Red Newt Racing

A cool morning air, mist rising over the Delaware River, the crunch of leaves underfoot and remaining colors on the sharp hillsides, surrounded by friends for the next 31 miles. Rounding a corner of soft deciduous single-track forest, enveloped by a dense green canopy, when the steep hillside opens up into a waterfall spilling into a deep tight gorge, the smell of water in the air, a historic stone staircase rising along its flank that you'll soon crest, quads smoking for the culminated effort. A beautiful half marathon set in a pretty cool small city with a solid after party with local food, brew, and band. A weekend that brings together some of the best mountain runners in the world, toeing the line next to a 3-generation family, setting off to cover more vertical gain per mile than anywhere else in the country, surrounded by the Adirondack High Peaks and views stretching hundreds of miles.

These are visages of the challenging events in inspiring places that Red Newt Racing has offered, and are mediums for celebrating, fostering, and fueling the community that seeks them. We hope entrants achieve mindfulness and connection to the trails, the body and mind's capabilities, the community, and the environment at large. In doing so the hope is that this fuels a passion not simply for racing, but a shared transcendence of motion, effort, mindfulness and beauty. Red Newt Racing exists to provide mediums where we may all enjoy, challenge, fail, hurt, achieve, and ultimately flow as a singular community.

Many inquire about the name. Here's the background….It had rained overnight and into the morning. The clouds were breaking and rays of sun finding their way through the old growth canopy to the forest floor, softening the ground and fueling a surreal mist. The time of year, the conditions…both perfect to bring the Red Newts (or, more appropriate Efts), out in force to join me on the trails. It was a beautiful morning, and in addition to soft but technical single-track my awareness of the Newts made each footfall intentional and tuned. It was the Newts as much as anything that offered the awareness and mindfulness of not only a shared and beautiful environment, but how lucky I was to feel completely connected.

We're a for-profit / LLC. Each race requires countless hours to pull off and must be financially profitable to remain sustainable and provide for community benefit. RD's and a few event manager positions draw income, communities benefit from visitor spending, volunteers are provided race credits, and various community entities and efforts are donated to. Red Newt has donated to entities including Volunteer Fire Departments, Trails Organizations and projects, Land Trusts, High School teams, health/wellness programs, and children's initiatives. Additionally, both time and resources are put each year into trail work. We're proud to be valued community partners and are thankful for the entrants, corporate sponsors, and an amazing crew of volunteers that keep us running.

There are a lot of wonderful events in amazing places and whether as an entrant or volunteer, we're honored to be a part of your excitement, inspiration, and schedule for the upcoming season and beyond.

Until then….

Ian