A section of about-to-be-improved Buttermilk Trail. Credit: RVA MORE

… we salute you!

Full credit to the newsletter writers at RVA MORE, Richmond’s mountain bike/trail-building club, for that sweet headline. What’s it about? It’s about the epic new re-route of an eroded section of Buttermilk Trail. Those same headline writers are also rock luggers, and they need your help.

This Saturday we’ll start the process of building the rock features that will make up the advanced line option for the Buttermilk re-route.  We’ve got a lot of BIG rock staged along the trail, now it’s time to put it all into place.  There will be plenty of work to go around so we need your help on this one.  Don’t miss the opportunity to put your mark on the JRPS’ newest trail feature.  

We will be meeting at 9 am at the parking lot at Riverside drive and 22nd street, right across from canoe run park (https://goo.gl/maps/pND9snKWFLk) and will walk to the work site from there.   Please bring water, sturdy work shoes, and gloves.

On February 5 through 12, the Enrichmond Foundation, the Sierra Club – Falls of the James Group, the Capital Region Land Conservancy and Viridiant will partner to present the RVA Environmental Film Festival. The festival takes place at locations across the city and Chesterfield County including the University of Richmond, VCU, public libraries, The Visual Arts Center, The Byrd Theatre and The Science Museum of Virginia. The week long event showcases local and national films that raise awareness of environmental issues relevant to the Richmond region, our nation, and our planet.

Every year this event grows in the amount and quality of movies shown. This year is no exception. Click here to see the movie list.

The festival was founded as The Biggest Picture: Richmond’s First Environmental Film Festival in 2008 and 2009 under the James River Film Society. The Sierra Club Falls of the James Group revived the event in 2011 as the RVA Environmental Film Festival, and it continues to gather additional support from local nonprofits and businesses.

Registration is currently open for the Ukrop’s Monument Avenue 10k presented by Kroger, and a price increase is set for Thursday, February 1. The registration price is currently $35 for adults and $25 for youth age 14 and under, and both rates will rise by $5 on February 1. The 19th annual Monument Avenue 10k is set for Saturday, April 14.

In addition to 10k and Training Team registration, the Virginia529 Kids Run is also scheduled for a $5 price increase on February 1, rising from $15 to $20.

Any participant wishing to be eligible for selection for the AT&T Dash for the Cash during the 10k must also be registered by the February 1 deadline. In the Dash for the Cash, one lucky participant is selected at random to get a head start on the 10k course (pre-determined based on ability) and race against the rest of the field in hopes of being the first to cross the finish line. If the contestant can out-run the fastest elite runner, they win the $2,500 AT&T Dash for the Cash prize. If not, the prize is donated to the event charities.

YMCA 10k Training Team Kicks Off with Saturday Group Runs

The YMCA 10K Training Team, a 10-week training program leading up to the Ukrop’s Monument Avenue 10k, kicks off on February 3 with weekly Saturday group running and walking sessions. The training teams are hosted at 20 sites across the region, including 16 YMCA branches as well as the Richmond Community Hospital and Bellemeade Community Center. Two stroller-friendly group locations are also available, taking place at Deep Run Park in Henrico and Rockwood Park in Chesterfield. Registration for the training team is open through February 9 at a rate of $60, which includes entry into the race and group training in a fun, organized, and safe setting.

From our friends at Keep Virginia Beautiful:

How are those Resolutions you made for 2018 going?  Shiver in the River provides an opportunity for citizens to get excited about fulfilling some of their resolutions – volunteer and community service (Shiver’s Community Cleanup), exercise and get in shape (Shiver 5K Walk/Run) and do something new and daring (the James River Jump) … all while making a difference for Keep Virginia Beautiful!  
 
Have you signed up yet for Shiver in the River on Saturday, February 24^th?  
 
Register as an individual or put together your team to participate in the Community Cleanup, walk or run in the 5K, and/or take the James River Jump.  Remember the cleanup is free, the 5K is $30 (through the end of January) and you need to raise a minimum $75 for the privilege to jump.  It’s easy to set up a fundraising page for the Jump or even showcase your love for Virginia by raising money for your efforts in the cleanup and 5K … all while earning great incentive items like the coveted long sleeve t-shirt, plus more.  Gather your family, friends and coworkers.  We look forward to seeing you on 2/24 for RVA’s Coolest Winter Festival.  Did we mention we have live music, beverages, food, heated tents and fun activities?  Go to  www.ShiverintheRiver.com.

Virginia State Parks will offer free parking on Jan. 1, 2018, giving visitors the opportunity to enjoy special hikes or self-guided hikes on more than 500 miles of trails across 37 state parks.

In addition, Virginia State Parks will hold the First Day Hikes Photo Contest and the New Year Challenge. Each contest has a $500 gift certificate as the top prize, as well as other prizes.

A hike at Grayson Highlands State Parks can include views of this guy (or girl…not sure).

In the Richmond area, Pocahontas State Park hosts a New Year’s Eve to New Year’s Day hike that begins Dec. 31 at 11 p.m. and ends with a New Years bonfire and a sparkling cider toast. On New Year’s Day, Pocahontas will offer five other hikes, including a stroller-friendly hike, an advanced hike, a First Day Run, an orienteering hike, as well as a hike for family and friends.

Other parks with multiple hikes and difficulties include Bear Creek Lake, Holliday Lake and Twin Lakes state parks.

Some of the more unique hikes include Grayson Highlands State Park, with the possibility of seeing wild ponies. Guaranteed to be colder than other parks, hikers flock to the park for the challenge, the view of snow-topped mountains and the ponies.

New River Trail State Park will feature a hike and bike on the new mountain biking trail. At False Cape State Park, hikers will take the Terragator, the beach transport vehicle, down the beach and then hike to the North Carolina border.

Hikers can see bison at Wilderness Road State Park and amazing geological formations at Natural Tunnel and Natural Bridge state parks. The hike at Southwest Virginia Museum Historical State Park includes a tour of the historic town of Big Stone Gap.

You can take this cool teragator to going hiking at False Cape State Park on New Year’s Day.

Virginia State Parks welcomes bikes and horseback riders at parks with those facilities. Leashed dogs are welcome everywhere except False Cape State Park. Details for all hikes can be found here: http://bit.ly/VSPFDH2018.

For more information about Virginia State Parks activities and amenities or to make a reservation for one of the more than 1,800 campsites or 300 climate-controlled cabins, call the Virginia State Parks Customer Care Center at 800-933-7275 or visit www.virginiastateparks.gov.

Check out the story by in this morning’s Times-Dispatch about local middle schooler and avid kayaker Nathaniel Milligan. It’s a story that deserves a wider audience.

Milligan, a seventh grader at Richmond’s Albert H. Hill Middle School, has organized a series of kayak races this Saturday on the James River as a fundraiser for his and other Richmond Public Schools. You can find more details (and register) at the event’s Facebook page.

T-D reporter Justin Mattingly writes that Milligan has launched similar fundraisers in years past for his birthday, usually asking people to bring canned goods that he can donate to local food banks. But, “now he wants to combine his hobbies of kayaking and charity…”

His “Kayak for a Cause” event will take place at the T. Tyler Potterfield Memorial Bridge, and, in addition to raising money for RPS, participants are asked to bring canned goods.

Click here to read the T-D article. It’s a cool story about a local kid with a built-in sense of altruism beyond his years.

Our friends at Keep Virginia Beautiful just released the date for their signature event — Shiver in the River — a polar plunge into the James River on what promises to be an icy February 24th. This year KVB is promising a bigger and more impactful event, with an even larger Community Cleanup, 5K Run/Walk, and the James River Jump (the name for the polar plunge part of the festivities). Individuals, families and corporate groups can participate in one or all three events, and of course enjoy RVA’s coolest winter festival going on all around you.

What do you do next? Sign yourself up and start a team. And, if you sign up by November 30th you’ll be entered to win a cool prize that includes a Hilton Richmond Downtown package and discounted registration rates. It’s a great event that benefits a very cool organization.

On October 21st, endurance athletes from all over the U.S. will have touched down in Richmond to compete in the second annual Swim-Run-VA. This race was inspired by the Otillo style Swimrun, where a team alternates between running and swimming along a pre-marked course in nature. Teams of two have to stay within 10 meters of their partner and swim in their shoes and run in their wetsuits with no transitions between disciplines.

A racer runs Pipeline at last year’s Swim-Run-Va race.

Last year Swimrun was introduced to RVA, and athletes accepted the challenge to compete in the inaugural Swim-Run-VA race, which spans 18 miles through the heart of RVA, 13 miles of running and 5 miles of swimming. It was the first ever swimrun event in Virginia and the second in the entire U.S.

Richmond has a rising reputation as an active community, featuring an extraordinary natural landscape and man-made creations that promote outdoor recreation. The scenic running trails that meet the James River’s pools and rapids are ideal for a challenging swimrun race.

The silhouette of Richmond’s James River Park System provides a platform for a swimrun race that stands alone. The courses urban environment gives racers the opportunity to take in the beautiful scenery that can inspire the physical aspect of the competition. Richmond houses some amazing outdoor adventures.

SwimRunVA starts with serene views of the sunrise over the James River mixed with beautiful trails starting at Huguenot Flatwater Park. After this long swim to the Z Dam, it’s time for a quick but technical swim around some rapids. The course then takes you on a run at Pony Pastor and into the quick moving part of the river for a fast 1000-meter swim.

Moving into more urban features of the event, racers will run through quiet neighborhoods and over Richmond’s downtown expressway into a short sprint swim under the Boulevard Bridge. Next is a 2.87-mile run from along the Northbank Trail past Texas Beach to Belle Isle that is arguably the most fun, yet challenging, leg of the race. After a quick swim and a vivid glimpse at the breathtaking city skyline, views from Richmond’s Floodwall, the final swim finishes at Chapel Island and Great Shiplock Park.

The home stretch is a two-mile run that includes the Richmond terminus of the Capital Trail, Shockoe Bottom, and the Canal Walk across the Pipeline Trail into Brown’s Island. A final sprint for the finish to the river bank across from the American Civil War Museum completes the amazing journey.

Click here to learn more about this unique Richmond event!

Thirsty festival goers at last year’s Va. Craft Brewers Fest.

The road back to normalcy probably feels like a long one if you live in Charlottesville right now. And maybe “normal” will never be quite the same after the events of last weekend. But life goes on in C-ville, and so will the Virginia Craft Brewers Festival this Saturday at IX Art Park.

Last week we announced that we’d be giving away four tickets (two each to two different winners) to the festival featuring almost 100 Virginia breweries. And today is the day!

We had a huge response from Richmonders, who had to like the Keep Virginia Cozy Facebook page to be entered. We’ll be contacting the winners after posting this, but we want to urge any Richmonders with some free time this Saturday and a love of Virginia craft beer to make the drive to Charlottesville. It may be one very small step toward normalcy, but if it helps our friends out west even a little, it’ll be worth it.

Without further ado, our ticket winners are:

Wil Loy 

and…

Ray Googe

Thanks for playing, ya’ll!

Hey outdoorsy friends, RichmondOutside.com will be set up at the Watermelon Festival today in Carytown selling our sweet, vintage-style posters, pint glasses, and more at the Walkabout Outfitter tent. We’ll have Festival-only discount pricing going on!

Come say hello. Great art and free watermelon!