Festival of Leaves 5K Saturday
13 October 2007
Front Royal, VA

5K race at 8:30 AM
1 mile fun run at 8:35

Race Info Entry Form Course Maps Past Results

2007 RESULTS & REPORT ARE POSTED!

Thank you to everyone who participated in the 8th annual Festival of Leaves 5K & 1 Mile Family Fun Run/Walk on the beautiful morning of October 13th! We had great weather and a record turnout, with 58 official finishers in the 5K (including a bunch of youngsters from the Osbourn High School cross-country teams!) and five or six fun runners. The results are now posted, in both overall and age group formats, and we've put together a boring race report as well.

We never received finish card #56. The person who received this card finished in 33:07. If this was you, please send Karsten an e-mail and let him know who you are!

Our apologies for the heavy traffic in the vicinity of the school-- I had no idea things were going to be so jammed after the race! We will definitely take steps to avoid such problems next year, possibly with an 8 AM start and/or a relocation to another site.

Many many thanks to those who volunteered at the race, including Terry Leckie, Nancy Bullock, Bob Gurtler, Colleen & Alexander Snyder, Paul Grosz, Duane Williamson, Patty Hawe, and one or two others whose names I did not get. (If you were a volunteer and I didn't mention you, please send me an e-mail to let me know so that I may give you the credit you deserve!)

Feel free to shoot me an e-mail with any feedback about the race. The 2008 race is tentatively scheduled for Saturday 11 October; we'll be getting this Web site updated for 2008 by the end of August.

   
ABOUT THE FESTIVAL
Feel free to stay in Front Royal after the race for the 37th annual Festival of Leaves!

Starting up around the same time as the 5K and lasting all day, the festival will feature a parade at 10:00 AM, historical displays, arts & craft vendors, live entertainment, a children's area, food concessions, tours of historic homes, living history interpretations, and more.

It all takes place in downtown Front Royal near the intersection of Main Street and Chester Street, about half a mile from the 5K finish.

For more information about the festival, call the Warren Heritage Society business office at (540) 636-1446!

RACE SPONSOR
Warren Heritage Society   The 5K is brought to you by the Warren Heritage Society. Proceeds from the race will benefit the WHS!

OUR SISTER RACE
  Greasy-Gooney 10K
Looking for another race to run here in Warren County? Look no further than the Greasy-Gooney 10K, the Shenandoah Valley's most scenic road race! The 10K takes place on Saturday 27 October 2007 in Browntown, VA, about eight miles south of Front Royal.
 
Date and Time
Saturday 13 October 2007, with the 5K starting at 8:30 AM and the 1 mile family fun run/walk starting at 8:35 AM. Registration begins at 7:30.

Location
Luray Avenue School (the old Warren County High School) in Front Royal, VA. The school is approximately 20 miles south of Winchester; 24 miles southwest of Berryville; 43 miles south of Martinsburg, WV; 49 miles southwest of Leesburg; 59 miles west of Fairfax; 65 miles northeast of Harrisonburg; and 75 miles west of Washington, DC. See below for driving directions!

Registration
The 5K costs $10.00 whether you preregister or sign up on race day. Members of the Shenandoah Valley Runners or the Warren Heritage Society pay just $8.00 for the 5K. The 1 mile fun run/walk is free. Early registration is always appreciated! Just print up a copy of our entry form, slap it in an envelope along with a check payable to "Warren Heritage Society", and mail it by Monday 1 October to Patrick Farris, Warren Heritage Society, 101 Chester Street, Front Royal, VA 22630-3322. Or you can register at the school on the 13th starting at 7:30 AM.

Awards
There will be awards for the top three overall male and female finishers in the 5K, as well as for the top three males and females in the following age groups: 14 & under, 15-19, 20-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, and 60 & over.

The 1 mile family fun run/walk is noncompetitive and untimed.

Courses
The accurately measured 5K (3.107 mile) loop begins in front of the Luray Avenue School's front steps, finishes on Luray Avenue itself in front of the school, and is run on rolling, paved roads in the western part of town. The 1 mile family fun walk/run starts and finishes in front of the high school steps, and heads down Luray Avenue toward the Shenandoah River and back. For more detailed course info, check out our course maps page! (The maps page was updated on 4 October with a new course map & a more accurate elevation profile!)

Questions?
Contact co-race director Karsten Brown by e-mail or at (540) 635-1773! (Please note, Karsten is only involved with the race and doesn't know too much about the festival itself. So if you have questions specific to the festival, please call the Warren Heritage Society at (540) 636-1446!)

 Warren County High School
The old Warren County High School, now being renovated to become a middle school in 2008
 
Directions
The Luray Avenue School (which served as Warren County High School until 2007) is located at 240 Luray Avenue in Front Royal, VA. (This is the same site at which the race has been held in previous years.) Online maps can be found on Google Maps, Yahoo! Maps, or MapQuest. Here are basic directions to the school:

From the north & west (Winchester, Martinsburg, etc.): Take I-81 to I-66, and follow I-66 to exit 6 (Routes 340/522), heading south towards Front Royal. In about 1.8 miles, turn left at a stoplight, continuing to follow Routes 340/522 south. In 0.2 miles, the road will curve sharply to the right and become Royal Avenue. Get in the right lane, and 0.4 miles beyond the curve, continue straight through a stoplight to stay on Royal Avenue/Route 340. Turn right at a stoplight 0.8 miles later onto West Main Street, and then in about 0.1 miles, turn left onto Luray Avenue. You'll see the school on your left at the top of the hill in about 0.3 miles. To reach the school's parking lot, turn left onto Stonewall Drive and turn right onto the school's entrance drive.

From the east (Fauquier Co., the DC metro area, etc.): Follow I-66 west to exit 13 (Linden, Routes 79/55), turn left at the end of the ramp, and in 0.2 miles turn right onto Route 55. Follow Route 55 for 5.3 miles into Front Royal, turning right at a "T" intersection onto Route 340/South Royal Avenue. In 0.3 miles, turn left onto West Stonewall Drive (just past Royal Oak Bookshop & Donahoe's Florist). The school's entrance drive will be on your left in 0.2 miles. (If you miss Stonewall Drive, take your next left at the Jackson Street stoplight, turn left at Luray Avenue, and turn left onto Stonewall.)

From Luray and the Page Valley: Follow Route 340 north to Front Royal. About 0.1 miles past the north entrance to Shenandoah National Park, turn left at a stoplight onto Criser Road. Follow Criser Road for half a mile to Luray Avenue and turn right. The school will be on your right in 0.3 miles, at the top of the hill. You can park in the parking spaces along Luray Avenue, or continue over the top of the hill to turn right onto Stonewall Drive to reach the school's parking lot.

Race Info Entry Form Course Maps Past Results

The Festival of Leaves 5K Web pages are maintained by Karsten Brown.