Miner's Lady 8-Hour & Trails in Motion Film Festival

Two Rivers Treads is proud to present “Miner’s Lady 8 Hour Endurance Race”, gearing up to take place Saturday, July 28. For those of you unfamiliar with endurance events; this particular course consists of a 10K loop meandering through the remote woods of Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.  Participants run the loop as many times as possible in the 8 hour time frame. The brain child of store manager, Sarah Hodder, and Freedom’s Run Race Director, Katie Nolan Thompson; the two paired up to design this challenging event for individuals to test their physical limits, but also have a good time sharing the love of running with fellow ultra runners.  The event takes pride in being a low frills, green event. Runners are asked to carpool to keep gas emissions low, reusable cups are being used to cut down on wasted plastic at the aid stations, race packets are digital, the race medals are wooden, and all prizes have been locally sourced. Our logos were even made by two amazing local artists, Alex Stevens and Shane Harris.

(Logo by Shane Harris)

(Logo by Alex Stevens)

You may be curious about the unique name of the race, and it may seem oddly familiar. A lyric from the ever popular,  “Country Roads”, the name was inspired by the John Denver Classic due to the coincidental fact that the Blue Ridge Mountains and Shenandoah River only intersect in West Virginia for a very short distance  – largely the area that the race course covers. Since both Race Directors are women, the name seemed perfect; but don’t worry gentleman, you’re still welcome to run the race. The event is for everyone.

(Photo from a Miner's Lady training run in March!)

In fact, a very talented athlete will be joining the TRT team for the event – John Kelly. John Kelly, has sprung into the Ultra Running community as he debuted as the 15th  finisher/ winner of the grueling, Barkley Marathons, in 2017.The Barkley Marathons were made even more popular thanks to a Netflix Documentary, so even non-runners can understand the painful journey John has gone through to complete such a race. In fact, there were no finishers in 2018! John has also gone on to complete the first ever sub 24 hour run at The Wild Oak Trail 100 and finished as the 26th amateur (after coming out of the water as the 820th) at the Kona Ironman World, all while completing his PhD!

He continues to inspire through his motivational lessons of persevering even through what seems like impossible scenarios. But don’t take our word for it, why not hear from him yourself.   John will be speaking at the Trails in Motion Film Festival held at the newly renovated Charles Washington Hall, in Charles Town, WV on July 27.

The Trails In Motion Film Festival is an annual international film tour for the community, by the community, bringing a collection of the finest trail and ultra running films to passionate audiences around the world. Join like-minded trail runners and adventure sports enthusiasts at engaging film festival-styled events as they come together to celebrate the diverse culture of the sport. Tickets are on sale now at Eventbrite.com.

Although, Miner’s Lady is filled, you can try your luck at joining the waitlist, or come out and volunteer. Make a weekend of it and stay for the film festival as well!

Proceeds from the event will benefit The Outdoor Education Center of For Love of Children and the Rolling Ridge Foundation. To learn more about the organizations or Miner’s Lady visit our website at www.minersladyenduro.com. Happy trails!

This blog post was written by TRT employee and Miner's Lady Race Director, Katie Nolan Thompson.