The Virginia Happy Trails Running Club

Promoting trail running in the D.C. area for three decades.

Welcome to the Virginia Happy Trails Running Club

We are a fun group of trail runners of all abilities centered in northern Virginia. Many but not all of us run ultramarathons. Come play with us at our races and training runs!

The VHTRC is 30! We are celebrating with a year-long photo scavenger hunt. More information

Latest news

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EF 50k 2023: Coming out of the Pandemic Baby Haze

  • Mar 13, 2023
  • Race report

Cara Mason shares a short report on the challenges she has overcome as a young mother to find the needed balance in her life, and to regain the level of fitness that this weekend allowed her to complete the 2023 Elizabeth Furnace 50k, marking her second ultra finish.

Read more
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Icy-8 Trail Race

  • Feb 9, 2023
  • Race report

Our latest correspondent is young Josie Krughoff (Tracy Cooley’s daughter), who completed her first ultra distance race at the Athletic Equation’s Icy-8 (an 8 Hour event) in early February 2023.

Read more
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Willis River 50k 2023

  • Jan 31, 2023
  • Race report

John Calabrese is back with his latest race report, this time after a foray into central Virginia to tackle the surprisingly challenging Willis River 50k.

Read more

Upcoming stuff

Here’s what we have coming up. See our calendar for a full list of our (and others’) events

The VHTRC was founded to put on races. We are mighty proud of our courses and hospitality.

Sat Apr 15

50.2 miles

Clifton, VA

Entry opens: Nov 15, 2022

A 50 mile trail run that parallels the Bull Run and the Occoquan River in northern Virginia, just outside of Washington, DC. The course traverses forested, rolling terrain during the height of Virginia’s spring beauty. The run’s unique character includes a Civil War theme that honors the battles that occurred here over 150 years ago. The 13 hour time limit makes Bull Run Run an excellent first 50 miler.

Sat May 20

100.6 miles

Fort Valley, VA

Entry opens: Oct 30, 2022

A challenging, rocky 100 miler on the trails of the Massanutten Mountains in the George Washington National Forest in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. The course includes short but rugged mountain climbs with more than 18,000 feet of total ascent. There is a 36-hour cutoff.

Sat Sep 9

13.6 miles

Fairfax Station, VA

Entry opens: Jun 3, 2022

A challenging yet chill race for women only … built for new trail runners and veterans alike.

Sat Feb 24

50 km

Westminster, MD

Entry opens: Jan 3, 2023

31 miles of trails, old woods roads, open fields, and plenty of hills with a couple of stream crossings thrown in just for fun.

Events are open to the public and free to enter, but do require prior registration and many have entry limits.
Didn’t get in? Consider volunteering.

Sat Apr 8

25.9 miles

Luray, VA

Entry opens: Mar 14, 2023

A low-key, tough, night-time run on the southern section of the MMT course. Prior daytime experience on the MMT course is a prerequisite.

Low-key runs with no formal sign-up. Just show up and run.

Sun Mar 26

7-10 miles

Washington, DC

Explore the trails of Rock Creek Park on these low-key runs. We leave at 8:00 am from either Peirce Mill or Theodore Roosevelt Island and the runs are roughly 7–10 miles long.

Fri Nov 24

25.3 miles

Nethers, VA

Often referred to as “Shenandoah’s National Park’s greatest hits,” this 25-mile loop’s highlights include White Oak Canyon, Hawksbill, Stony Man, all connected by beautiful ridge running on the Appalachian Trail.

View our available SWAG More information

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