Charlie Horse – Pagoda Pacers News

“Thank You” from PA Special Olympics for 2025 Charlie Horse Donation

October 31, 2025 by pagodapacers

On Sunday, October 19, Charlie Horse race directors, Shaun and Kelly, along with founders and longtime race supporters, Charlie and Kate Crowell, presented a check for $1,625 to Special Olympics Pennsylvania. Every year Charlie Horse Trail Half Marathon (and Dirty Pony 5k) donates its proceeds to support athletes in the Berks County area. We would like to thank all the Pagoda Pacers that volunteered, ran, or otherwise supported our race—we cannot do it without you!

Charlie Horse will take place May 24, 2026, so save it in your calendar and come out to support a great cause. We look forward to seeing you there!

Happy trails,

RDs Shaun and Kelly

Ps. Check out the thank-you note we received from Special Olympics PA below!

Special Olympics Thank You Download

Charlie Horse / Dirty Pony 2025 Recap

May 31, 2025 by pagodapacers

We’ve had a lot of rain this spring, but the forecast was on our side for the 28th running of Charlie Horse Trail Half-Marathon and Dirty Pony 5k that took place on May 25th. The weather was great for runners and spectators alike, and everyone stayed dry–until the last 3 miles of the course. (Or, for the Dirty Pony runners, until shortly after they started running, but hey, it’s called the DIRTY Pony for a reason!)

For the Charlie Horse, we had 117 registered runners, and 46 brave souls signed up for the Dirty Pony. With as much rain as we’ve had, the race directors considered providing life preservers and pool floaties for Charlie’s infamous section, but everyone made it through without issue and all who toed the line made it to the finish.

In the half, Alicia Keeler secured the top spot for women and Raymond Stoltzfus took first place for men. The top finishers for Dirty Pony crossed the line seconds apart with Heidi Bretz taking first place for women and David Goss for men. There were also quite a few people who ran their first official race, achieved distance PRs, or snagged personal bests for the day. Great job runners!

On behalf of my co-race directors, Shaun and Libby, I’d like to thank everyone who came out to support the race and the Special Olympics of Berks County. Whether you ran, cheered, or volunteered, we really could not have done it without the help of our Pacer community.

Important note: anyone who completed the Charlie Horse Half is one-third of the way through the Triple Trail Challenge and currently eligible to receive the awesome extra swag! Don’t miss out! Sign up for Run for the Ages 10k (June 15, 2025) to complete the next race in the series. Anyone who completed the Dirty Pony is one-third of the way through the Triple Trail Starter Pack, and Run for the Ages 10k is your next step in completing the challenge, too!

See you on the trails!

Kelly

Charlie Horse and Dirty Pony Coming Up on 5/25/25!

May 3, 2025 by pagodapacers

April showers bring May flowers, and what do May flowers bring?? The Charlie Horse Trail Half Marathon and Dirty Pony 5k!

That’s right, May means your favorite Pagoda Pacer trail half-marathon is right around the corner on May 25th!

What makes Charlie Horse such a great race? It features scenic sections of single-track along the Horse-Shoe Trail–a fun challenge if you want to push your legs this spring, but less intimidating than those crazy long ultras!

Not sure if you’re up for 13(ish) miles of trail running? No worries–we’ve got you covered with the Dirty Pony 5k! I promise you, the Dirty Pony 5k is unlike any race you’ve run before, and while you might not run away with a PR, you’re almost guaranteed to walk away with a great story. (And maybe some mud.)

If trails just aren’t your thing, but you still want to have fun with your favorite Pagoda Pacers, we’d love to see you out there volunteering. (Or do BOTH! Just pick an early/late volunteer spot that won’t interfere with your race.) As many of you know, it takes a lot of manpower to put on a race, and we can’t do it without the support of awesome people like you.

Head to Ultrasignup to register for the race and/or sign up to volunteer. Hope to see you there!

Happy trails from your Race Directors,

Shaun, Libby, and Kelly

P.S. This is the first race of the popular Pagoda Pacer Triple Trail Challenge. (And new this year: Triple Trail Starter Pack!) Don’t miss out….

Triple Trail Challenge 50.3 and Triple Trail Starter Pack

January 31, 2025 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.

Inaugural Class of Triple Trail Graduates!

November 1, 2024 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:

2024 Charlie Horse / Dirty Pony Recap

May 31, 2024 by pagodapacers

by Kelly Ammon

The 27th running of the Charlie Horse Trail Half-Marathon and Dirty Pony 5k took place on May 26th without any major problems. The weather did get a little hot as the temperatures peaked in the high 80s, but nothing a few mud pits couldn’t fix for the runners. Even with the heat, every runner that made it to the start line also made it to the finish: 130 for the Charlie Horse and 39 for the Dirty Pony, respectively.

Both races had near photo finishes. Cody Harris was able to secure first place male and Lindsey Gruber first place female in the Dirty Pony 5k. Brian Wiest crossed the finish line a mere second before runner-up Brandon Fogarty to take first place male in the Charlie Horse. Megan Kane took first place female and Jody Zegestowsky followed behind a few minutes later.

The course changed slightly this year to bring the Charlie Horse distance closer to a true half marathon. Participants enjoyed the new addition, but, as tradition, everyone is just waiting for the last section. (Or they’re so excited for it, they jump straight to it and run the Dirty Pony.) Judging by the smiles and mud (so much mud!) plastered on the finishers’ faces, Charlie didn’t disappoint.

On behalf of my co-race directors, Shaun and Libby, I’d like to thank everyone who came out to support the race and Special Olympics of Berks County. Whether you ran, cheered, or volunteered, we really could not have done it without the help of our Pacer community.

See you on the trails 🤙🏻

Kelly

PS: Anyone who completed the Charlie Horse Half is officially one third of the way through the Triple Trail Challenge! It’s not too late to sign up for Run for the Ages (June 30) and Blues Cruise (October 6).

Charlie Horse & Dirty Pony Set for May 26, 2024!

April 29, 2024April 29, 2024 by pagodapacers

Mark your calendars: Sunday, May 26th is this year’s date for the Charlie Horse Trail Half Marathon and the Dirty Pony 5k at Sleepy Hollow Athletic Club in Mohnton, PA.

The last day to pre-register online is 5/23. Day-of registration will be available starting at 7:30 AM. If you haven’t run the race in a while, please note that we are making some course changes that have added a bit more trail in beautiful Brecknock Twp.

And if you aren’t feeling up to running the races, we are always looking for volunteers. Please sign up for volunteering by clicking the “Volunteer tab” at the race page on Ultrasignup.com.

And new for this year, the Charlie Horse Trail Half Marathon is the first race in the new Triple Trail Challenge 50.3. Complete the Charlie Horse Trail Half Marathon, the Run For the Ages Trail Chase 10k, and the Blues Cruise 50k to qualify for extra goodies and bragging rights! Runners completing these three races will get some sweet running swag at the Blues Cruise finish line. No special registration required–just sign up for all three races.

Next Pacer Long Run: Saturday, March 16

March 2, 2024 by pagodapacers

The next Pagoda Pacer Long Run will take place on Saturday, March 16, at 9:30 a.m. The run will begin and end at Charlie Crowell’s residence (151 Alleghenyville Rd, Mohnton). The course will be an out-and-back run on the Horse-Shoe Trail. Run out for an hour (or as long as you want), and then turn around and head back! Like Dorothy, just follow the yellow-blazed trail!

Post-run refueling to follow at Stampede Barbecue on Morgantown Rd!

This group run is also an official training run for the Charlie Horse Trail Half Marathon! Don’t miss it!!

Register for 27th Annual Charlie Horse Trail Half Marathon!

March 2, 2024 by pagodapacers

2024 Registration is now open

Join us Sunday, May 26th, for the 27th running of the Charlie Horse Trail Half-Marathon to benefit Berks Co. Special Olympics. The majority of this race will be run on the Horse-Shoe Trail in Brecknock Twp, PA. It is well supported with 3 strategically placed aid stations. Packet pickup will begin at 7:30 AM Sunday morning. Day of registration will also start at 7:30 AM Sunday Morning. The Half-Marathon start will be at 9:00 AM in front of Sleepy Hollow Athletic Club.

And don’t forget the Dirty Pony 5K. This race gives friends and family a chance to experience part of the Charlie Horse course while you are doing the Half Marathon. The Dirty Pony will start at 9:15 AM near registration.

NEW THIS YEAR

Triple Trail Challenge 50.3

The Pagoda Pacers Athletic Club have introduced a trail race series which starts with the Charlie Horse Trail Half Marathon. The second Pagoda Pacers trail race in the series is the Run for the Ages Trail Chase 10K in June. The final race in the series is the Blue Marsh Trail Ultramarathon 50K in October. Any runner completing all three races will receive a sweet bit of runner swag at the finish line at the Blue Marsh 50K. No special registration effort is required. Just sign up and complete all three races in the series. (Note: the Dirty Pony 5k is NOT part of this series.)

Click here for more Triple Trail Challenge Info