Join us this spring at Devil’s Den State Park, an Arkansas icon nestled in the Lee Creek Valley, for the Styx & Stones Trail Races. Both the Full and Half Marathon race distances will explore the beautiful new Monument Trail system, Butterfield Hiking Trail, Devil’s Den’s unique rock formations and rock gardens, and given the time of year you may experience running under a seasonal waterfall! The longer the distance, the greater the rewards including creek crossings, big climbs, and more remote technical running that Styx & Stones is so well known for. This year, the event will be free, but we ask that you make a minimum donation of $20 to cover our costs and support the benefiting groups. This is a graduate level trail marathon with significantly challenging and technical terrain. Please be prepared or consider the Half Marathon if you are not an experienced trail runner.

Event Background:

From it’s inception with Mark Den Herder as RD, Styx & Stones has been about celebrating the trail community and giving back; donating 100% of any race proceeds to support the West Fork XC team. We will continue to honor and expand that tradition in 2024. With the help of our sponsors and your donations, our goal is that 100% will be donated to support the West Fork XC teams, Friends of Devil’s Den, and Ozark Offroad Cyclists, who build and maintain most of our Ozark trails.

RACE DAY INFORMATION

Parking:

• PLEASE consider carpooling; parking is going to be tight with runners and volunteers coming to the park which is shared with mountain bikers, hikers, and families who I’m sure will be coming to enjoy the park. The Ozark Mountain Bike Festival is concluding on race day.
• Arrive early and give yourself plenty of time to find parking and perhaps walk a bit to the starting area.
• Please be respectful of the park and only park in designated areas. The park has been incredible partners and we want to be invited back next year!

Post-Race Food & Drink: (around 11:00am)

We will be serving food to all runners and volunteers’ post-race along with a cold beer donated by Fossil Cove Brewing Company (please only take one). If you want more than one beer, please bring your own so we have enough for everyone.

Safety Requirements:

15min prior to the start of your race you must check-in, so we know who’s out there. Be prepared to announce your number when you approach an aid station so that we can keep track of you; someone will be there taking down numbers. If you plan to drop from the race, make sure someone at the aid station knows you are dropping AND make sure you come to the start/finish area and let us know so that we can mark you as finished and safe. We do not want to be searching for runners on the course late into the night only to find out you left for home. *There’s NO cell service at the park, be prepared for that!!

Be Kind Rule:

DO NOT litter. Carry out what you carry in or you’ll never be welcomed back (period). Help your fellow runners if needed; this is a trail race and there’s no prize money. Behave respectfully and carry yourself with grace; everyone involved with this race is a volunteer, it’s a not-for-profit race put on at a very affordable price.

TRAIL RUNNING & TRASH:

Please respect the trails and the beauty of Devil’s Den State Park by disposing of any trash at one of our aid stations. DO NOT throw trash on the ground; any runner caught littering will be disqualified and prevented from all future races. If you see trash on the trail, sacrifice a few seconds of your race and pick it up. If you’re strong enough to run a half to full marathon, you can carry a gel packet or candy wrapper a few miles to the next aid station!

CUPLESS RACE

In an effort to reduce the footprint of races and preserve the trails we love; Styx & Stones will be a cupless event. ALL runners of all distances will be responsible for carrying their own container to refill along the way. So, bring a collapsible cup if you want a sugary drink at the aid station and bring a hydration vest or water bottles and we’ll refill them for you at the aid stations along the way. Thank you for being great trail stewards!

General Details:

• Date: Saturday March 30, 2024
• Start Time: 7am. Check-in at 6:30.
• Location: The CCC Pavilion at Devil’s Den State Park, Winslow, AR
• Facebook Page for latest info.
• Distances: Marathon and Half Marathon
• Aid Stations: Every 4-7 miles
• Lodging: Cabins and Campsites. Book early!
• Cost: Free. Recommending a minimum donation of $20 to cover costs and donations.
• Contact info:  Cliff Pittman

Course Description:

ROUTE. The route is the same as last year. It’s a challenging route with some good variety! Cut off for the full is 9 hours. You must finish the first loop (13.1 miles) in 4 hours to continue on in the full. If you plan to start early, make sure to let me know. You can expect 2,000+ feet of gain in the Half and 4,000+ feet of gain in the Full. The first few miles are about as technical as Ozark single track gets on the Butterfield Hiking Trail and Gorley King. You’ll have a little bit of double track and also a lot of fast and flowy single track, weaving in and out of epic rock formations and waterfalls and one creek crossing. This is one of the prettiest areas to run in the state and you’re in for a treat! While the course will be adequately marked (overmarked), I encourage you to download this GPX route to your device. If you get lost, it’s your fault. Oh, and if you feel an intersection needs to be marked differently than you would have marked it, please don’t “correct it”. Everyone behind you will get off course. There are so many trails in this network, so again, I highly encourage having the GPX on a device.

Half Marathon – 1 loop
Full Marathon – 2 loops (same direction)

Strava Route

Aid Stations.
Lewis Automotive Mile 3
Water Drop Mile 5
OORC Mile 9
Start/Finish by Lewis Auto Mile 13.5
Lewis Automotive Mile 16.5
Water Drop Mile 18.5
OORC Mile 22.5

2024 Benefiting Groups:

1. Friends of Devil’s Den State Park, Inc. helps Devil’s Den State Park provide diverse recreational and educational opportunities for all visitors while protecting the natural and cultural resources of this unique Ozark valley. The Friends raise money to cover costs beyond the state budget for equipment, improvements, and programs to make the Park more convenient and enjoyable. Friends also provide volunteer labor at programs and for maintenance and improvement of the Park.
2. The Ozark Off Road Cyclists is a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating and maintaining sustainable soft-surface multiuse trails in the Arkansas Ozarks and River Valley, giving greater opportunities for outdoor enthusiasts to live healthy active lives. Established in 1997, the OORC works with local, state, and federal agencies to conserve the natural environment for recreational experiences. They regularly partner with a variety of user groups, land managers, and businesses for numerous outdoor events including educational training in sustainable trail building and maintenance, volunteer opportunities, and mountain bike races and rides.
3. The West Fork XC Team– Since the beginning of Styx & Stones a portion of the donations have gone to supporting the local West Fork cross-country team whose members come out and volunteer to show their support for the local running community. This past fall at the State XC meet in Hot Springs, the HS Boys team placed a solid 3rd with the HS girls team not too far behind in 5th place. They had 4 individual athletes who earned All-State Honors and several athletes who earned their all-time best 5K times!