New Race: Firelane Trail Trial


Vert is Real

And it has become really popular. Lots of people actually enjoy going up steep things so when the new Forest Park Firelane 1 parking lot opened at the bottom of the trail, we immediately thought of putting on a race there. Today we launch the Firelane Trail Trial, which will take place on May 17, 2025, from 10:00 am. to 12:30 p.m.

It’s a short race, just 4.45 miles in total, but it is not easy. It is steep. There is 1200 feet of gain total, with over 900 of it coming in the first 2 ¼ miles. Sturdy. Abrupt. Arduous. Oh, it’s also a time trial. And what goes up comes down, so you get some decent descent too.

Time Trial Format

Instead of a mass start, runners will take off in groups of ten, every ten minutes. This makes knowing where you stand or how fast to go a complete unknown. You can’t chase a leader because you don’t know who that is and you might not even be on the course with them at the same time. It’s a time-trial trail-style – a trail trial.

Racers get to pick their start time slot when they sign up.

Party!

To add to this fun, we’ve partnered with Nike Trail and with Great Notion Brewing, located nearby the trailhead, to host a killer post-race party. We’re live-streaming the top of Firelane 1 at the party so people can watch racers top out. Real-time, live results are also on display at the brewpub. Everyone heads back to Great Notion after their race to hang out with fellow racers and curious spectators, in the heart of the brewpub, to see how it all unfolds.

Shuttles are available for free to take racers to and from the trailhead, from Great Notion Brewing, to make parking easier since the trailhead lot holds less than 30 cars.

Hill Yeah

We know that lots of runners use various routes in Forest Park to get some climbing in. Here are a few comparisons for you:

  • BPA – From the bottom to the junction with Firelane 13, you go a little less than a mile and get 850’ of gain.
  • Holman – From the gate at the bottom to the point where you top out is about three-quarters of a mile and is 440’.
  • North Nasty – The whole route is about 11 miles and has 2,800’.
  • Firelane 1 – Bottom to top is 2.23 miles and 979’ and the up and down distance is 4.45 and 1266′

Firelane Trail Trial elevation profile

The trail trial is not THE steepest thing around, but it is pretty sturdy and with such a relatively short distance, this course is going to be tough, especially if you want to try to go fast. They’ll be some hands-on-knees, heavy-breathing climbing going on. As well as some airplane-arms, blurred feet, downhill running.

 

We believe that this route will become a favorite for getting in some vert, with the convenient location and an actual trailhead parking lot. And we hope that people will like this unique style of racing and our newest event.

Registration opens February 5th. There are 160 spots available.