The River Valley Run Trail Festival is Maryland's premier trail run festival event for the whole family! Trail Festival registration is OPEN!
Runners of all types are sure to find the challenge that's right for them as our trail festival features 4 exciting races through 500 breathtaking wooded acres:
a nationally recognized & award winning 10K trail race.
a 15K Trail Race for those after an even bigger endurance challenge.
a 5K Trail Race for those looking to take the leap into Maryland trail running!
*NEW for 2019* — If doing one of our other trail races feels like too much, our 1-Mile Trail Run/Walk is perfect for you! Great for kids, non-runners, and even parents with jogging strollers! Participants can register with a donation of any size. All donations will go towards sending underprivileged kids to camp.
In addition to our awesome races we offer a free Kidsfest area with games and entertainment for those who want to have your family join in the fun!
Entry Fees
As a certified Green Event, our goal is to have 100% non-paper registration for our Maryland trail run festival. Packet-Pickup and Race Day registration will also be available as space allows.
Click here for a downloadable form.
The River Valley Run does not allow for refunds of entry fees. However, we understand that circumstances arise so you may defer your registration or downgrade your race event:
TRANSFER/DOWNGRADE/UPGRADE
If you would like to downgrade or upgrade races (eg- switch from the 15K to the 10K, 5K to 10K, etc...), or if you are now unable to attend and would like to transfer your registration to a friend or family member, you may do so for a $10 fee. You can do this yourself in your RunSignup account up until August 10th.
DEFERMENT TRANSFER
If you become injured or circumstances arise that keep you from participating in the River Valley Run Trail Festival in any capacity in 2019, you may defer your entry to 2020. Deferments are for one year's use only and cannot be applied to subsequent years after that time. There is a $10 processing fee to defer. You may do this anytime before August 10th by completing the form below.
Race Information
Included with Registration
Race Registration
Discounted River Valley Run Race Shirt Option
(only $20 and only available for this price during registration)Product Giveaways
(available at packet pickup locations, while supplies last)Post-race refreshments
2019 River Valley Run Premium Race Shirts
If you would like to purchase this year's premium race shirt on race day, they will be available at the Run Store by the finish line for $25, while supplies last. We recommend purchasing your shirt during the online registration process to save $5.
Packet Pick-Up
We strongly encourage you to come to one of the 3 packet pickup locations PRIOR to the race to get your packet. There will be race day packet-pickup from 5:30-7am as well. When you come, please remember to BRING A PRINTOUT OF YOUR EMAIL CONFIRMATION OR YOUR PHOTO ID for packet pick-up. This is for your safety, to make sure someone else does not walk off with your race kit. If you are picking up for a friend/friends, you must have their confirmation as well (or a photo of their ID/confirmation email on your phone).
Thursday, August 15th from 4-8PM
Charm City Run - Timonium
2045 York Rd
Timonium MD 21093
Race Morning - Saturday, August 17th from 5:30AM
River Valley Ranch - Manchester, Md
4443 Grave Run Rd
Manchester, MD 21102
443-712-1010
Race Day Schedule
All race times are subject to change. A final schedule will be posted a few weeks before the event. Click here to view our grounds map and get your bearings.
Starting Corrals & Wave Starts
As a way to reduce congestion at the start (we have a fairly narrow starting area), all 15K, 10K, & 5K participants will be organized in corrals based on your estimated per mile running pace. At the starting line, look for the corral markers with the "minute/mile" numbers on them and stand between your appropriate times (ie- if you run about 8 ½ min. miles, stand between the “8 Min Mile” sign and the “9 Min Mile” sign). Your official time will not start until you cross the starting line so it doesn’t matter where in line you start.
Wave start schedule:
15K – 2 wave starts, 2 minutes apart
10K – 4 wave starts, 2 minutes apart
5K – 2 wave starts, 1 minute apart
1-Mile – 2 wave starts, 1 minute apart
What to Bring
DO Bring: Your bib, your ID, spending money for vendors, a sense of adventure!
DON'T bring: Pets, coolers, glass containers, alcohol or tobacco products.
Bag Check
A gear check tag is on your bib, which will be placed on your bag when you drop it off. Make sure to hold on to your bib to pick up your bag after the race! Bag check opens at 5:30 am and closes promptly at 10:30 am.
Courses
Are you ready to take your trail running to the next level? Our 15K is designed to expose participants to the true essence of endurance trail running. The first 2/3 of the course will be our award-winning 10K...and then the FUN starts! The final 5K could be the one of the more challenging 5K's you've encountered. It starts by climbing the steep trail to RVR's famous triple zip line and then returning to the valley. The trail then crosses Grave Run Road, takes you along the Muddy Creek through the center of RVR, and then winds through a scenic wooded trail on the eastern edge of RVR's property. The trail then peaks at the highest point on the property with a spectacular nearly 360 view of the Gunpowder Valley before returning to the finish area in the Old West town. Runners should be prepared to encounter rocky terrain, at least 5 SIGNIFICANT hills, several river crossings (you will get wet!) and occasional underbrush. While there will be 7 water stops, we still suggest runners bring their own hydration. IMPORTANT NOTE: Due to the challenging nature of this course we suggest your training plan be closer to a 1/2 marathon plan than a 15K. Also be sure to include regular hill training for best results.
10K TRAIL RACE
Our signature race, the 10K is an authentic Trail Run. If you are looking for a leisurely trail run like the NCR, this is not for you! This highly acclaimed course begins in the lush river valley and proceeds to the top of the Fort Roller hill, overlooking the scenic Western Town below. It then moves primarily through wooded trails (moderate to steep up and down grades) to a Rocky Ridge trail scramble where runners can choose from several paths that end in the same place. The trail then winds its way to the Cigar Tree Field where you’ll encounter a trail carved in one of RVR’s current crops, followed by the infamous "Dead Man's Hill" (relatively short but a doozy!). Gradually descending to the Gunpowder River, racers will next have the option to cross through the river (for the REAL trail runners of course) or across a single lane tree bridge. You'll then enjoy a flat series of single track trail following the river (a welcome cooler section of terrain), pass back thru the starting line, up Grave Run Rd, and back down thru our Old West town, across the covered bridge to the finish! Congratulations...you've now completed one of America's Premier 10K Trail Runs!
>> 10K Interactive Trail Map
>> 10K Race Route (with elevation changes)
5K Trail Race
A great way to break into trail running! PLUS, you get to experience a portion of our award winning 10k trail race, including the water crossing option. This race starts in the valley and begins with uphill terrain towards Fort Roller, including 2 significant hills as it joins the 10K course just before mile 4. Once you've conquered these you are well on your way to becoming an official RVR Trail runner!
>> 5K Trail Course Interactive Map
1-Mile Charity Run/Walk
If doing one of our other trail races feels like too much, our 1-Mile Trail Run/Walk is perfect for you! Great for kids, non-runners, and even parents with jogging strollers! Participants can register with a donation of any size. All donations will go towards sending underprivileged kids to camp.
KIDSFEST FAMILY AREA (FREE)
This year we are opening our Kidsfest area to all participants free of charge! While there will be no official kids races this year, we will be making this area available to families just after the 5K races begin.
Why We Are Not Offering Kids Races Any More: While we love providing fun activities for kids (hey, its what we do at RVR), we heard from many parents over the years that it was challenging running their race and then trying to make it over for their kids race (having to miss the awards ceremony, VIP tent, post race area, etc). We also heard that it was difficult having multiple kids, some of whom did not run but wanted to do Kidsfest. So, we decided to offer Kidsfest to all runners and their families FREE OF CHARGE and keep it open the entire time to drop in as you want. For those with older kids who still want to run, we encourage you have them run/walk with you on either the 5K road race (beginners) or the brand new 5K Trail Race (intermediate). Hope to see you and your family out on race day!
Volunteers
Race volunteers needed! We are looking for high school students and older to help with registrations, race set-up and tear-down, the post-race round-up, and much more. All volunteers receive a free performance shirt. If you are interested in volunteering, you can find and register for a position on our Volunteer Page.
