River’s Edge Trail Race
Races: 50k, 25k, 10 mi, 5 mi, Youth 1 mi
When: May 25, 2024
Where: Katy Trailhead at San Gabriel Park. 1100 North College Street, Georgetown, TX, 78626 (south side of the river, off N. College St., across from San Gabriel Park at the San Gabriel Park foot Bridge)
Closest bigger cities: Austin, Waco
This memorable course is waiting for you in the middle of the beautiful, historic downtown area of Georgetown! Don’t be fooled by this race being in the middle of the city. Thanks to the Georgetown Trails Foundation, we will be running on incredibly well-built, scenic, and fun single track dirt trails linking multiple beautiful parks together, all the while hugging the banks of the San Gabriel River.
This race is made possible by the endless hard work of the Georgetown Trails Foundation! We are so thankful to get to partner with them in this way. Please check them out; and if you can, throw in on some of their trail work days. You’ll be glad you did. You can also see what they’re up to @gtxtrails on Instagram.
Race Day Results & Timing & Scoring
Start Options
We will have a mass start per distance. Sometimes we start more than one distance together, so pay attention to the Schedule for this event. We also leave the start line open for a little while longer for those who want to avoid the mass start, enjoy a more casual entry onto the course, and don’t care about overall awards.
Results and Live Split Updates
Click this button on race day to see updated results each time a runner passes a timing mat on the course and the final results. Timing mats are always at the start/finish/next lap line, and sometimes an additional mat is placed out on the course.
Timing and Scoring
The results page will show two times for each runner. “Gun Time” and “Chip Time”. Here’s what that means for you:
“Gun Time” is the time from the mass start (when the starter officially starts your distance) until when you cross the finish line. This is everyone’s “official time”, no matter when you enter the race course; and is the time that is used for all rankings and awards.
“Chip Time” is the time from when you actually cross the start line until the time you cross the finish line. This is not used for official times or award rankings. But if you begin after the Mass Start you can see this time in the results to know the time you actually covered the course in.
Race Schedule
TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY
Course Marking and Race Hub Setup: Sun up to sun down pretty much
FRIDAY
Packet Pickup: 4:30pm-6:00pm
Pre-Race Briefing: 6:00pm-6:30pm Pre-Race Briefing and Q&A w/ drinks provided by Tejas Trails (not mandatory)
Packet Pickup: 6:30pm-7:00pm
SATURDAY
Packet Pickup:
6:30am-8:45am (for all distances)
10:00-10:30am (for Youth Races)
Start:
7:30am = 50k Start
8:00am = 25k Start
8:15am = 10 mile Start
8:30am = 5 mile Start
10:00am = Youth 1 Mile Start
Final Lap Cutoff: 11:30am (must be on your last lap)
Final Cutoff: 3:30pm (course closed)
Teardown: Saturday all day (yes, we always need help)
Course Information
RACE DISTANCES: 50K, 25K, 10 mi, 5 Mi, youth 1 mi
ROUTE DETAILS:
All distances will begin at the Katy Crossing Trailhead across the San Gabriel Park Bridge from the San Gabriel Park.
This course is comprised of just about every type of trail you can think of. These are beautiful miles along the edge of the river, so don’t expect any elevation. There are some short drops and climbs, but nothing drawn out. The single track is mostly hard packed, flowy and fast. However, there are some very technical sections mixed in as well. We will also utilize some nice shaded, narrow, dirt access roads a couple times, as well as a crushed granite path *(through San Gabriel Park).
All of these natural surface trail sections exist on the edges of multiple parks around Georgetown (such as Katy Crossing Park, San Gabriel Park, Rivery Park, Blue Hole Park, and Chataqua Park). These sections are linked together with the impressive, ongoing, scenic San Gabriel Trail, which is a paved surface trail. This means you will have between .05 mile to .75 mile sections here and there of optional dirt running vs. concrete running (run next to the paved path or on it) until you get to the next single track dirt trail section. Of course, our preference is you stay on dirt at all times possible, but ultimately these sections will be your choice. We can’t wait for you to see this course! It will be the coolest tour of Georgetown and the San Gabriel River you could ever go on!
The Youth 1 mile route will be a fun out and back next to the river on the Katy Crossing trails.
All distances will begin with the Katy Crossing single track section. This is a gorgeous section of trail that has some rolling sections, with a few sporadic short and fairly steep ups and downs. All in all, it isn’t too technical, but it isn’t boring either. It’s a great section to run fast on, or for those who are new to the trails it is a perfect route to try our sport out.
The 5 mile route will have an extension just for you, and then end back at the Race Hub.
The 10 mile route will do the same as the 5 milers (minus the one extension section at the far end). Then once back at the Race Hub, you will continue on across the bridge, through San Gabriel Park via a crushed granite path, and on to the North Fork. You will get to enjoy the Rivery section. Then you will pass back through San Gabriel Park, back across the San Gabriel Park Bridge, and to the finish line.
The 25km route will do the same as the 10 milers, but instead of returning back through San Gabriel Park, you’ll turn right at the central Aid Station at the Duck Bridge, head up the concrete switchbacks, and on toward Blue Hole Park. You get to enjoy the technical Pickett Trail, Chataqua Trail, and Gotham! Then you’ll pass back through Blue Hole Park, then San Gabriel Park, and on back to the Finish Line.
The 50km route will simply do the 25km route twice.
Course Markings
We go above and beyond on our course markings, and have become known around the world for it. We will have orange Tejas Trails caution tape blocking off any open intersections; yellow arrows stapled to stakes, signposts, fences, and trees; and hundreds of confidence markers between. You never have to navigate or use a map.
Course markings are not color-coded per distance. When you get to an intersection where a shorter distance breaks off from the longer main loop, there will be signs with distances on them pointing the appropriate ways. Simply follow the signs with your distance on them. If you don’t see your distance, you just missed your turn. Don’t ever cross caution tape. It usually is required that we keep the caution tape on the ground, but it’s always obvious, and will act as a guardrail for you at open intersections.
Also for any of our races that take place in dark hours, all our markings have high grade reflectors in them, so the course actually becomes even easier to follow in the dark!
Now of course, you can get off course… So if you’re new to trail running, you have to train your brain to keep looking up; and especially don’t trust the person in front of you. We have a special “Lemming Award” for those who blindly follow someone else off course and then get mad at us.
Aid Stations
This course is laid out in a cloverleaf shape. The longer distances will have an aid station where the three cloverleaves meet. That aid station will have some food and various drinks, along with our nutrition partners’ offerings. The third section is a little longer than the others, so we will include a basic aid station in the middle of it, so you can re-supply water and nutrition for yourself.
We will also have an aid station at the Start/Finish Line to make sure you are okay after your race or if you are passing on to a longer distance.
For all distances, you need to be able to carry enough water for up to 5 miles at a time.
Drop Bags
We do not provide drop bag service for this race. You don’t really need to put drop bags anywhere other than the Race Hub or the Main Aid Station in San Gabriel Park across from the Duck Bridge (about .6 miles from the Start Line). You will return to that central spot by the Duck Bridge every ~4-6 miles. See the course map above for a better understanding.
Please keep in mind, this is a public park with a lot of daily visitors who have nothing to do with our race. So, use discretion with what you put in your drop bags and where you place them. We will not be monitoring your belongings.
As for your drop bag placement around the start/finish area, that is a more secluded spot with less regular park visitors. If you want to keep a bag or ice chest here, you can place it anywhere around the race chutes, or along the wall. Just be sure it won’t interfere with packet pickup, vendors, the route or flow of foot traffic.
Volunteering
We fully recognize we could not (and would not want to) put on any of these events without your help. Volunteers breathe life into these events. You make them personal for people. We no doubt need you and love this component to our business. So, know that we will always do everything we can afford to do to help you enjoy your time out there in the trenches helping those runners achieve their goals and dreams.
As a volunteer, you get:
Park entry fees and Camping fees paid for (if your role requires you to sleep at the park)
Food brought to you while you are volunteering
Shirt, hat, race swag, etc.
Loads of good memories
All the gear you need to successfully accomplish your task
Volunteer hours exchanged for future race entries
We can always use help, specifically for: course marking, packet pickup, aid stations, course sweeping, teardown, and more!
Swag & Stuff
Your race entry comes with a bunch of good stuff! You’ll get the comfort of our world-renowned course markings so you don’t have to worry about getting lost. You’ll get our notorious staff and volunteer support (and probably leave with new friends you met at an aid station or the finish line)! We will offer a plethora of aid station food and drink options, as well as finish line drinks. There will be a relaxing race hub area with backyard games and toys for kids to play with for your spectators, friends, and family. We also typically have a food truck at the finish line serving a variety of good food and drink options, including an accommodating menu of most food allergies and vegan options.
You can also expect awesome gear you’ll actually want to wear, and a truly unique medal that you’ll be proud to have. Those who sign up before the shirt cutoff (when we actually have to put the shirt order in) will receive a nice shirt. Sometimes long sleeve, short sleeve, sleeveless, tank top, or something else we find that’s cool and different from the year before. Those who register after that date will receive a cool non-size specific item, such as a hat, beanie, arm warmers, scarf, drink ware, or something else we find.
If you don’t like the swag item you received, you may swap your item after the final Packet Pickup is over (when we have ensured everyone got the item they signed up for). You can also purchase the other item(s) if you like all of them. This will all happen from the Tejas Trails merchandise tent when it’s onsite, and otherwise will be made available at the Packet Pickup Tent or the Finish Line Tent.
Please note, we don’t always get the shirt color we had planned these days, as things are goofy with shipping and fulfilling. If the shirt color changes, sometimes we have to change the design colors too. But you can count on a quality item.
Timing & DNF
Chip Timing
All races will be chip timed. Chips will be attached to an ankle strap, picked up on race morning only at the event venue, and must be worn on your ankle during the race. Chips are likely to not work if worn anywhere other than your ankle.
Once you finish, we will have a bin for you to place your chip into. Our head timer will take care of it from there.
Please reference the “Start Options” section above for exact details of how we are utilizing “Gun Time” vs “Chip Time”, depending on which Start Option you choose during registration. For the “Open Start Option”, it is very important you do not get near the Start Line with your timing chip until you are ready to start. There is a different Start Line than the Finish Line/Next Lap Line. Consider the Start Line your “on ramp” onto the highway. Once on, you don’t hit that arch and timing mat again.
Check Out
If you leave the race for any reason before completing the full race distance, you must turn in your timing chip. If we have your Chip, then we know you have left the course & we won't go looking for you all day & night.
DNF (Did Not Finish)
If you decide to not finish the distance you registered for, you may get a finisher medal to commemorate the miles you did finish; but you will be a DNF in the results; and you will not be in contention for awards for the shorter distance category.
Split Time Collection
Some races may have mid-point reads to help us track progress during the race. If you see a timing mat on the course, make sure you run over it.
Pacers
Pacers are not allowed for this event.
Overall Awards
We love celebrating our top finishers! However, we don’t have awards ceremonies at most of our events. But all the top finishers will receive some really great stuff!
We will have some fun, special, handmade overall awards to hand out when you cross the finish line. Volunteers will check results as you cross, but sometimes there’s a delay since our events are mostly remote. So, if you think you may be in contention for one, please ask before leaving.
Please note, we do not mail awards to anyone who leaves without their earned award. If there is any signal, you can also look up how you did on the results page (found in the pre-race email and at the top of this event webpage).
For this race, we award the Top 3 Overall + Top 1 Masters (50 & Older) per distance.
There are special awards handed out uniquely for the Tejas 250, Tejas 300, and Tejas 400.
For anyone who completes 500, 1000, 1500km or miles at the same event, we give away special fleeces for you to make others jealous with.
Families & Youth Run
Tejas Trails is for families! We have a few things going on to help everyone have fun on race weekend.
For you runners who are trying to figure out how to train and race while trying to be a good friend, partner, spouse, or grandparent.
For you family members and friends who are trying to support your runner, but get bored out of your minds trying to keep your young ones safe and busy.
Our goal is for the runner’s family and friends to have fun things to do, enjoy hanging out, exercise, play in the woods, and create great life-long memories together. Bottom line, we want families to grow closer together because of Tejas Trails events. So, we will provide things like family discounts, yard games, practically free youth races, and a family-friendly environment.
One of our favorite parts of our events is the Youth Trail Run. The course will be around a mile, and at most events it’s possible to run less for our really young racers! You can register your child on the main Reg button at the top of this page. It is an untimed race, and every runner receives a race bib and finisher medal.
We will also have a bunch of backyard games setup around the Race Hub. Just look for the ‘Fun and Games’ flag, and dig through the totes to find some fun toys and games for all ages.
We are proud to be a part of the Youth Trail Series by ATRA & USATF
If you see this badge on an event page, that means that event is a part of the Youth Trail Series, which is a growing nation-wide series of events that are seeking to help grow youth trail runners, to have more fun and be involved at the recreational level, and to ultimately lead to more competitive runners repping Team USA at international trail running races!
For any registrant who is 19 & Under, your registration will automatically be discounted 15-20%. No code is needed. This is good for all our races of 10 miles and shorter.
Getting Here
Everything happens at the Katy Trailhead. To find this spot, you will be looking for the rectangle of grass on the south shore of the San Gabriel River. It is situated between N. College St, College St (which is the road that goes over the river to and from San Gabriel Park), and the “San Gabriel Park Bridge” (which is the old bridge and now foot traffic only bridge).
Parking is primarily going to be at McMaster’s Sports Complex (101 W L Walden Dr.) and the Georgetown Parks and Recreation Admin Building (1101 N. College St.). If those lots fill up, simply follow regular parking laws and regulations. Any legal parking spot is fair game. You can always check the San Gabriel Park, then simply walk toward the race hub and walk across the San Gabriel Park Bridge toward the far east end of the park. The city will tow and fine if you do not park in a valid parking space. Please also note you may NOT park at the VFW or the Masonic Lodge. They may ticket and/or tow if you park on their property. You are allowed to park in the dirt area on the far edge of the Masonic Lodge, just enter and exit from the street (not through their lot).
There is no spectator fee for this event and Tejas Trails is covering all racers day use fees for the use of the park spaces.
Camping & Lodging
Camping in any Georgetown park is illegal. But this city has any type of lodging you could want all around the race hub, including some really fun BnBs. There are multiple camping areas within a half hour to hour of Georgetown. There are some around Lake Georgetown not far away at all, among other sites. If you want a hotel room nearby, Tejas Trails recommends you book your hotel through this booking portal: Hotels for Hope
Not only will you receive a discounted rate through this booking portal, but your hotel reservations will make a difference in someone's life! Every room night booked generates a $2 donation to fund a cool organization.
Tejas Trails has chosen "Kids in a New Groove" as the organization to benefit from this service.
