2022 Report

The consensus view of the 2022 Chocolate Bunny was that it was beautiful! Weather was mid-70s at start and dropping to mid-40s by night. Clear skies allowed for a fantastic view of the full moon. The trails were challenging, and the climbs were long, but everyone was all smiles coming into the aid stations.

The runners were greeted at a convenient “bonus” aid station at Gap Creek, volunteered by Kathy Tumblin, her sister Vicki, and Max, the dog. Fueled up, the runners tackled Jawbone and the ever popular Kerns Mountain! Runners were then spit out onto Crisman Hollow Road, where some were greeted by a genuine Furbutt, who seemed unhappy about the late-night disturbance.

A quick run down the road led to the main aid station at the old Massanutten Visitor Center. Here runners received cheers and their aid bags. “Fry Man” Dan Aghdam treated everyone to French fries and pierogis. The volunteer crew of Kevin, Mike, Patrick, Ram and Josh filled fluids and catered to runners, while handing out good, sound advice. Here some runners decided to cut the night short and take the trail directly back to the parking lot.

The bulk of the runners partook in even more Massanutten glee by completing the final stages of the course. A strong climb up Bird Knob gave runners a beautiful night view of the moon above, and lighting in the Shenandoah Valley below. One more climb (or two, or three)? Eventually, runners made it to Browns Hollow, which felt never-ending to many. Then finally, the runners made it back to their starting place, and the end to their jaunt through these trails in the Massanuttens. Runners were given a round of applause and their ceremonial Chocolate Bunny!

[Editor’s note: A hearty congratulations to Larry Tumblin on this highly successful initial running of the Chocolate Bunny under his care. By all accounts, this MMT Training Academy staple is in excellent hands!]

Results

And here is our usual admonition regarding the “results” below… Bear in mind: this is not a race. No one treated this as a race. These should not be considered “race results.” The times are provided for informational purposes only. This can help others who pull the route from the event site and run the course self-supported, so that those runners can approximate times. It can assist those considering this training run in future years to estimate their own run times. And it is helpful for volunteers to see the range of times that runners take to cover certain sections.