MIDDLEBURY MAPLE RUN
If running across a bridge over the Otter Creek, past the Morgan Horse Farm, sheep and cows grazing in pastures, back through the Middlebury College campus and then out a dirt road doesn’t sound like the perfect 13.1 mile tour of Vermont, we don’t know what is. More than 800 runners seem to agree and have been coming back year after year to make this May 1 event one of the more popular runs in the state. The best part? At the finish of “The Sweetest Half,” (you can also do it as a relay) as it is also called, you get a jar of maple syrup, fresh chocolate milk from nearby Monument Farms, a live band and a spread put on by local restaurants. Oh yes, and the oldest male and female finisher get prizes of Whistle Pig whiskey. www. middleburymaplerun.com
LEWIS CREEK COVERED BRIDGES HALF MARATHON,
Much of this race follows the Lewis Creek as it winds through the pastures and farms and crosses two covered bridges of Charlotte on May 7. The race starts and ends at the Charlotte school and is limited to 200, so sign up early. It can also be run as a 5K or a 10K. www.racevermont.com
DANDELION RUN, DERBY
“My goal is to have a fiddler at every mile of this race,” says Dandelion Run and Kingdom Games organizer Phil White. The annual 13.1 mile run (held May 21) is one of the most spectacular in the state with fields of yellow dandelions blanketing each side of the course. But for many the highlights are the bluegrass bands along the way. This year’s event features three, including master fiddler
Scott Campbell and Friends, who will also be playing at the post-race dinner and party. Right after the run White is also planning “an old-fashioned fiddle fest” where fiddlers will duke it out as hard as the runners did. The event also incorporates a 10K, a bike ride and a walk. www.dandelionrun.org.
COVERED BRIDGES HALF MARATHON, POMFRET
One of the most famous (and most soldout) races in the state celebrates its 25th year on June 6. The Covered Bridges Half Marathon starts at the Suicide Six ski area just outside of Woodstock and covers a point-to-point course that has close to 2,000 racers running through some of the state’s most iconic covered bridges and past live bands. Since its inception, the event has raised more than $1.2 million for local charities and
the race usually sells out shortly after registration opens each December. cbhalfmarathon.blogspot.com
MAD MARATHON AND HALF MARATHON, MAD RIVER VALLEY
The Mad River Marathon, a Boston Marathon qualifier held on July 10, bills itself as the “World’s Most Beautiful Marathon.” We’re not going to argue, except to say that even the halfmarathon course is stunning. After the first couple of miles of running along Route 100 and through the village of Waitsfield, the course winds up North Street with views out over the Mad River, the valley and farmland, before looping back. In its sixth year, the race is already drawing entrants from California, Texas and other states. www.madmarathon.com
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