In 2014 the Iron Furnace Trail Run kickstarted SEOTR's existence, as well as my personal race directing journey. Since then IFTR has been a constant event on the calendar on the first Saturday of every April, with the exception of the COVID-Cancellation era!
Iron Furnace represented, and still does, a trail race with the trails and course being the main attraction, as well as a race that brings together and grows the trail running community. Over the past decade it was nice to see it's legacy grow, with many runners coming back year after year. Those runners have an affinity for the course, camaraderie and atmosphere of the race.
One aspect of IFTR that I took pride in as the race director is that the course had not changed at all in the history of the race, and so I was disheartened a bit in late summer when I received an email from the Lake Hope Park Manager about their desire for us to change our start/finish location, which in effect, would alter the race course of the Iron Furnace Trail Runs.
After a couple long meetings and a lot of emails back and forth we were ultimately required to change the location of the start and finish line area for the Iron Furnace Trail Run starting in 2025. At first this was sad news - for reasons stated above - but after planning and arranging these changes I am optimistic that IFTR will continue to have the same great qualities about the race as it always has.
This post will outline the changes to the 2025 Iron Furnace Trail Run...
Evolution of the Iron Furnace logo from 2014 to present.
Summary of Changes
Starting in 2025, the Iron Furnace Trail Run will feature a new start and finish line, still within Lake Hope State Park. Consequently, both the 13.1 Mile course and the 4.5 Mile course will be modified. Furthermore, the 4.5 Mile race will be extended to a 5 Mile race. Despite these alterations, the date of IFTR and the basic event setup will remain unchanged. The decision to relocate the start/finish area was prompted by growing congestion in the previous location, and was requested by ODNR, Parks, and Watercraft.
New Location of the IFTR Start/Finish
The previous start/finish line has always been at the Lake Hope Lodge. This location was a shared space on a ridge with the Lake Hope Lodge and Restaurant and cabins that are rented to guests. Although this space worked for 10+ years, the parking space was limited and that required us to utilize a shuttle to get all the participants to the start/finish. Due to the race's popularity and growth this area became more congested, and the park service saw the need to request us to change locations.
The new location for the start and finish of the Iron Furnace Trail Runs will be at the Lake Hope State Park Beach parking lot, located about 2.5 miles from the original location. This location will provide a space that is more dedicated to the race, with less overlap to the general public. This space will still be in close proximity to the lodge, all cabin rentals within the park, and the park campground. The picture below shows the proximity of the new location compared to the old location.
The space at the Lake Hope Beach has a nice covered shelter that runners will be able to congregate under, we'll do the registration and packet pickup here, and of course, prepare and pass out the food that runners have loved eating when they finish the race! This shelter is also multi-level with two outdoor decks to enjoy, with one side overlooking the lake. There is indoor restrooms at this location, but we'll also provide portable toilets for the event.
Most importantly this space is suitable for an agreement between the race and the ODNR, Lake Hope Park managers. The beach lot will also provide the parking needs as well as allows us to keep the integrity of the course as best possible with the change, and we'll outline that below.
The picture above shows the new start/finish location's (bottom left, shaded light blue) proximity to the original location (top right, shaded red), with the 2.5 miles via roadway between the two.
Changes to Race Parking
If you've participated in IFTR in the past you'll know that a large portion of runners have to park in an overflow parking lot and then be shuttled to the start/finish. This of course isn't always the most fun situation. One of the benefits to the new start/finish area is that there will not be the need to have shuttles. While there isn't a large lot that fits 100% of the cars for the event (oh the realities of trail races in secluded forests!), there are a handful of lots within 0.5 mile of the new start/finish.
We will still encourage as much carpooling as possible, as this always helps with race day congestion, but we'll no longer need to utilize an overflow lot and shuttle! On race day we will have law enforcement and volunteers helping to coordinate parking the best way possible.
The above map shows the new parking lots that will be utilized for IFTR, all within a short walk to the start/finish. There are also several other locations just outside this view that fit even more vehicles.
Changes to the Race Course
The change in start/finish line brings a change to the courses; like I mentioned above, the course had not changed in any running of IFTR since it began in 2014. But, after parsing out the details and designing a new course, I am happy with the change and I think that returning runners who grew to love the old course will equally enjoy the new course. We were able to retain about 8 miles of the original 13.1 mile course with the major change being the first and last 1.5 miles. The biggest change is that the 4.5 mile distance option will be changed to a 5 mile distance option, with the short course being completely new.
The 13.1 mile course will still mostly be run on the Zaleski State Forest Backpack Trail. The new beginning will feature a new to you climb, which will be the largest climb on the course! This also means the finish will be mostly downhill, compared to the former course having a killer of an uphill finish (darn, right!?). The other major change to the course happens after the 8 mile aid station where the course formerly turned and ran 2.2 miles on the gravel King Hollow Rd, before completing a 1.2 mile out and back to a hole punch. This gravel section will be eliminated and replaced with a new to you section of the Backpack Trail, but will reenter the original course on the out and back section, but will now be run in one direction. This design is a pure "lollipop style" shape.
The new 5 mile course will run almost entirely on the Lake Hope State Park mountain bike and hiking trails. This is completely different from the old 4.5 mile course, and there will not be any overlap with the 13.1 mile course. Trails being utilized for this course are the Furnace Trail, Wildcat Trail, and Sidewinder Trail. The trails for the 5 mile course are all singletrack, with one major climb in the middle miles, before finishing downhill.
Specs for the new courses are listed below, with old course comparisons. You can also see the new courses, with maps, elevation profiles, and downloadable GPX files on the website, which has been updated to reflect these changes.
13.1 Mile Course Details
True distance is 13.49 Miles (old course was 13.40 miles)
2185 feet of elevation gain (old course was 2027')
12.09 miles of singletrack trail (more trail miles!)
1.40 miles of pavement
Aid Stations: miles 2.93 and 8.05
5 Mile Course Details
True distance is 5.11 miles (changed from 4.5 miles)
587 feet of elevation gain (old course was 502')
4 miles of singletracks trail
1 mile of pavement
Aid Station: mile 3.1
*The specs and statistics provided above may differ between watches, as GPS accuracy can be influenced by factors such as quality, weather conditions, and various other variables.
Above are the old course layouts (left photo: purple = 13.1 mile, green = 4.5 mile) and the new course layouts (right photo: pink = 13.1 mile, orange = 5 mile).
Conclusion and My Thoughts on the Change
As a race director I've learned to be adaptable and creative when problem solving for my races. Time and experience, and events such as COVID and natural disasters, have taught me the importance of these skills. So, while I was disheartened when the ODNR, park manager came to me with this adjustment - and subsequently spent time and energy trying to find a solution to keep the start/finish the same - I think the change will ultimately work really well for the Iron Furnace Trail Runs. For those returning runners who've grown to love the original course, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised with the new course, and perhaps ignite a new sense of discovery at IFTR! And for any new runners, you'll likely never knew a difference ;).
We'll carry on striving to put on the best version possible of the Iron Furnace Trail Run, and it will happen again on April 5, 2025! I hope you can join us to check out the IFTR experience, and please return to scope out the changes if you've participated before. Registration will open Saturday November, 16, 2024 - we look forward to seeing you there!
Happy Trails!
Michael Owen
