Running Woods

The Swinging Bridge Trail Races are held on the Willis River Trail in Cumberland, Virginia. It is definitely not the flashy kind of event that most runners have been spoiled by. The trail is referred to by the Old Dominion Applacian Trail Club as "semi-primitive". This really means that it is not heavily used nor constantly maintained. There is one tireless volunteer (Radar) who attempts to keep the "blow-down" to a minimum and the blazes and trail markings up to date. It is about 85% single track and about 15% dirt forest road. It is approx. 16 miles end to end with about a dozen minor stream crossings. Those streams can be shoe top depth during dry years and knee depth after a series of storms. You never know. The trail twists and turns and the "white" blazes can sometimes be hard to see, especially on bright, sunny mornings.

 During the runs there are aid stations about every 5 miles with an assortment of snacks, water, soda.

    The races begin in Bear Creek Lake State Park and run the trail north out and back (10.5 miles each way) to the start for the first 35K then the runners continuing on the 50K run the trail south - out and back (5 miles each way).

    There is minimal net elevation change with about a dozen short hills.

Bottom Line: It is a challenging course because it is minimally groomed and a little difficult to follow - but a good old fashioned, real trail run.