NEW RACE DATE: Sunday, March 12, 2023
This Spring, the General Assembly passed and the Governor signed SB 8 Hunting on Sundays; permits hunting on public or private land, etc. The race uses trails in the Cumberland State Forest, which will now be open for Sunday hunting. Our traditional December race date is in the middle of the firearms hunting seasons for deer and turkey. We consulted with Department of Forestry officials on options. Ultimately, we decided that changing the date to March is the best option for the safety of runners and volunteers. We'll obtain a special use permit from the Department of Forestry, because there still may be small game and bird hunting seasons in effect at that time. The State Forest will post a no-hunting buffer zone along the Willis River Trail and the Cumberland Multi-use Trail on race day.
Registration for the race will open on January 1, 2023.
This Richmond Road Runners Club 10-mile trail race starts and ends at Bear Creek Lake State Park in Cumberland, Virginia (about 45 minutes west of Richmond). The loop course passes through the piedmont hills of Cumberland State Forest and Bear Creek Lake State Park. This is an in-person race with registration capped at 275 runners.
Richmond Road Runners Club will donate $1.00 of each runner's registration fee to the Friends of Bear Creek Lake State Park -- the citizen volunteers from Virginia’s Central Piedmont region who enjoy supporting the park’s mission and operation.
All dates and other information are tentative and subject to change.