Boyer's Furnace 40 Miler

Saturday December 26, 2020 - 8 AM Start

Important Note!  This is NO LONGER the active Boyer's Furnace website, and the information below has not been updated for the event for 2020.  Please use the following link in order to view the 2020 (and beyond) Boyer's Furnace race site.

Boyer’s Furnace is a minimally supported 40-mile loop through the Massanutten Mountains, sponsored by the Virginia Happy Trails Running Club. The run was started in 2006 by Greg Loomis. It was under the able stewardship of Carter Wiecking and then Tony Escobar for several years.  2020 will be Year Four under Race Director Carol Cohen. Carol is excited at this opportunity to provide the trail running community with a quality Fat Ass race experience, on the behalf of the VHTRC and in the tradition of Greg, Carter and Tony.

The race is named for Boyer’s Furnace, one of four stone blast furnaces operated in the Fort Valley area during the 19th century.  Runners pass the furnace ruins roughly halfway through the circuit, on a dirt road section while crossing the Fort Valley on the edge of the George Washington National Forest boundary line.

This event is a classic "fat-ass" run: there is no entry fee, no awards, and some runner-provided aid will be made available at a limited number of locations along the route.  This is an excellent opportunity to burn off all of those holiday treats (and pounds)!

Markings are minimal, so the runner must be comfortable navigating a course using a map and turnsheet in order to participate. This is a MUST!  Some of you will know this course, but those who are not 100% sure of the route should be carrying a turnsheet and a map.  Carrying your cell phone is also a wise option, not only in case of emergency, but so that you can document the trail, your fellow runners, the bears, etc.

Race entry was opened up to a cap of potentially 110 runners. If that figure was hit, then entry would be closed, and there will be no wait list and no additional entries allowed.  With standard attrition ahead of the race, 110 entrants will generally winnow down to the actual desired number of runners (just under 75).

Read on for more details about this event. The link to enter the 2019 race opened through the VHTRC's online signup system on Monday November 18, and the race was closed the weekend before Xmas.  Read through the following details to confirm that this event REALLY is for you, and then you will find the entry link below once the race entry is opened up in mid-November of 2020. NOTE: Volunteers are very much needed, so contact Carol if you would like to help your fellow runners out!
 

Where: The start is at Camp Roosevelt's "horse parking lot" at the southern end of the Fort Valley (also known as Stephens Trail Parking in Google Maps).  Note: Parking is traditionally TIGHT here, so please, please, please try to carpool!!

When: Saturday, December 26, 2020 at 7:30 am (post-briefing and obligatory group photo).

What: 40 miles, with a healthy mix of technical single track trail, dirt country roads, and some brief stretches of pavement. [Truth be told, this course seems to hold 41 miles of fun rather than just 40.]

How: With the aid of your volunteers, you will be tracked and provided replenishing sustenance at three points along the course:

   Veach Gap A.S. - @ 17 miles
   Woodstock Tower A.S - @ 23 miles (or possibly 22 miles, based on weather and           potential road closures)
   Edinburg Gap A.S. - @ 31 miles

Said sustenance will include an item that you will be asked to provide (such as soda, Gatorade, chips, or cookies).

Why: What better way to kick off your 2021 training, and knock off some holiday pounds, while also spending time on the trails with old friends and new?  And if the weather is cooperative, you will be treated to some incredible views on both ridges of the Massanutten Mountains. This is also a great way to get your Massanutten Mountain Trails 100 training up and running ahead of that spring classic.  It can be particularly useful if you are considering entering MMT and are not yet familiar with the Massanutten trails, since you can get a clear sense of what you would be getting into for that race prior to the Jan 1 opening of the MMT lottery.
 

Volunteers - 2019:

• Carol Cohen - RD
• Sheila Veibert - Veach Cap'n
• Carolyn Foley - Veach
• Josh Howe - Veach
• Stephen Wancowicz - Veach
• Justin Faul - Veach/Edinburg
• Erin Altemos - Veach/Sweep
• Charlene Howard - Veach
• Tony Escobar - Woodstock Cap'n
• Tracey Thibodeau - Woodstock
• Larry Thibodeau - Woodstock
• Erick Kuhlman - Edinburg Cap'n
• Mike Zinn - Edinburg Cap'n
• Arif & Nelline Khazi - Finish Line Cap'ns
• Tom Simonds - Finish Line

Elevation profile:

More information: Turn sheet | Start Location | Reference Map

And Even More Information:  Contact Carol.

Results of Prior Runs

• 2019 Results
• 2018 Results
• 2017 Results, Report, and Photographs
• 2016 Results
• 2015 Results
• 2014 Results
• 2013 Results
• 2013 Report
• 2010
• 2009
• 2007
• 2006

Club Event Participant Medical Policy

This is an event with very real risks to your well being. The VHTRC does not provide medical care for runners at this event. Runners are responsible for their own health, safety, and well being at this event.  No doctors, nurses, or emergency medical technicians, or anyone with any medical training are available along the course, at any aid station, or at the finish. The club does not supply any medical goods or services, including bandages, splints, antiseptic, or Ibuprofen or any other drugs to maintain the health of runners. Physical, medical, and emergency care is the runners' responsibility.  In case of an emergency, we will endeavor to get local emergency personnel to an injured runner as soon as possible.  Since most of our events are in remote areas, medical care may be far away in distance or time.  Each year, runners finish — or are forced to drop out — with scrapes, deep cuts, hematomas, dislocations, and sprains.  Runners have experienced cuts, bruises, bee stings, and asthma attacks. This is an event with very real risks.