Apr 26, 20224 min read

Course Changes to the 2022 Thunderbunny Trail Races

Updates are for the May 2022 race.

We’re excited to announce a few course changes that we’ve been working on for the past few months that we think will enhance the Thunderbunny Trail Races! These changes do not drastically change the courses, but it will feel slightly different for runners that have participated in past years. If you’ve never run Thunderbunny, you will not know the difference, but if you’ve studied the course recently, then you’ll need to be made aware of the changes. The main change is a new location for the start/finish staging area.

Starting this year, we will be starting and finishing, and holding all race activities at the Strouds Run State Park Campground! This will allow us to have a more “dedicated space” for race activities, rather than being down in the grassy field or by the boat launch as in years past.

Please view the rest of this document to see all the changes and a description of those changes. All the course information on the website has been updated, with updated maps, aid station charts, elevation profiles, and GPX downloads for the course files. You can find all course details on the website under the “The Course” tab: https://www.thunderbunny50k.com/course

*A note on distances and course cutoffs:*

Please view the aid station charts for the race that you are in, as these course changes have altered distances at each aid station, including some of the course cutoffs.

Starting Area Changes

The starting area will now be located at the beginning area of the Strouds Run State Park Campground. The map below highlights the location this is located. In years past we used a grassy space just as you enter the beach road, as well as the boat launch. Our new space is located just two-tenths of a mile from the previous starting area, but it will slightly affect the flow of the course (see blue line on image). All pertinent course changes are highlighted on the below pages.

Due to the new starting area, the flow in and out of the start and finish line will be slightly different for the courses. All three races will exit the start the same way (following the blue line seen below), and run on Strouds Run Rd. to the entrance of the Thunderbunny Trail. From here, most courses remain virtually the same.

The one key benefit about this change is that runners will not need to recross Strouds Run Rd. to finish the race as in years past, and instead will be already be on the side of the road of the campground.

Parking

Parking will be the same as it has in past years, as we’ll utilize the large beach parking lot at Strouds Run State Park. With the change of the starting area, the parking area will be slightly further away, but still a close walk for everyone.

Participants will also be crossing Strouds Run Road as they approach the campground. This road crossing will be patrolled and marked with signage so that vehicle traffic will take caution as you cross the road. Further, you’ll be crossing the road again when you return to your vehicle to leave. The walking distance from the parking lot to the new starting area in the campground will be between three-tenths and seven-tenths of a mile. Please use caution as you walk to the starting area. A map of the parking area in relation to the new starting area is below (the orange dotted line represents the route to walk to the starting area).

Changes to the 12K Course

The 12K course is only slightly altered, but the change will reduce the distance to be 6.84 miles. Due to this, the 12K is now an 11K! *If you registered for the 12K, please make note the reduction in distance to 11K*

The change in the course will only impact how the race begins and how the race ends, due to the start/finish line being in the campground. See the updated map on the website: https://www.thunderbunny50k.com/course

Changes to the 25K+ Course

-The final mile has been rerouted.

-The course distance remains the same, and there will be an added 100 feet of elevation gain

See full map on the website: https://www.thunderbunny50k.com/course

The image below shows the updated 25K+ finish. The red “X’ed” out trail is the former finish of the 25K, and the blue line represents the new 25K finish. Runners will cross Strouds Run Rd. after Gillette Junction aid station (mile 15.81), then run the first part of the Thunderbunny Trail before cutting down to the finish on the Vista Point to Campground Connector, where the finish is located.

Changes to the 50K Course

-The “lollipop out and back” to the Hope Drive aid station is now a pure out and back (see picture)

-Instead of the race finishing through the campground for the final mile, runners will run the full length of the Hollow Point Trail before finishing (see picture)

This change eliminates about a mile on the former lollipop before Hope Drive, about a mile of the former finish through the campground, along with the start/finish being about a half-mile shorter. The addition of finishing the 50K on the Hollow Point Trail makes up for the lost distance. The 50K has always come in a bit short in years past, but the new course variation is being measured at about 31.2 miles.