Ready to 'Rumble' on LKN's trails?

If you were up in Lake Norman over the weekend for the triathlon, you may have returned to your car to find a flyer tucked under one of your windshield wipers trumpeting a new series of trail races with the exciting-sounding moniker "Rumble in the Woods."

Seemed appealing (a 12.6-mile trail run in Lake Norman State Park? Ya don't see those every day). But I've gotta admit that I tossed it into my backseat and didn't think of it again ... until I got a press release from Sue Mitchell of Team Triumph.

Here's the info, with some quotes from Mitchell to follow:

Tie up your trail running shoes. It is time to start training for a new long-distance race series coming to the Lake Norman State Park this fall.

Rumble in the Woods is scheduled for Nov. 14. The new series adds some depth to the fall race calendar by offering three runs on the trails. The feature run is a 12.6-mile event. For those who aren’t ready to tackle the long distance yet, the race also offers a 6.6-mile run and a 5K run.

The new event is sponsored by Team Triumph, a group of Lake Norman area women who participate in triathlons and other endurance sports.

As for the difficulty, all trails are primarily made up of rolling hills. The 5K course follows the Hawk Loop. The longer races follow the Monbo Loop. The 12.6-mile route includes two loops on the Monbo trail. The registration fees are $20, $25 and $30 for the 5K, 6.6-mile race and 12.6-mile race, respectively.

Race registration is open at Active.com.

Team Triumph will provide refreshments, raffles and awards following the races. Awards will be given for the top three places overall in each age/gender group: under 19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, and 60 and older.

Proceeds from the event will go to Women’s Auxiliary of Motorsports Charities (W.A.M.). Team Triumph’s mission is to empower women of all abilities to train, race and socialize around the triathlon and other endurance sports. For more information on Team Triumph, visit our Web site: www.TeamTriumphNC.com.

Mitchell tells me the race has a cap of 100 athletes, but that there are still plenty of open slots: "[The race director] says right now, registration is light. But we're hoping by continuing to pass out flyers at events like the Open Water Swims, Run for Green, Ramblin' Rose and Nomad Tri. We'll hit our cap. The park ranger did not want more than 100 runners on the trail, or he would have been forced to cut it off to non-race traffic, so that's why the [cap]."

As for Team Triumph, Mitchell says: "Some of us a seasoned triers, some have done Olympic and other distance tris; others are marathoners; some are novices. The purpose of the group is to support each other in these endeavors, get the experienced women to work out with the less-experienced and pass along their knowledge, and watch everyone grow in their skills." For details on how to become a member, click here.