on the road or designated trails when in this area of the island. The park also requests that you not park along the shoulders of the road. There are turnouts at several points along this road where you can get a good view of the trail and the runners. As always, you can go to the accessible aid stations (Mountain View, Lower Frary, Bridger Bay, and the Ranch) as there is parking available at these locations.

Other Activities
Don't want to watch the race? There's a wonderful visitor's center at the north end of the island and the Fielding Garr Ranch at the south end of the island. Also, there are many other trails to explore. One other thing, we can always use the help from you family members that get bored going to these races. Volunteering at a race is a definite good time. If you've never done it, try it.

Awards
Awards will be given three deep in the usual 10 year age groupings as well as overall male and female winners. We will also have some giveaways just for showing up. Overall and age group awards will be given out as you cross the finish line.

Some Rules
Here are a few of the rules. We'll make up others as needed. First, NO TRASHING THE PARK. If you are observed purposely dropping litter of any kind (including the little gel tab thingies), you will be removed from the race. Period. We will have trash cans setup a ways outside each refreshment stop. Second, no cutting the course (it'd be hard to anyway) or leaving the trail. There's no prize money for this race, so no incentive. Third, no crew aid allowed between aid stations. That just makes it a little unfair for those who don't have the luxury of a crew. Fourth, no pacers for the 25K or 50K. Come on, they're only short little races with lots of time to finish. You can handle that without a pacer. The 50 mile race will allow pacers, you can pick up your pacer at the Ranch, provided they're not too heavy and you can still do something like that. Fifth, please yield to the horses when you're on the trails. Let them know you're coming up behind them well ahead of time and if you are coming head on, step to the side and wait for them to pass. Sixth, make sure you check in at every aid station so we know where to start looking if you don't show at the next aid station. Seventh, and we shouldn't have to say this, but be very nice to the volunteers and park employees, they've given up their day of cleaning house, shopping, yard work, to be out here catering to your needs and listening to your whining, thank them profusely. The point of these rules is that Antelope Island State Park has been more than enthusiastic about us having the race. We want to keep it that way so we can do it again. We also plan on having course marshals from the Trail Patrol out to help with any problems etc.

Registration
Guess What!? No limits on entries for 2009. The park is letting us have as many runners as we think we can handle. So, here's the scoop. There will be no waiting list. Download the entry document, fill in the fields, and then print it out. That way I don't have to hire hand writing experts to decifer the forms. You must postmark your entry by NO LATER THAN February 14, 2009. If it's postmarked after that, tough luck, we're sending it back to you. If you postmark it by that date, you're in.

Check-in
Pre race check in will be Friday night at Striders Running Store in Layton from 10am to 7pm. This is different from last year. Their address is:

400 W is actually Hill Field Road. So, coming from the south? Take the Hill Field Road exit and turn right, go north about 1/2 mile and the store will be on the right. Coming from the north? Take the Antelope Drive exit and go east to Hill Field road, about 1-1/2 miles, then turn right. The store will be about a 1/4 mile south on the left. While you're there, be sure to pick up any last minute running items. Striders owner's are huge supporters of this race, so give them some business if you can.

If you don't check in Friday, then you'll need to check in Saturday morning at the parking lot just before you go past the main entrance to the island. Check in there will start at 4:30am. Since it's 8 miles from the parking lot to the race start, plan accordingly time wise.

If you're camping on the island, we recommend that you check in at Striders, otherwise you'll have to drive out to the park entrance to pick up your stuff early in the morning because we won't have check in at the start/finish area..

Post Race Feed
There will be a post race feed. It will begin at 1:00 p.m. We're thinking buffalo stew, so here's the deal. Everyone attending the race and planning on eating after needs to bring ONE can of veggies of some sort. We really don't care what it is (although the RD is not a big fan of olives or mushrooms). Also, come on people, please don't clean out your pantry on us. We received several cans of old fruit cocktail and other stuff unsuitable for a stew unless you were desperate. Obviously, we couldn't put fruit cocktail into the stew. Stop by the store and spend less than a buck on something we can use. There's a WalMart on the way to the island. What we'll do is dump it all in a big kettle with the buffalo meat and stir it up. The stew has turned out pretty good the last couple of years, should be pretty good again, especially on a cool day in March. The race will also provide the drinks and, now pause and everybody say oohh!, dessert. We'll also have a pot of stew for you vegetarians out there as well. For you intrepid 50 mile runners, we'll hold on to your food cans until 50 mile finishers start crossing the line

Camping and Lodging
We are renting the equestrian campsite at the start/finish area Friday and Saturday night. Tents only. It will accommodate about 30-40 people. If you want to camp there, it will be an extra $2/family. Bring your own food for dinner and breakfast. Keep in mind that you will need to pay the $9/car entry fee on to the island for Friday night as your race entry is good for Saturday only. Also, the main gate closes at 9pm, plan on being on the island before then or you'll be locked out. There is also a campsite on the north end of the island with individual campsites. These are $12/night and you'll need to pay the park for that. If camping isn't your thing, there are plenty of hotels just off the Antelope Island exit of I-15. We have a link to the Davis County CVB on this site. The closest hotel to the island is the La Quinta Inn, however, there are several other hotels/motels within a mile of the La Quinta.

Refunds
There are no refunds after February 1st. Before that, we'll send you your money back, although why you would want to back out of this race is beyond us. Due to the ability to enter up to Feb. 14th, there will be no waiting list. If you wait until after Feb. 14th, tough luck. Also, please don't ask to switch names with someone else if you can't run. It gets too confusing for the timers (and the race director, who is easily confused) to switch names and races. If you can't run, then get your money back before Feb. 1 and tell your friend to enter before Feb. 14th.

Weather
March weather in Utah can be nice or not (there's a profound statement). Typically, Antelope Island is drier than the cities to the east and nearer the mountains. Here are the averages for March 28th for Hill AFB (10 miles away as the crow flies and 600 feet higher). There shouldn't be any bugs, which is a good thing on the island. If it rains or snows, the trail may get muddy in spots, but generally it drains pretty well. Keep in mind, this year daylight savings time will be in force on race day. This means that you 50 mile runners will be running in the dark for about an hour (some of us are always in the dark). Bring a flashlight.
Sunrise 7:17a.m.
Sunset 7:50 a.m.
Average High 55 Deg F
Average Low 33 Deg F

If we get an average day with sunshine, it'll be a great race day. So far we've been lucky with the weather, but one of these days it's going to be a mess, plan accordingly.

Directions to Antelope Island
If you're coming from either the north or south on I-15, take exit 332. This exit has a state park sign on the freeway. It's also the Antelope Drive exit. Once at the traffic signal off the exit, go west on Antelope drive. This means turn left off the northbound exit and right off the southbound exit. Drive about 4-5 miles towards the Great Salt Lake (west). Just before the lake you will run out of houses, etc. and see the main gate on to the island causeway. Just prior to the main gate, there is a paved parking lot on the left. This is where you will may check in Saturday morning if you didn't on Friday. You will pick up your goody bag, etc. here. Your goody bag will contain a pass for the island that you will place on your dash. This pass is good for entry on to the island for Saturday only. It can be used multiple times, so if you or a family member needs to leave the island, you will be allowed back on.

Go across the causeway towards the island, enjoy the scenery of the mud flats, water and definitely enjoy the smell affectionately known as "lake stink". The smell isn't apparent on the island unless there is a good breeze blowing. Once on the island, follow the road as it veers left. Do not take the road to the visitor's center. Follow the signs to White Rock bay for the 25K/50K and 50 mile. We'll have some race signs out on race day to help those that are directionally challenged. Once you get to the race area, you will be directed where to park by our friendly staff of parking enforcers. Please, please, please do not park off of the road. The park management will get very upset if you do.

Miscellaneous Stuff
You may encounter Bison out on the course. We will have the services of the volunteer Trail Patrol to hopefully keep them off the trail. If you encounter bison on the trail, generally they will get out of your way, however, some of the bulls (1500-1800 lbs.) are obstinate and won't budge. Bison will also charge you (and not with credit cards) if you enter their personal space (seems to be about 10-25 yards or so based on the RD's experience). The charges are generally short but can scare the you-know-what out of you. To our knowledge, only one person has been hurt by the bison on the island (happened in summer 2007). Head for a rock field if you can, they generally won't follow. Don't look them directly in the eye, they take it as a challenge. Go off trail enough to get around them. You'll possibly see all sorts of other animals, pronghorn antelope, mule deer, coyotes, bighorn sheep, porcupines, and countless birds (chukar, meadowlarks, seagulls (the Utah state bird), shore birds, etc.).

Why are we putting on this race?
You may wonder this, you may not. Those of us on the race committee love to run trails. We feel that this is one way to give a little back to the trails and those who provide and maintain them (the State Park) and introduce people to Antelope Island State Park. We're certainly not in this for monetary gain. Antelope Island State Park has a fund that is used to provide park equipment such as picnic tables, etc. If we have any race proceeds, they will go to this fund to help improve the park for all visitors.