Do you Have What it Takes? The Bristow 24/12/6 Run

This year was the year I wanted to do my first endurance run, and the Bristow 24/12/6 Run was the one I was going to try. Unfortunately, life and work and all the other things got in the way, so this won’t be my year, but there are several reasons why this would be a great endurance run for any runner, both new and experienced, in long distance running.

This run will be on Saturday, June 7th this year at Elijah Bristow State Park in Dexter as usual. This is a Go Beyond Racing event, which means it will be well organized and well-marked, with the best volunteers and aid station support. You’ll be in great hands whether you’re planning to run for 6 hours, 12 hours, or the full 24 hours.

This year there’s a 12-Hour Nighttime Relay option also, which starts at 8:00PM and finishes at 8:00AM the next day and involves you and a couple of your BRFs. It’s like a bite-sized Hood to Coast without the sweaty van!! Each runner on the team can do as many or as few laps as they want, though there will only be one runner per team out on the course at a time.

What appealed to me about this endurance run is that the race is only a 1.05 mile loop with less than 15 feet elevation change. It’s almost all on dirt trail with a very short section on pavement as you approach the aid station area.

This seems totally manageable and you really can’t get much better than this out in the woods! Since it’s an endurance run, you’ll just run as many laps as you want to in the time frame you register for. Those who make it 100 miles will earn a belt buckle. Check out the course map.

Because this event is at a state park, you’ll have a great area to spread out and get comfy. You’ll also have access to your car if that’s where you want to keep stuff. Get a crew out there to cheer you on and bring the things you’ll want at “home base” to make your race more enjoyable.

But whether you have a crew or not, there’s an aid station stocked with all sorts of stuff like water, soft drinks, PB&J sandwiches, chips, pickles, gummy bears, Oreos, fruit, and Precision Fuel gels and electrolyte drink. You can even order hot food from a rotating menu at the beginning of one lap and have it ready for you when you get back before the next. There are vegan and vegetarian options as well, so you’ll be totally covered and taken care of.

After the race, there’s lunch, dinner and breakfast options timed around the end of each race. Pizza will be available from noon to 2:30PM on Saturday, burgers will be there from 6:00 to 8:30PM, and Sunday will bring a breakfast of pancakes, bacon, eggs, and hashbrowns from 7:30 to 9:00AM. Meals cost $8 cash or $10 card for crew, pacers, and spectators, but it’s free for participants.

All runners will earn a finisher pint glass. The top 3 in each gender will receive prizes from sponsors, and there will be raffle prizes as well.

Camping out the night before the race is an option (check out all the options on the website) so you could easily make a fun weekend out of this event. It’s limited to only 200 people, so you might want to get moving!