Relay Legs

Safety is the key to a great Dirt experience. We prefer you get hurt on the trail instead of on the road or in a car. The drive route is generally the shortest route with the highest portion of paved roads and the least conflict (Not, “No Conflict!”!) with incoming vehicles and runners. Basic concepts:

  • Be on high watch for runners crossing the roads as they do bolt from the trails!
  • Follow the precise drive route
  • Be attentive to parking instructions from the exchange volunteers.
  • Stay in designated entrances, flow lanes and exits.
  • Use odometer – trip odometer.
  • Do not lay down behind the wheels of a vehicle in parking areas (Common and ugly!)
  • Drive the route after your runner starts leg
  • Most Important: we know you're out here to run & enjoy the challenge of a trail (?) run. It's way more enjoyable if you don't get lost. Please know what color markings you're following and for sure you'll have to read the signage in the confusing spots. 

 

Note: The newly added "Difficulty" numbers are computed:
Difficulty = Leg_Length/2 + Elevation_Gain/200 + Swamp_Length.

r01 Stampede

Obviously this is all new...

Here's something unusual: we've put you on good trails for the whole leg! (Possibly erroneous statement, I'll have a look this week.) U-turn out of the  start onto nice camp roads & trails, left-east onto the Poto connector, right-south onto Poto, down the big hill & wander around Blind Lake. Up a good hill where the Waterloo-Pinckney trail departs the Poto. Continue straight on White onto the Waterloo Pinckney Trail or we may never see your smiling face again. Cross a gravel road (Goodband), then immediatly take the right onto Bill Baker's Trail. Follow around the swamp and back into the camp

Dog Drool: But don't get too comfortable with it being good trails, it's early and it might seem kinda dark, wear a headlamp. (It should be light enough to see but bring a headlamp anyway, justin case.) The leg will be marked with reflective toppers; they look like the squirrels are shining their little flashlights back at you... If you remember your headlamp; otherwise, maybe you can follow someone that did remember and hope they can follow it.
Start End Length Color Climb Difficulty
Bruin Camp Bruin Camp

3.5

  WHITE  +/-436  3.8
Dangerous Road Crossings Grunge Wetness Poison Ivy
0 Rocks & roots Dry Minimal
Drive Route
Stay at the camp, your runner will be back shortly.
r02 Fly Me To The Moon

Exit southeast on camp trail to Potto, right-south on Potto. Travel against bikes on Potto east (stay on Pink). Do not follow r01 White onto Waterloo Pinkniey Trail. Conintue Potto east to sharp left cutout to Hankerd Rd. N on road and W onto N. Pickerel Lake Trail. Merge North onto Crooked Lake trail, then left on Half Moon connector trail at the Half Moon parking.

Dog Drool: We must be losing our touch, making these legs so easy. (We'll recover...)
Start End Length Color Climb Difficulty
Bruin Camp Half Moon 4.32  PINK  +545/-625 5.2
Dangerous Road Crossings Grunge Wetness Poison Ivy
2 Rocks & Rips Dry Minimal
Drive route to next exchange
  • Exit parking
  • Right (W) on Bartell 0.5
  • Left (S) Hadley Rd 2.75
  • Left (E) North Territorial Rd. 3.6
  • Left (N) Hankerd Rd. 1.8 - Caution runners on/crossing road!
  • Left into Half Moon to parking
r03 Satan's Abyss

So, yeah, head along the parking lot to the corner and turn right along the road. Pop into the woods on the left and wander through Bambi's Bones until you come to A VERY DANGEROUSE ROAD CROSSING!! Eventually, after being very careful crossing the road, enter the Abyss. (Hopefully you've tied your shoes tightly enough.) Hard right onto the Poto; left at the Crooked/Poto junction (there's a bench there, take a break.)
Follow the Poto/Crooked until you reach the gravel road (Silverhill Rd), turn right, very soon crawl under the gate into the Naked Woodchoppers domain. (Well, what else would you call a naked guy chopping firewood?) The trail turns left in a bit into some low use single track and eventually gets back out the real trail. Right on Crooked Lake Trail eventually reaching the Half Moon connector; left on the connector.

Dog Drool: Told you we'd get our mojo back.
Start End Length Color Climb Difficulty
Half Moon Half Moon 5.12  WHITE  +/-770  6.6
Dangerous Road Crossings Grunge Wetness Poison Ivy
2 Sublime Slime Muck Probable
Drive Route to next exchange
Stay here; you're runner will be back eventually
r04 Styx River of Death II
The path to Hell is the river of death, Styx. Your tormented soul is ours. Runs together with R08 blue, stay on Pink. River run with dangerous river rocks and holes. Life jacket or swim wings optional. Keep moving as there is NO EXCHANGE IN HELL except H2O; go all the way to Silver Lake.

Dog Drool, “Flat and wet to Hell. Hilly and dry out of Hell.”
Start End Length Color Climb Difficulty
Halfmoon Silver Lake 5.80  PINK +/-720 6.7
Dangerous Road Crossings Grunge Wetness Poison Ivy
2 A River runs through it Very Wet Possible
Drive route to next exchange
  • Exit Half Moon (E) to Hankerd Caution: Confused/Lost runners maybe crossing Hankerd at exit
  • Right (S) Hankerd 1.9 miles
  • Left (E) N. Territorial 1.6
  • Left (N) Dexter-Town Hall 1.1
  • Left (W) Pinckney Rec. Area 0.6
  • Park in lower lot until full then upper lot
r05 Rave Run
Beginning and Ending are out and back so opposing runners are present. A face to face meeting in a blind turn could take an eye out. Watch Road Crossings. Dog Drool: A beautiful trail run. Some say harder than advertised.
Start End Length Color Climb Difficulty
Silver Lake Silver Lake 2.4  WHITE  +/-241  2.5
Dangerous Road Crossings Grunge Wetness Poison Ivy
2 Clean Dry Minimal
Drive route to next exchange
Stay here
r06 Potto
Long, steady power run on the famous Pottawatomi trail. Watch for bikes at your back.Switches over to Silver Lake trail for a nice view of Pickerel Lake and then onto Crooked Lake Trail.

Dog Drool, “Miles of hilly, rugged trails Watch the geo-web as it snags & trips like a bear trap. “
Start End Length Color Climb Difficulty
Silver Lake Halfmoon 5.54  PINK  +/-770  6.8
Dangerous Road Crossings Grunge Wetness Poison Ivy
2 Rocks Dry Minimal
Drive route to next exchange
  • Left (E) out of Pinckney Rec. Parking lot 0.5 Caution: Runners crossing parking access
  • Right (S) on Dexter-Town Hall Road 1.1
  • Right (W) on N. Territorial 1.6
  • Right (N) onto Hankerd Road 1.9
  • Left (W) into parking lot of Half Moon Exchange
r07 Abyss Briefly
Exit from Half Moon around back of parking to the corner of the lot. Hard right along the park road,
PAY CLOSE ATTENTION. Into the woods and pop out to Very Dangerous road crossing!
The texture of the Abyss depends on summer rain.

Dog Drool: A little ditty, “It may be dry and you will fly. It may be muck and you will get stuck.” From the off-trail, hard right onto Potto. Hard right onto Crooked Lake Trail (bench on corner; sit down& rest a bit.) Lots of fun in more off-trail until a smooth finish back at Half Moon.
Start End Length Color Climb Difficulty
Half Moon Half Moon 2.18  WHITE  +/-330  1.5
Dangerous Road Crossings Grunge Wetness Poison Ivy
2 Sublime Slime Muck Probable
Drive route to next exchange
Stay here
r08 Be Prepared
Runs together with R04 pink, Stay on Blue. At corner of parking lot, left on boat launch road and right up grasshopper trail. Cross Very Dangerous road crossing, left onto Potto. Left on Potto shortcut, departing R04. Cross another dangerous road crossing. Continue on Potto shortcut and Potto. After wooden bridge and a hard right on Potto, leg 8 goes straight, West, onto New Scout Trail. Do not turn left on Potto, uphill climb or you will be lost for a long time. Continue west on New Scout trail to Bruin lake beach and up the hill to Camp exchange.
Start End Length Color Climb Difficulty
Halfmoon Bruin Camp 4.32 BLUE  +510-430 4.7
Dangerous Road Crossings Grunge Wetness Poison Ivy
2 None Dry Minimal
Drive route to next exchange
  • Exit Half Moon
  • Right (S) Hankerd Road 1.8
  • Right (W) North Territorial 3.6 (Buy stuff – North Lake Gas & Store (open))
  • Right (N) Hadley Rd 0.7
  • Right (NE) on Goodband Rd 1.5
  • Left (W) Bartell Rd 0.2
  • Right (N) into Camp Bruin parking

The Farm Special Instructions

There will be 4! Relay Exchange locations at the farm. YOU MUST PAY ATTENTION!!! TO THE LEG COLORS!!!

The Exchange locations will be on top of the hill and (as you enter the field from Joslyn Lake Road) arranged from your left (north) to right (south.) The first exchange is on your left, the last on your right.

  1. Arrive at The Farm from Camp Bruin on PINK. Next runner departs on YELLOW.
  2. Arrive back at the Exchange Field on YELLOW; next runner departs on WHITE.
  3. Arrive back at the Exchange Field on WHITE; next runner departs on BLUE.
  4. Arrive back at the Exchange Field on BLUE; next runner departs on PINK to Camp Bruin.
r09 Vertigo
The Vertigo we all know & love but with the hot bean fields removed, “You’re welcome”! The recipe is a stock of nasty downhills, nice trails, sunny dirt roads, and steep hill climbs. Add a splash to top it off. At farm the Ultra splits left to the aid station while Relayheads up the hill to the left-most exchange.

Dog Drool: “Can be brutally hot late in the day. Stay hydrated.”
Start End Length Color Climb Difficulty
Bruin Camp Farm 3.22  PINK  +370/-410 3.6
Dangerous Road Crossings Grunge Wetness Poison Ivy
2 plus some gravel roads Slammers, acorns Dry Yes
Drive route to next exchange
  • Exit Parking
  • Left (E) Bartell Rd 0.2 (going left to stay out of the way of the runners on Bartell)
  • Right (S) Goodband Rd 1.5
  • Left (S) Hadley Rd 0.7
  • Right (W) North Territorial 0.1
  • Right (N) Joslyn Lake Rd 2.1
  • Left (W) into parking
r10 Wretched Lake

Exit the exchange south then right (west) on Waterloo-Pinckney trail. Cross one gravel road (Joslyn Lake Road - watch for crazed relay teams driving to the parking) then right on the second gravel road (Embury.) Turn left onto old group camp trail; possible stickers & pickers here. Right off camp trail into the dark and wet; eventually right onto the Bike Launch trail (ask Trail Dog why it's called that.) Out onto the Joslyn Lake Road & back to John's Farm.

National spelling bee classic.
"Retched, can you use it in a sentence?"
"The smell was so foul, the Wretched Fool retched up a small stream of vomit."

Dog drool: Some opportunities for speed, some otherwise.
Start End Length Color Climb Difficulty
Farm Farm 2.09  YELLOW  +/-170

 2.4
Dangerous Road Crossings Grunge Wetness Poison Ivy
0 Scratchers, Muck, Odor Wet Probable
Drive route to next exchange
Stay here & enjoy the music
r11 Oh Brother Where Art Thou
Leave the cows at Farmer Johns, and feel like you’re on the lam. Careen through the fields and woods like the hounds are at your heels. Decide if it’s best to go over, under, or through the fences. Prison escapees don’t have blazed trails to follow, and neither do you. Get out of sight as you sink into the muck between the cattails. Shake the dogs off your scent when you make a splash as you return to Farmer John’s. You finish where you started, hopefully you’re fast enough to make bed check.

Dog Drool: Leg description by Mike Leary! Thanks, Mike!
Start End Length Color Climb Difficulty
Farm Farm 2.5  WHITE  +/-290  3.2
Dangerous Road Crossings Grunge Wetness Poison Ivy
0 Swamp Wet Probable
Drive route to next exchange
Stay here & continue to enjoy the music. Your runner is dancing to a different kind of music...
r12 Park Lyndon

Exit the Farm southeast then left on Embury to Waterloo-Pinckney trail west; you're doing a lollipop now. Eventually return to the roads & back to the Farm.

Dog Drool: Easy one for you
Start End Length Color Climb Difficulty
Farm Farm 4.17  BLUE  +/-475  4.6
Dangerous Road Crossings Grunge Wetness Poison Ivy
0 Rocks Dry Minimal
Drive route to next exchange
Stay here & enjoy the music
r13 Don't Get No Better
Head Goat & Trail Dog were scouting in the early days and encountered a couple of locals on this bit of trail. When asked how the trail was, one answered "Don't get no better", the other "Don't get no worse." So, pretty much a fine bit of trail, mostly on the Waterloo-Pinckney.

Exit farm south under the old fence (or did I cut that?) and down the grassy power line to the Waterloo-Pinckney Trail. Left Waterloo-Pinckney Trail, on nice and easy trails. Careful on multiple road crossings. Watch for sharp left-North off Waterloo-Pinckney onto BBT trail. BBT back to Camp Bruin.
Start End Length Color Climb Difficulty
Farm Bruin Camp 3.0  PINK + 325/-285 3.0
Dangerous Road Crossings Grunge Wetness Poison Ivy
1 plus some dirt roads Mostly clean Dry Minimal
Drive route to next exchange
  • Exit Farm
  • Left (S) Joslyn Lake Rd 2.1
  • Left (E) North Territorial 0.1
  • Left (N) Hadley 0.7
  • Right (NE) Goodband 1.5
  • Left (W) Bartell 0.2
  • Right (N) in Camp Bruin parking
r14 This Sucks More
Or less, we're sure you'll tell us. Early ratings estimates is for record viewership especially in the adult mud up to their ass demographic. Warning: No shoe & human wash zone at the next exchange so we'll put you in the lake to clean up.

Dog Drool: Swamp difficulty compounded by low visibility of feet; exercise caution while looking for somewhere to put a foot. Then the next one...
Start End Length Color Climb Difficulty
Bruin Camp Bruin Camp 1.92  YELLOW  +/-185 3.6
Dangerous Road Crossings Grunge Wetness Poison Ivy
0 Everything Wet Probable + Stinging Nettle
Drive route to next exchange
Stay here, you're almost done
r15 Glory!
Head out to Bartell Rd on the left side of the parking lot, cross the road watch out for more crazed teams coming in. Left onto the Bob Baker Trail, left when you reach the Waterloo-Pinckney trail, go straight onto the Poto, don't turn right & go back to Half Moon, your team will drink all the beer before you get to the finish. (We'll help.)

Dog Drool: Good trails to finish up so you won't be late to the party!
Start End Length Color Climb Difficulty
Bruin Camp Bruin Camp

4.3

 WHITE  +/-340 3.9
Dangerous Road Crossings Grunge Wetness Poison Ivy
0 Rocks Dry Possible
Drive route to next exchange
Stay here, you're done