|
Welcome to Treasured Haven Farm Trail Race Events page! We host trail running race weekend events throughout the year here on the farm. Our race courses travel along the fields and gardens and through the woods where a few hills challenge runners of all experience levels. Come join us for our race events this year and experience the trails and country air for yourself! Please contact us if you ever have any questions or would like to join our mailing list! All
of our farm
courses are privately controlled on the farm itself
and not on public roadways! We do have one gravel road that the course
crosses for some of the runs over 5k so that we can access the western
half of the farm for more challenges, terrain, and distance.
History of Treasured Haven Farm Trails The courses and trails have been under development by the Johnson Family on Treasured Haven Farm since 1997 when we started blazing our first few feet of trail through a portion of the woodlands and ravines to create a walking and running path to connect two parcels of land. Our trail system continues to expand each year through more areas of the farm and is also used for woodland management, wildlife viewing, and trail rides in some areas. Our farm has private wooded trails, field drives and crossings, many open areas including fields and gardens, with ravines, streams, numerous hillsides, and a creek that help create some interesting and challenging adventure features for our premier cross country runs of distances beyond the 5k. Surfaces vary from mowed field grass, private dirt field roads, woodland dirt trails, to more rough terrain for adventure runs. The farm and courses surely will challenge your body and refresh your spirit!         Our family has always been avid runners and supporters of running cross country and track, with all five of the Johnson children participating in those sports for the local High School and state and regional USATF. Mom, Peg, was even the first girl team member from the local high school to participate in Cross Country Running when it was made available back in 1977. Also one of our daughters, Britta, who now serves as our assistant race director, went on to run Track and Cross Country and coach, at the College Level. Treasured Haven Farm hosted it's first 5K Trail Run, known as the Treasured Haven Farm Veggie Run, on August 14, 2010! We also had a 1 Mile Fun Run and a Toddler Trot for the kids! The 5k course was well received even considering the farm had received over 7 inches of rain the preceding three days! It was truly an adventure mud and trail run for its inaugural debut! Back in 1997 when we first started blazing our first few feet of trail through a portion of the woodlands and ravines, our goal was to create a walking and running path to connect two parcels of land. Our trail system continues to expand each year through more areas of the farm and is also used for woodland management, wildlife viewing, and trail rides in some area. We do have a program for use of the trails to any school team who wishes to train on the off road trails away from the stress and danger of road traffic and also offer teams fundraising opportunities for helping with farm projects and the gardens. Our family's goal was to "someday" host a real race on our farm and starting in August 2010 this goal was realized with all five of our children present to be a part of that great day. Our three oldest were able to come participate from their homes currently in Wisconsin, Iowa, and Alabama. Since our farm changes with the seasons so do our races to allow more participation and experiences on the farm. We host a spring run through the fresh, green countryside on the farm with new wild flowers in the woods and new crops in the fields, a summer veggie run that will include a portion of the race through the gardens in addition to the woodlands, and a fall harvest run bursting with the fall colors of the woods. A winter event is also being considered for future years. Trail
Surfaces
The trail surface varies throughout the course from mowed grass field paths, farm field roads of grass and dirt, natural woodland surfaces from which major debris has been removed. There are minimal rocks and any obstacles such as larger roots that cannot be removed are highlighted with florescent marker. Some trails may contain dry waterways, that due to seasonal variations, may have a small amount of water at race time. Major water crossings will be handled with wood planked foot bridges. Some logs may be strategically placed at ravine crossings in races of distances 10k and over. Course width varies from 54 inches at the narrowest to wider widths of 15 feet, average width for most of the courses are six feet. Trail use year-round We do have a program for use of the trails to any school team who wishes to train on the off road trails away from the stress and danger of road traffic. We also offer team fundraising opportunities for helping with farm projects and the gardens. Trail
Run
Series
"This
isn't just a race that covers a distance,Since our farm changes so with the seasons and we have much interest in participating in farm events, we have decided to offer seasonal races for 2011 to allow more participation and experiences on the farm. We plan to host a yearly Spring Run through the fresh, green countryside of the farm with new wild flowers in the woods and new crops in the fields, a Summer Veggie Run that will include a portion of the race through the gardens in addition to the woodlands, and a Fall Harvest Run bursting with the fall colors of the woods. A Winter event is also being considered for future years. We have also made the move in 2011 to run all races with a chip timing system for races 5K and longer! Comments from some of our races this is a course that allows you to go the distance within yourself. No distractions, just the beauty of the surroundings, and the challenge of the best off-road course I have ever run!" GROWING GREEN RUN "I did the Growing Green Trail Run 20K and had a blast! The trail was incredibly wet and muddy due to all the recent rain, but the course was great and featured a good variety of terrain with plenty of challenges." "It was a great day and a perfect test of will. The mud, stream crossings, and hill climbs were an added bonus to an already fun course. Nice job!" "It was a great time, I had never done a trail race let alone any race. It was totally a challenge and can't wait for my next race" "I didn't know what to expect given I'd only been training on pavement, but it was so much fun and a good challenge, especially with the rain and mud! I'm looking forward to doing it again and beating my time!" "Thank you - I really enjoyed it!" "This race took me back to the heart of trail racing: no crowds, no pavement pounding, just you against the trail and elements of the day. Our day just happened to be ankle deep mud, water logged fields, and creek crossings up to our knees. It was awesome! " "If you're up for a challenging 5K race, Growing Green Race really tests your skill as a runner. The hills and mud were quite refreshing." "The Growing Green 20K was an awesome run!" General Information for all races Parking
On site parking is provided for a number of vehicles near the homestead and adjacent fields, although carpooling is recommended if possible. There will be signs directing you for parking. NO PARKING is allowed on County or Township Roads!!! There are multiple ways into the farm and special directions will be available when necessary on specific race pages to allow traffic to move efficiently. Thanks! Spectators From our experiences of attending 100's of races over the years, we understand the desire to watch at least part of the longer races and have designed the courses for some great spectator vantage points. We also will have some concession items available. We do request that spectators remain only near the course and in designated areas and be conscious that this is a working farm with growing crops. The farm also has living ecosystems in the woodlands and other areas that could be damaged should you stray off the courses or enter these fragile habitats. If there is a sign or roped off area, please do not cross these lines in order to preserve the opportunity for future events. Thank You! Your Cooperation in Preserving the Environment is Greatly Appreciated! Volunteers Volunteers are always appreciated! If you are interested in volunteering to help at one of our races, please contact Peg. Location and Packet Pickup Treasured Haven Farm 53407 Government Road Rush City, MN 55069 Packet pickup/Raceday Registration: Check each race day for specifics. Race Contact Peg Johnson, email at run [at] treasuredhavenfarm [dot] com or call 320-358-3581. |