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JULY 27, 2024
Join us at the South Mountain Reservation in West Orange, New Jersey on Saturday July 27, 2024 for The Squatchy Surprise! The Squatchy Surprise will test your endurance, strategery and mental fortitude as your fate on the course is determined by the luck of the draw...... We are supporting our charity-partner, Bigger Than The Trail (BTTT) with this Trail Party!
TRAIL PARTY DETAILS
SQUATCHY SURPRISE
We are thrilled to bring back this Sassquad Classic to the Trail Party Schedule! Now at the South Mountain Reservation in West Orange, NJ the Squatchy Surprise is back and better than before! We are excited to offer three different timed events on July 27th and want you to join us for this squatchtastic day! This race is inspired by the TommyKnocker Ultra in Golden, Colorado.
CHARITY PARTNER
We are proud to partner with Bigger Than The Trail (BTTT). BTTT is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization that is using trail running as a platform to advocate for mental health. BTTT's mission is to enrich the lives of individuals struggling with mental health. Through their fundraising efforts, BTTT provides 3 months of free therapy to those in need! Please consider making a donation to BTTT when you register for this squatchy trail party.
REGISTRATION
3H - $55
6H - $70
12H - $95
WHAT'S INCLUDED?
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Bib & safety pins
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Swag item
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Handcrafted Finishers' Medal
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Aid Station with water, Skratch, snacks & hot food
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Awards for top 3 male, female and non-binary
TRAIL PARTY SCHEDULE
6:15-6:45am 12H check-in
7am - 12H starts
12:15pm-12:45pm 6H check-in
1pm - 6H starts
3:15pm-3:45pm 3H check-in
4pm - 3H starts
6pm - decide if you'll continue drawing golf balls or wait until 6:30pm when the 1/2 mile loop opens up
7pm all events end
TRAIL PARTY DETAILS
There are 4 different trail loops and a bucket of golf balls that match the color of each loop. Before each loop, you'll reach into the bucket and pull out a golf ball to determine which loop you will do. Along with the 4 colored golf balls that correspond to the 4 different loops, there will also be a black golf ball. If the runner/hiker pulls the black golf ball, they get to choose whichever loop he/she wants to complete. Our Volunteer Dream Team will keep track of the loops that you complete by adding stickers to a giant chart. This means that we need you to keep your bib visible at all times! You'll repeat this process after every loop until 6PM. You are welcome to run/hike with a friend and draw the same golf-balls (you just can't be eligible for post-race awards).
At 6PM, runners will have to make a game-time decision! Take a chance and continue drawing golf balls OR or wait until 6:30PM for the 1/2 mile mini loop to open up. You'll have to choose one or the other! If you decide to continue drawing golf balls, you cannot go on the mini 1/2 mile loop. This means that if you get the long loop and are unable to complete it in the time remaining, that loop will not count towards your final mileage. If you draw a shorter loop and you finish with time remaining, you can continue tempting fate and drawing golf balls with the time remaining. "You get what you get, so don't get upset!" Any loop not completed before the timer ends, will not count. We are also offering ONE "Charity-Mulligan". You can choose to use your ONE Charity-Mulligan at any point in the race to do a re-draw if you pull a golf-ball you don’t like. You have to donate $20 cash or venmo to get the Charity-Mulligan. 100% of the proceeds from the charity mulligans will be used for additional donations to Bigger Than The Trail!
If you decide to run the mini 1/2 loop, you must wait until 6:30PM before you can begin racking up those 1/2 miles. Any loop not completed before the timer ends, will not count.
COURSE MARKINGS
The course will be well-marked with ribbons and large directional arrows + "wrong way" signs. The Checkered Loop will be marked with checkered ribbons, the Blue Loop will be marked with blue ribbons and the Pink Loop will be marked with pink ribbons. All of the markers and signs have reflective tape on them, so when you run at night, your headlamp will illuminate the markers/signs.
VOLUNTEER DREAM TEAM
Our Volunteer Dream Team is what makes all of the Trail Magic happen! Join us as a Volunteer at this trail party as we support our squatchtastic running community. We have many Volunteer opportunities available such as Check-In, Aid Station Crew, Course Sweepers etc. Click here to Volunteer!
AID STATION
The Volunteer Dream Team truly makes the Trail Magic happen at our Aid Stations! Squatch HQ (the Start/Finish at Tulip Springs) - is where the party is at! This is the only aid station for the race (no other aid will be on the course). Squatch HQ will be rockin’ from 7am until 7pm! Our Volunteers will be ready to assist you throughout the event. We work hard to have a variety of nutrition and hydration available at our events. We include many gluten-free and vegan options (upon request, we have separate cookware available to make hot vegan options on our stove). Check out the menu items below; if you don’t see something that you think would make a great addition to our aid stations, drop us a note and we’ll see what we can do!
Beverages: water, Skratch, Coke, Flât Coke, Coffee
Fruit: bananas, clementines, watermelon
Snacks: Chewy granola bars, GF Black Forest fruit snacks, bite size chocolate/candy, GF potato chips, GF tortilla chips, GF Oreos
Cold Food: GF rice cakes, pickles, peanut butter, jelly
Hot Food: pieroies, bacon, burgers, vegan veggie burgers, quesadillas (GF corn tortillas), Vegan veggie broth, salted potatoes
We want to give a big squatchtastic thank you to our friends at Skratch Labs! Skratch has been sponsoring our Trail Parties since 2022 and has stocked our aid station with their incredible hydration products. On top of that, Skratch has extended a 20% discount to all Sassquaders (just use the code SASSQUAD24 during online checkout). We’ll have Skratch Hydration at Squatch HQ for the duration of the event!
PACERS & CREW
As with all of our events, Squatchers over the age of 60 and AWD (athletes with disabilities) can have a pacer/guide at any time. Please pre-register your pacer with us before the start of the Trail Party. Pacers are not allowed for folks under the age of 60 and who are not an AWD.
All runners/hikers can have a Crew join them at the Trail Party for the duration of the event. Crew access is only available at Squatch HQ. Crew cannot aid their runner/hiker at any other spot on the course. Crews are encouraged to bring ice if they anticipate their runner/hiker needing ice during the event.
Crew are welcome to set up their own pop-up tents at Squatch HQ in the designated areas. All tents and canopies MUST be staked/weighted down (they will fly away if they aren't staked down). Please do not park illegally.
GETTING TO THE RACE
The race starts/finishes at the Tulip Springs / Boy Scout Area at the South Mountain Reservation in West Orange, NJ. Please follow the directions of our Volunteers who will be assisting with parking!
COURSE MAPS & GPX
*COMING SOON*
FAQS
CAN I HAVE A PACER?
As with all of our events, Squatchers over the age of 60 and AWD (athletes with disabilities) can have a pacer/guide at any time. Please register your pacer prior to the start of the event! Pacers are not allowed for other runners and hikers without prior approval from the Trail Party Director.
CAN I BRING MY DOG?
NO. Our insurance policy does not cover dogs at our races. Thanks for understanding.
ARE THERE ANY RESTROOMS?
YES, there are portajohns at the start/finish area.
CAN I GET A REFUND?
Like many other race organizations, we do not offer refunds for our events. Please take the time to double check your calendar before registering for a Trail Party. Please understand that we do not offer refunds under any circumstances. If you notify us via email (not through social media, text or phone call) more than 45 days from the date of the Trail Party, we will extend a deferral to any of our events that fall within one calendar year of the Trail Party that you were registered for. If you sustain an injury less than 45 days from the race date, we will extend a deferral if you come to that race to volunteer for at least 4 hours. The race credit is the amount that you paid for the race (not including UltraSignUp fees) so you will need to cover any difference in fees; refunds will not be issued if the deferred event costs less than your race credit. You can only defer one time so please doublecheck that you can make the race you're deferring to.
CAN I REGISTER MY KIDS FOR THIS RACE?
YES! We love having families join us. If you are registering 3 or more squatches, please email us for a discount code! trailpartydirector@sassquadtrailrunning.com
WILL THERE BE AN AID STATION?
YES! Our main aid station will have a wide variety of traditional ultra running food, as well as many vegan and gluten-free items. You are more than welcome to bring your own food/water and setup your own aid station in the parking lot and access it each time you come to the Squatch HQ.
ANY POWER OUTLETS AVAILABLE?
There are no power outlets available at the South Mtn. Reservation. We encourage all runners/hikers to pack their own charging supply such as an external battery pack.
WILL I SEE SASQUATCH?
We sure hope you do! Make sure you take a selfie with him if you see Squatchy out there! There are bugs and there are black bears.
WILL THE COURSE BE MARKED?
The course will be well-marked with ribbons and large directional arrows + "wrong way" signs.
WHAT ADDRESS SHOULD I USE TO GET TO THE PARK?
62 Cherry Lane, West Orange, NJ
CAN I HAVE A CREW?
All runners/hikers can have a Crew join them at the Trail Party for the duration of the event. Crew access is only available at Squatch HQ. Crew cannot aid their runner/hiker at any other spot on the course. Crews are encouraged to bring ice if they anticipate their runner/hiker needing ice during the event. Crew are welcome to set up their own pop-up tents at Squatch HQ.
WHAT IS THE WEATHER LIKE?
Hopefully we are going to have a nice summer day! July is typically very warm and humid - mid to high 80's with at least 65% humidity. Check the weather before the race and dress appropriately. The zip code for the race is 07052.
ME AND MY FRIEND AREN'T REGISTERED FOR THE RACE, BUT WE'RE STILL PLANNING ON COMING TO RUN. WE WON'T EAT FROM THE AID STATION OR TAKE A MEDAL OR SWAG. THIS IS OKAY, RIGHT?
NO THIS IS NOT OKAY. This is called being a "race bandit" and it is stealing. Not paying for a race and running the race is stealing from the race organization (even if you're not taking food or swag). Don't do this at a Sassquad trail party or ANY other race. It's not okay. And if you hear about someone else doing this, call them out. If you bandit a race, you will be banned from registering for any of our Sassquad events.