Saturday 11 October 2008, with registration taking place from 7:00 to 7:50 AM and the 5K starting at 8:00 AM.

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!

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. 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 6 October to Patrick Farris, Warren Heritage Society, 101 Chester Street, Front Royal, VA 22630-3322. Or you can register at the school on the 11th starting at 7:00 AM. All proceeds benefit the Heritage Society.

There will be trophies for the top three overall male and female finishers. Medals will be given to 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, 60-69, and 70 & over.

The accurately measured 5 kilometer (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. For more detailed course info, check out our course map page! Important note: The course will be open to vehicular traffic. For safety and insurance reasons, participants may not run the race with headphones, baby strollers, or dogs.

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!)

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, Windows Live Maps, MapQuest, or Yahoo! Maps. 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.