19th Annual Hobbs War Eagle Trail Races

2024 Pre Race Update

War Eagle Nation, it's good to know that in a few days we will see you again. As always, most general questions can be answered if you check out the website. And frequent updates are posted to our Facebook page. Links to both are below. But first... thank you all for your continued support of this event, of Hobbs State Park, the Friends of Hobbs and the Rogers Lions Club.
Packet pick up is Friday, May 31 from 11am-6pm at Rush Running Co in Bentonville. The address is 1600 SE J Street. We highly encourage you to get your packet on Friday. A friend may pick up your packet for you. Packets will not be available before 11:00am or after 6:00pm. Late pick up is Saturday morning at the start area from 5:30am-6:10am only. The pre race briefing will begin at 6:15am. Race starts promptly at 6:30am.

Race day is Saturday, June 1st. Parking is on the Sutton property Behind War Eagle Mill. The address for parking is 11037 High Sky Inn Rd in Hindsville, AR. If you can find War Eagle Mill you can find the parking area. The gates will be open at 5:00am. This is private property and we are fortunate to be able to use it. Please help us keep the grounds as clean as possible. We highly encourage you to carpool. Restrooms will be available on the back of the property but don't be those people we have to yell at every year to hustle over to the race briefing or the start line. Please wait on the far side of the entry to parking and do not congregate in front of the barn. It takes a while to get several hundred vehicles through a single gate and parked. Let's keep the drive open for vehicles entering the parking area. The property owner will allow a very limited number of participants to camp dirtbag style the night before for $10. Camping is allowed in a tent or vehicle, no electricity or water. Email us to secure a spot.

Drop bags are allowed and we will transport them to either Piney Road aid station for 25/50k runners or to the finish line (for all distances). Bring them to the start area. There will be two separate piles so choose wisely. And notice the words "drop bags"... no coolers. Be reasonable.

ALL races will start from the War Eagle Bridge including the 10k. This will be a mass start with all distances at 6:30am. We will start on time with or without you. We cannot emphasize enough to allow extra time to park, take care of a packet or drop bag and bathroom business before the race briefing. Being on time is critical for us as the Benton County Sheriff's Office closes the road for the start.
During the race 6:30am-2:30pm please note that Townsends Ridge Road will be closed from Hwy 12 to the Townsends Ridge trail head parking lot. And the main parking lot for the Visitors Center will be off limits to race traffic. Spectators can use the gravel parking lot just outside the entrance to the Visitors Center.

650 runners is a lot to put on a trail so please be considerate and careful when passing other runners. For our 10k runners having a good time in the back of the pack, be on the lookout for the leaders of the 25/50k as they will catch you before you finish. Again, we are all out here for a good time so share the trail.

All courses will be clearly marked with ribbon and signs at intersections and turns. We put a lot of effort into making sure each course is easy to follow. If this is your first trail race, you are in good hands. If you are unsure about going the right way just ask, somebody close by will know the answer. Please note that when you see the big sign that has an arrow and "Finish 1 Mile" take that with a grain of salt because it is a lie. The actual distance might be 1.4 miles but who makes a sign that reads "Finish 1.4 Miles"? And we are fortunate to have all of our usual aid station volunteers back with us again. They will take good care of you. Aid stations will be stocked with water and Gatorade to drink as well as the usual trail race snacks. This race is CUPLESS. You must bring a bottle or cup for drinks during the race and for the finish line.

Speaking of the finish line, Catfish John's will once again serve the best catfish, chicken strips and hushpuppies in NWA at no cost to our racers. Service will begin at approximately 9:00am.

Shuttle service will be available to return runners to the parking area. The shuttle will begin at 9am. During peak exit times there may be more shuttle riders than seats. If that is the case we ask that car drivers please get seated on the shuttle first. If you are a passenger in a vehicle (because you were awesome and carpooled) let a vehicle driver have a seat and your driver can pick you up in the new lot just outside the main gate.

Kate Austin Photography will be on course to capture photos of the day which will be available at no charge to all of you. Race results will be available on Race Wizard shortly after the race is completed. Once photos and results are ready, we will post links on FB and the website.

For any questions please refer to the FAQs on the website before sending an email or calling. We can also answer questions at packet pick up or on Facebook.

Race rules (not already covered) are pretty simple. Most of you know the hashtag, #dbad. That's it. For those of you wanting more detail, just wait for the race briefing. Be nice to everyone. We will not tolerate any action, behavior or words that are intolerant of others. Period.

A reminder that the deadline to guarantee your shirt was May 8th at 8:00am. If you registered after that you will have to wait until after the race to get your shirt. We have to make sure the folks that registered early get a shirt first. Unclaimed shirts will be up for grabs the week after the race.

In closing, the following folks deserve our gratitude...Greg Lindley-Rogers Lions Club, Simmons Bank and the founder of the Hobbs Tail Twister that has morphed into this over the years. Jay Schneider-Park Assistant Superintendent and Ranger at HobbsMike Rush-Rush Running Co. Janet and Chris Cantwell and crew-Piney Rd aid station who have served the event for 10 years. Abe Nutt and Shannon Hampton and crew-Shnutt Hutt aid station who have been with us for 8 years. Megan James and the Mustache Running Club-Townsends Ridge aid station who have also been with us for 8 years.

That's all for now. Keep running, safe travels and we will see you at Hobbs.