Tag: blues cruise

20th Anniversary Blues Cruise Just a Month Away!

by pagodapacers

The 20th anniversary of the Blues Cruise Ultra is October 5, 2025!

This event features both the classic 50k solo race and the newer 50k relay option!

Lots has been going on at race headquarters! By the time you read this, we will have over 200 runners registered for the 50K, plus at least 12 relay teams! 

As always, we are in need of lots of help. Volunteers are needed for trail maintenance the week before the race, and for course marking on October 4th. There are lots of opportunities to help out from 6am-6 pm on race day, including post-race cleanup and pre-race course check. While some volunteers devote their whole day to helping out, shifts are available for those who can only spare a couple hours! Please log onto UltraSignUp and click the VOLUNTEER Tab and pick the assignments that interest you: https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=123699 

If volunteering for an aid station, please put your preference in the comments (or Elaine can place you where there is a need).  Any questions, please contact Elaine Cook directly: bluescruiserd@gmail.com. 

Blues Cruise Group Training Run on 9/6/25

by pagodapacers

Instead of offering our normal “Weekend 10-Miler,” the Pacers encourage you to check out the Blues Cruise Training Run at Blue Marsh Lake on Saturday, September 6.

We will meet at the Lower Stilling Basin lot at 7:30 a.m. and carpool to the Old Church Road lot so that we can run point-to-point on the Blues Cruise course starting about 8 a.m. The run is almost 16 miles, with 1,600 feet of elevation gain. Runners can easily shorten it to just under 14 miles by skipping the Skinner’s Loop portion, and of course adding miles is easy too. Please comment on the Facebook Event if you need suggestions. Bring water and nutrition! Great day to dial in your race-day gear!

Blues Cruise Group Training Run on 8/10/25

by pagodapacers

Instead of offering our normal “Weekend 10-Miler,” the Pacers encourage you to check out the Blues Cruise Training Run at Blue Marsh Lake on Sunday, August 10.

This group run is open to everyone–not just registered participants of the Blues Cruise race.

The event will start at 8 a.m. We’ll meet at the Old Church Road parking lot (porta potties available) and run a lollipop route featuring Skinner’s loop. This run is a10k.

For those looking for a longer run, it is easy to add the ski loop directly on, for a half-marathon distance. All of these miles are on the actual Blues Cruise course, and we’ll get a nice mix of terrain, especially for those doing both loops. We will have at least 2 pace groups, more if numbers allow. Please bring a hydration belt or vest and needed nutrition. Insect repellent is a good idea too!

Follow the Facebook Event for this run for updates. 

Justa Fat-Ass Run on July 12, 2025

by pagodapacers

Instead of offering our normal “Weekend 10-Miler,” the Pacers are organizing two different Fat-Ass style group runs in July!

The first will be organized by the Blues Cruise race directors as a training run for the October ultramarathon.

Please note: this run is open to EVERYBODY–not just registered Blues Cruise participants.

The event will take place from 6 a.m. to 12 p.m. (must start final loop before 11 a.m.) on Saturday, July 12 at the Justa Road trailhead at Blue Marsh.

We are looking at a 5-mile figure 8-ish loop with about 700 feet of climbing. This event will be an informal, “fat-ass” style run, in which participants bring snacks to share and there is no registration or awards. We’ll have cold water and Gatorade and mark the loop. You arrive anytime during the event (as long as you start your final loop by 11 a.m.) and run it as many times as you like! We added time to this year’s event by popular demand.

The beauty of this system is runners of all paces can enjoy a long run together at their own speed, while intersecting with each other at multiple times during the event. Bragging rights available to those who complete the most loops or distinguish themselves in any other way that catches our fancy!

Follow the Facebook Event for this run for updates. 

***THERE ARE NO RESTROOM FACILITIES AT JUSTA ROAD. Nearest bathroom is at State Hill Boat Ramp; plan on stopping there on your way in. Bring a snack to share, hydration vest or belt, reusable cup, lawn chair, and some dry clothes if you don’t want to leave sweaty.

Post-run refueling at Ganly’s Irish Pub!

Blues Cruise Turns Twenty!

by pagodapacers

The Blues Cruise Race Directors have been hard at work on the 20th edition of the Blues Cruise 50k!

This year’s race will be counterclockwise.  We’ve created a participant guide which can be found on the Blues Cruise website to facilitate planning.

We’ll be continuing with our relay option and have slightly reduced the price for relay entries. The Triple Trail Challenge 50.3, which links Blues Cruise to the Charlie Horse Half-Marathon and Run for the Ages 10K, will continue, and Shaun Luther set up a one-stop sign-up page.  

This year the Triple Trail Challenge Starter Pack has been added for runners who complete The Dirty Pony 5k, Run for the Ages 10k, and a relay leg at Blues Cruise.  

Finally, we’re planning special swag for our 20th anniversary, so stay alert and keep training!

Triple Trail Challenge 50.3 and Triple Trail Starter Pack

by pagodapacers

We’re doing it again.

The club is going to hold the Triple Trail Challenge 50.3 again for 2025.

Last year exceeded our expectations for how many people would attempt to run The Charlie Horse Trail Half Marathon, the Run For the Ages 10K Trail Chase, and the Blues Cruise 50K Trail Ultramarathon.

We listened to some of the feedback from runners, and one of the changes we made for this year is to allow runners to register for all three races at once on UltraSignUp.com.

With one discounted registration, you will be registered for all three races in the Challenge.

Not ready to commit to all three races? Runners will still have the option of registering for each race individually, and (assuming they finish all three), they will still be able to complete the Challenge.

Also new for this year, the Triple Trail Starter Pack!

The Triple Trail Starter Pack is designed for runners new to trail running. The Starter Pack is also a three-race series that will introduce runners to a wide variety of trail races without having to commit to some of the long-distance challenges of the Triple Trail Challenge 50.3. The series starts with the Dirty Pony 5K, moves on to the Run For the Ages 10K Trail Chase, and finishes with the one of the Blues Cruise Relay legs. (Please note that the relay leg must be completed as a member of a registered relay team.)

Discounted registration for the whole series is also on the Triple Trail Ultrasignup page. And like the Challenge, runners do not have to commit to the series; the option of registering for each race individually is still available.

REGISTER FOR ALL THREE!
Register for Charlie horse or dirty pony
register for run for the ages 10k
register for blues cruise 50k ultra or 50k relay

Inaugural Class of Triple Trail Graduates!

by pagodapacers

Congratulations to the 20 runners–including 5 Pacers–who completed the Inaugural Triple Trail Challenge 50.3. These trail warriors started with running the Charlie Horse Trail Half Marathon in May, then survived the steam bath that was the Run For The Ages 10K Trail Chase in June, and finally finished with a nice run-around-the-lake at the Blues Cruise 50k. These runners got to experience three very different trail races available from our club and received some sweet additional swag for their trouble.

The names:

Bryce Antle, Ben Ash, Danny Cabrera, Taylor Charles, Tyler Davis, David Evans, Rich Fotiades, Sheri Golembiewski (Pacer), Lisa Good, Julia Hager (Pacer), Rita Hall, Brittni Harris (Pacer), Jason Karpinski (Pacer), Tim Kirk, Aaron Kreider (Pacer), Margueritte Ngami, Jesse Rutledge, Megan Sheriff, Forest Williams, Lisa Zwierzyna

the faces:

Blues Cruise Is This Sunday (10/6/24)!

by pagodapacers


The Blues Cruise race date is nearly here: Sunday, October 6, 2024!

As we enter race week, there are many tasks to be completed. If you wish to volunteer, please sign up at https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=112917.    

If you are unable to use the sign-up page, please contact Elaine Cook directly. On the sign-up page, you can choose a task or allow Elaine (our volunteer coordinator and race director) to help you find a fun job that fits your time frame. 

*** We do need 1 or more persons to conduct a course check (usually on bike, but horses are ok also) early on race day.***   

For those that use the trails at Blue Marsh, please email bluescruiserd@gmail.com if you see any areas with trees down, or areas that need to be mowed/weed-whacked.

If anyone is on the trail after the race, please remove any of the pink or orange ribbons our sweepers may have missed.

*** FAQ: The race is clockwise this year!***

Final Blues Cruise Training Run Set for 9/7/24

by pagodapacers

We will meet at the Old Church Road parking area  at 7:45 a.m. on Saturday, September 7th, and carpool to the lower Stilling Basin lot, to run point-to-point on the Blues Cruise course, starting about 8 a.m.

The run is almost 16 miles. Runners can easily shorten it to just under 14 miles by skipping the Skinner’s Loop portion, and of course adding miles is easy too.

(For those looking for a shorter option, an out-and-back of your desired distance is also an easy option. Just meet us at the Stilling Basin so we can run the first few miles together!)

Please comment on the Facebook Event Page if you have questions or need suggestions. Bring water and nutrition! The route features about 1600 feet of climbing.

This will be a great day to dial in your race-day gear! This includes some of our favorite parts of the Blues Cruise course!

For those who have the time, several of us usually grab lunch together after. Hope to see you there!

Sometimes It Feels GOOD to Have the Blues

by pagodapacers

Blues Cruise needs you! 

The Pacers’ most challenging event is the Blues Cruise 50K, which requires about 100 volunteers and lasts 12 hours from set up to clean up.  This year’s race is on Sunday, October 6, with set up starting at 6am, and clean up finishing at 6pm. 

While a number of folks are there for the long haul, most of our volunteers work a shift of a few hours.  As we did last year, we’re asking volunteers to go to the Blues Cruise page on UltraSignUp  and click the green volunteer button next to the registration button in the banner. There you will agree to the waiver which allows you to be covered by our insurance. Then you can select one (or more!) volunteer duties. 

We’d love to get some of our newer members out to volunteer!  I think all the veteran volunteers will agree that this is a truly rewarding day and a great way to meet more of the club. Many of the BC runners are new to ultra running and our volunteers make all the difference–as the runner surveys indicate. 

If you are an experienced ultra runner, your expertise is invaluable; and if you’ve never run an ultra, beware!  Spending a day at this event is likely to get you signing up as a runner next year! 

If you’d like to volunteer, but can’t participate on the 6th, check out the list.  We need course maintenance throughout September, and we need course markers on Saturday October 5th, as well as gear cleanup on Monday October 7th. 

Finally, our final Blues Cruise training run is Saturday September 7 for a 14 mile course preview–check out the Facebook event page for details!  Thanks everyone, you are the ones who make this race great.  Looking forward to seeing you there!

click here to register as a volunteer!

Elaine and Michael