Bond Brook run?

[Eliza]

Hello all,

I'm new to the forum and new to the Augusta area.  I'm looking to organize regular post-work runs at Bond Brook.  Though I've yet to explore these trails, my assumption is that they're packed down enough that they'd be great for winter running - but please tell me if I'm wrong.  Nothing serious - 3 to 5 miles until the days get longer.

Let me know if you're interested - one or two days a week at about 5 or 5:30 works best for me.  Bring your headlamps!

Best,

Eliza

[Eliza]

If Bond Brook isn't decent, the Kennebec Rail Trail works too.

[unstrung]

Hey Eliza, Welcome!   Bond Brook is awesome but I believe some of the trails are closed to running right now.  I think a lot of them are ski specific.  I emailed my contact there to try and figure out what's kosher and will post here when I hear back.  

Would be great to cultivate the potential of Augusta area runnage!

Peace,

Unstrung

On Saturday, January 19, 2013 8:21:22 AM UTC-5, Eliza wrote:

[Jeff Walker]

Correct! Any of the ski specific trails should not be run until after ski season. Even If if the snow is really low on the trail, and the trail isn't skiable, running will create post holes that can freeze in place (if you run on it when warm). Then when we get a few inches of snow, these post holes cannot be groomed out. It also introduces sand to the snow, which then gets groomed up and both slows skis and scratches the base. 

But the ultimate reason is that its just a matter of respect to the skiers to leave these trails for skiers. Bond Brook has spent many 10s (100s?) of thousands of dollars building the trail, 10s of thousands purchasing the grooming equipment, and thousands of more annually to actually do the grooming. That's a lot of blood, sweat, tears, and money. For all of these folks doing the hard work, foot/boot prints on the surface feel like a violation (like when your car or house has been broken into - the feeling is much more visceral than just having something stolen).

Finally, Bond Brook is hosting one of THE major ski races in the country - an Eastern Cup (two races on the weekend of Feb 16-17), which will host New Englands top skiers. There really isn't an equivalent in the running world because these races include current olympians, past olympians, the best collegiate skiers (if they don't have a race that weekend), the collegiate skiers that didn't make the travel squad, and the best post-collegiate and masters skiers in the region (northeast - there are only 3 regions in the US).

The beauty of Bond Brook and the other ski-specific trail systems that have been built is that they open there doors to other recreational sports (running and biking) free of charge outside of ski season. That's a pretty awesome deal.

Cheers,

Jeff

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
Groups "Trail Monster Running".

[unstrung]

Ex-ski-teamer here, Jeff!  Very aware of the god-strikes-you-down-when-you-touch-a-groomed-trail thing.  

The snowshoe trail at Bond Brook is potentially fair game, though.  Also they were going to do a winter 5k running race series; not sure of the current status of that but regardless, I am led to believe that there are indeed some parts of it where we could run.  

Alternatively, there are plenty of runnable trails here in Readfield.  :)

[Jeff Walker]

certainly a norse god. I don't think the god of israel would care much!

[Ryan Triffitt]

Ski racing sucks. 

Sent from my iPhone

[Ryan Triffitt]

The percentage is about the same.

On Sat, Jan 19, 2013 at 7:35 PM, Jeff Walker <wal...@maine.edu> wrote:

Ryan - how many ski races did you miss from over-use injury?

--

sapere aude

--------------------

Jeff Walker

Dept. of Biology

University of Southern Maine

96 Falmouth St.

Portland ME 04103

phone: 207-228-8166

fax: 207-228-8116

http://usm.maine.edu/bio/jeffrey-walker

--
Ryan Triffitt
207.837.5045
ryantr...@gmail.com

[Eliza]

I should have made myself more clear - I totally respect the ski trails and know better than to subject myself to the wrath of the nordic crowd (of which I am a member for better or worse). 

As was suggested, I heard that there were some snowshoe trails that might be fair game.  I hoping to get out sometime this week to check the situation out.  Let me know what you hear, Unstrung - and thanks!

Hope the Squall was a blast.

On Saturday, January 19, 2013 8:21:22 AM UTC-5, Eliza wrote:

[unstrung]

Just got word -- the wide ski trails are the only ones off limits.  That means that all the good stuff, the single track is open to us runners.  Sweet!!   

Let's go soon!