When you truly believe in something, and you carry it in your heart, you accept no excuses, only results.
—Ken Blanchard
General Information

Dates/Times/Etc.:	The McNaughton Park Trail Runs are being held on the weekend of April 11-13, 2008. Start times: The 150 starts on Friday, 12 noon, April 11. The 50 and 100 mile starts on Saturday, 6 a.m., April 12. The course closes for all racers on Sunday, 4 p.m., April 13. Time limit for the 50 and 100 is a generous 34 hours. Time limit for the 150 miler is 52 hours. The race director will let the 100 milers start with the 150, but early starters won’t be eligible for awards, but they will receive their finisher’s award.
Course Difficulty:	Easier than Barkley. Cooler than Badwater. Lower altitude than Leadville. Warmer than Yukon Artic Ultras. Thanks, Ollie :-)
Hotels:	Holiday Inn (309) 353-3305 3615 • Kelly Ave. Concorde Inn (309) 347-5533 • 2801 Court St. Super 8 (309) 347-8888 3630 • Kelly Ave. Comfort Inn (309) 353-4047 3242 • Vandever
Directions to the hotels:	From the north and east take 74 to 155 south. Take 155 south to Rt. 9. Take Rt. 9 into Pekin. Rt. 9 turns into Court Street once you enter Pekin. The hotels will be on your right as you enter town. From the south, take 55 to 155 north. Take 155 north to Rt. 9 into Pekin. Rt. 9 will turn into Court Street once you enter Pekin. The hotels will be on your right as you enter town. From the west, take 474 to Rt. 29. Follow Rt. 29 towards Pekin and turn onto Rt. 98 as you are going to the start/finish. Turn at your second light (Parkway Drive). Take Parkway through two four way stops and two lights and then turn left on Court Street. Take Court Street east until you get to the edge of town. You will see the hotels on your left.
Directions to the start/finish from the hotels:	Take a right onto Court Street and head west. Follow Court until you reach Parkway Drive. Go right on Parkway and through two lights and two four way stops. The next light is Edgewater Drive (this is also known as Rt. 98). Take a right on Edgewater and go up a hill. You will pass a residence driveway and the entrance to your park will be your next right at the top of a hill. There is also a sign for Soldwell Program Center. Turn right into the park and follow that driveway until it ends. N 40 degrees, 35.606 minutes and W 089 degrees, 36.250 minutes. Elevation 512 feet.
Food:	Goodfellows (1414 N. 8th St.), Pepperoni’s (509 S. Parkway Dr.), and LaGondola (2996 Court St.) have pasta and pizza. You can also find Mexican, Applebee’s, fast food, and pizza along Court Street.
Food Note:	All of these are one block off Court Street, which is a main street running east/west in Pekin. The Concorde Inn has set aside rooms for the 28th at reasonable rates. The hotels are ten minutes from the start.
Directions to the race:	From the west, Take 74 to 474 over the Illinois River and take the first exit after the bridge. This will be Rt. 29. Follow the signs to Pekin. You will pass Marquette Heights and North Pekin. There will be a light at Rt. 98 and you need to take a left towards Morton. Cupi’s Motor Mall is located at that corner. Route 98 is also called Edgewater. Take Route 98 through two lights. You will then pass a residence driveway on the right, go up a short hill and take your next right. This is the entrance to McNaughton Park. There will also be a sign for Soldwell Program Center. Follow this driveway until it ends and you will be at the start/finish area. From the east, Take 74 to 474. Get off at Exit 9, which will be for Rt. 29. Turn left to go to Pekin and then use the above directions to get to the start/finish. Pekin is south of Peoria. Those of you coming from the North or the South will be using I55 to get to Rt. 74. Once on 74 you will take 474 and use Exit 9.
Course markings:	You will be following the Potowatami Trail (RED TRAIL). The entire race will be run in the woods, around prairies, or through fields. The Park District is marked once a year with red paint on trees. There are also orange marks on trees for the horses. You will always follow the Red Markings and my YELLOW TAPE. VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU FOLLOW THE YELLOW TAPE. There are areas where the orange tree markings and the red markings vary. I will overload those areas with tape. There are also two sections where you will leave the red trail so it is important that you follow the yellow tape. There will also be white ground paint to follow in the grass. Getting lost will be very hard to do.
Note:	The course will be well marked and you shouldn’t have any problems finding your way around the 10-mile loop. Enjoy your time and best of luck.
Creek crossings:	You might be able to stay dry if you choose to make the effort. This may add several seconds to your time as each crossing has areas of shallow water near the route, unless we have recent rains. If it rains, nobody stays dry. The 1st crossing is the deepest, if you run straight through it, you will get wet past your ankles. There is a shallow spot to the right about twenty yards. Once across the creek, go back towards where you turned away and follow the yellow tape and the red markings, DON’T follow the orange. #2 crossing is now a wooden bridge. Way too easy! #3 crossing has been modified to make a channel that is usually narrow enough to jump. It is a wilderness run so don’t wear stuff you can’t get wet. Enjoy the creek crossings, they are part of the accomplishment.
Hazardous Areas:	Be cautious on all bridges. Several have been rebuilt but are very slick when wet. Be cautious of all logs, rocks, roots, and small stumps. Poor traction and unstable footing on logs and rocks plus roots and small stumps are a major cause of falls and tripping.
Bathrooms:	There will be one port-a-potty at the start/finish. There are men’s and women’s outhouses just after the first aid station (mile 2.5) and just before the finish (mile 9.6). The 2nd bathroom is close to the start/finish (approximately .4 miles).
Aid Stations:	The start/finish aid station (#1) will have water, vitamin water, All-Sport, soda, bagels, raisins, oranges, bananas, cookies, M&Ms, chips, pretzels, licorice, sandwiches, Vaseline, aspirin, and some surprises later in the race. (#2) will be primarily water and some goodies and (#3) will be fairly well stocked but not as loaded as the start/finish. You will be able to get fruit, pretzels or chips, soda, cookies, and water.
Packet pick up:	I will be spending my day at the park marking the trail. You may be able to catch me out there. Feel free to come out and get a feel for the trail and it's condition. Race day packet pick up will begin at 4:00 a.m. and will go until 5:45 a.m.
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.	Andy Weinberg pittsfieldultra@yahoo.com (Race Director) Phone: (309) 642-2230 Work: (309) 347-4101 ext. 6380 Note: My address is 708 Washington, Pekin IL 61554. This is in case any of your ultra friends decide to register for the race.
Almanac information for April 11, 2008 in the Peoria/Pekin area:	CENTRAL DAYLIGHT TIME SUN—Begin civil twilight @ 5:57 a.m. Sunrise @ 6:25 a.m. Sun transit @ 12:59 p.m. Sunset @ 7:34 p.m. End civil twilight @ 8:02 p.m. MOON—Moonrise @ 9:22 a.m. on preceding day Moonset @ 1:34 a.m. Moonrise @ 10:29 a.m. Moon transit @ 6:31 p.m. Moonset @ 2:26 a.m. on following day Phase of the Moon on 11 April: Waxing crescent with 38% of the Moon's visible disk illuminated. First quarter Moon on 12 April 2008 at 1:32 p.m. Typical Weather for April 11 in Pekin, IL Normal High: 60°F; Normal Low: 39°F; Normal average: 50°F
Elevation Gain:	The elevation gain per 10 mile lap is 1,600 feet.
Refund Policy:	Entry fees are non-refundable after March 1st. Depending on the extenuating circumstances, the RD reserves the right to roll your entry to next year.
Dropping Down a Race:	All race results will remain in the category where the runner originally registered. Finisher awards will be given to all finishers of their registered race. Times and distances will be listed for those not completing their full distance at the end of the race result listing. Pre-registered runners may drop down to a shorter distance if done at least 30 minutes before the start of the race. Entry fees, however, can not be refunded for distance drop downs.