RUNable Race Review: Frosty 15 Trail Run

RACE STATS:

• DATE OF RACE: February 13, 2021
• DISTANCE(s): 15K & 15-Miler
• REVIEWED: 15-Miler
• LOCATION: Madison, MS
• DIFFICULTY: Level 3
• CAUSE: Mississippi Ultra & Trail Society
• RUNscore: 4 Stars

A Running Glance:

Things I loved

• TRAILS
• Awesome volunteers
• FIREBALL
• Finisher mug
• BACON

Things I less than loved

• Freezing to death

RUNable Review:

The Frosty 15 is an out and back 15-mile and 15K trail race held annually on the beautiful and historic Yockanookany section of the Natchez Trace National Scenic Trail in Madison, MS. This year’s freezing temps weren’t enough to detour the approximately 100 race participants from braving the cold to tackle their distance of choice and earn their fireball and finisher’s mug!

Price

I registered the day after registration opened, and just in time too. This event sold out in about 48 hours this year! I paid $40 minus my $5 MUTS member discount. (Learn more about joining the Mississippi Ultra & Trail Society here.) $35 bucks is a steal of a deal for an opportunity to race fun trails with friends and complete an event that includes post-race grub, a cool t-shirt, and a finisher’s mug.

T-shirt/Swag

The t-shirt is Gildan softstyle brand and is 100% cotton. This year they went with a very light greyish color, which I like. (It will never survive Opie though. That man *needs* darker colors, lol.) The front of the shirt features the Frosty 15 logo, while the back of the shirt contains only three small sponsor logos and the race date.

Expo/Finish Line

The race started and finished at the West Florida Boundary historic site located on the Natchez Trace Parkway at milepost 107.9. The finish/start area was small but perfect for an event of this size. Post-race grub included gallons upon gallons of tomato soup, hot grilled cheese sandwiches, and a mountain of bacon.

Medal/Awards

As a reward for finishing your 15-mile or 15K trek, a branded mug awaits your arrival at the finish line! Volunteers there couldn’t wait to fill it with hot tomato soup … or fireball. Participants placing in their age group received an additional Frosty 15 “Yeti-style” mug as their “trophy.”

Volunteers

There were plenty of volunteers at the finish line, at the aid stations, and even positioned along the course taking race photos. These guys and gals went above and beyond to make sure participants had everything we needed. I appreciate their commitment, especially on such a cold day!

Course Scenery

The 450-mile Natchez Trace Parkway stretching from Nashville, Tennessee to Natchez, Mississippi was once a foot trail that American Indians and settlers traveled. Today there are five separate trails alongside totaling 60 miles. 

This section of the trail is beautiful! The route was well marked, and I enjoyed the course scenery so much. The one thing I’ve learned about trail running, there’s always something to see!!

Course Difficulty: LEVEL 3

This particular trail isn’t the most technical I’ve experienced (I’m looking at you, Scorpion!), but there are plenty of occasional roots and holes to keep you alert. I’ve heard some horror stories about how muddy this route was in 2020! This year *definitely* offered up some mud, but it was manageable. The most treacherous sections were the ice-coated bridges, and we definitely didn’t finish clean, dry, or warm! (Or fast, lol.) All that being said, this course was a lot of fun!

Aid Stations

There were two aid stations along the route. The first pit stop was located at mile 2.75 and the second was at mile 7.7 at the turnaround point for the 15-mile race. Both stations were well stocked with water, tailwind, sweet and salty snacks, as well as plenty of smiling faces and “atta girls!”

Parking/Access

The parking lot was small but volunteers arrived early to direct traffic and get us all packed in, snug as a bug in a rug. Participants were encouraged to carpool when possible. After we finished, Jen and I had a good old-fashioned “parking lot picnic” between two cars. Grilled cheese, tomato soup, a cup-o-bacon, and a fifth-o-fireball — these are a few of my favorite things.

Race Management

This race was hosted by the Mississippi Ultra and Trail Society, a local nonprofit that exists to cultivate trail running while maintaining and developing the trails in our area. The MUTS crew is comprised of trail runners, so, naturally, they know how to host a trail run that trail runners want to run. Learn more and check out their upcoming events at www.mutsrunning.org.

Finishing Thoughts …

As a newbie trail runner, it’s really awesome to be welcomed and embraced by the trail running community. Runners are truly my most favorite people! Thanks, MUTS.

If you’ve enjoyed the RUNable Race Review for the Frosty 15 Trail Run, check out another recent trail run I finished — The Great Scorpion Trail Run!