Little Rock Trail Running
Submitted by jlinwood on Tue, 2011-04-12 23:10
Little Rock not only has great trails to train on (the 223 mile Ouachita Trail starts just west of Little Rock), but the entire state of Arkansas has a busy trail running schedule. The hometown ultramarathon is the Ouachita Trail 50-mile and 50K trail race, an out and back that goes over Pinnacle Mountain on the out, and then follows the Ouachita Trail out by Lake Maumelle.
Check out the Arkansas Ultra Running Association for more information on ultras in Arkansas.
For shorter distance trail running, there haven't been as many options - now the new Arkansas Trail Running Series events in the spring give options for 3 to 5 mile trail races at a variety of locations in Arkansas.
Trails:
Description:
Burns Park in North Little Rock has 15 miles of trails for mountain bikers, hikers, and equestrians. Because the park is open to horses, mountain biking here cane be a little frustrating if it's been muddy and the trails are torn up. In the summer, this park is usually in pretty good shape - the upper trails are rockier and don't get as muddy, but a lot of mountain bikers prefer the Camp Robinson trails.
The Jackfork Mountain Bike Trail at Pinnacle Mountain State Park is new - the trail opened in October 2010, and it hasn't been completely worn in yet. The trail is about seven and a half miles long, and is basically an intermediate trail - once it's ridden in, it should be closer to beginner-intermediate.
Trail Races:
The Ouachita Trail 50 Mile and 50K starts in Maumelle Park and then runs on pavement for three miles to Pinnacle Mountain State Park. There's an "easy" and a "hard" way up the mountain - both races take the hard way up the mountain and the easy way back down the mountain. Of course the easy way isn't actually that easy - but there is a photographer on top of the mountain to catch your summit!
Race Types:
Running race
50K Ultramarathon
50 Mile Ultramarathon
Trail Run