The Blue 2 Blue Challenge

This race is a Graduate Level run, meaning you will be on some of CT's most technical and gnarly trails: first the Regicides (West Rock's "Blue" trail) and then The Quinnipiac Trail (another of CT's famed Blue trails). Hence, the Blue 2 Blue Challenge. There's 6,550 feet of climbing and the majority of it is extremely technical. Yes, 32.9 miles is more than a 50k. Deal with it.

Course description: this is an out-and-back starting at West Rock Playground in New Haven, starting up the Westville Feeder Trail then spitting you on to the Regicides for about 7+ miles of some of the gnarliest, rockiest trail you can imagine. Then, the fun really starts as you climb up High Rock to the intersection of the Q Trail. You will follow blue blazes down to the first aid station at Brooks Rd, then climb up to Mad Mare Ridge before a nice little descent to a one mile road section on Downs Road, crossing Gaylord Mountain Road, then continuing on asphalt before going back on dirt right before the Y Camp. 

You'll summit Mt. Sanford at mile 12, then cross Route 42 near Holiday Hill before another climb up to the backside of Roaring Brook Park (home to CT's tallest waterfall). Then you'll continue on to the turnaround aid station where the dirt hits Cornwall Ave in Prospect. 

Blue blazes all day! 

Here's the interactive Blue-Blazed Hiking Trails map from CFPA: https://www.ctwoodlands.org/blue-blazed-hiking-trails/blue-blazed-hiking-trails-interactive-map

There will be aid stations at mile 4 (Regicides and yellow trail intersection- this will be water only), mile 8 (Brooks Rd), mile 11 (Downs Rd at the Y Camp) and the turnaround in Prospect at mile 16 (Cornwall Ave), so aid will happen at miles 4, 8, 11, 16, 21, 24 and 28 before finishing back at West Rock's South Overlook at mile 32-ish. Aid stations will have stuff like Skratch, pretzels, potato chips, Swedish fish, ginger chews, Paydays, orange slices, watermelon, PB&J sandwiches and Coke. 

There's a *strict* 10-hour cutoff and some of you will need all of that, this runs more like a 50-miler. Since it's a true challenge there will be NO pacers and NO crew. Remember, this is a graduate level run. You can use trekking poles, that's about it.  

I'll also be enforcing *strict* cutoffs at various aid stations along the way- you must get to mile 16 by 1 pm, and mile 24 by 3:30 pm.

You'll also get one drop bag I'll shuttle out to Cheshire. When race directors are like "must be smaller than the size of a shoebox" I have to agree here. 

Registration opens January 1st, 2020 on UltraSignup: https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=66936