Creating trail races for road runners

By Henry Howard

Becki Jones saw the possibilities where she lives in Alabama, near the Pinhoti Trail.

There were plenty of groups of road runners. Many of them also enjoyed running on trails. But there were not any nearby trail races.

So Jones, who has been a police officer for 17 years, took it upon herself to create trail and ultra races. Her Dirty Soles Trail Races company now produces the McClellan Madness four-hour and eight-hour races, Lake Yahou 50K, Delirium 32K, and others.

For creating trail races for road runners and her other contributions to the trail and ultra running community she is my featured race director for September. In January 2024, I kicked off this monthly feature to pay tribute to the trail and ultra race directors who make the sport great. To see previous RDs featured, they are all available here. If you have any nominations, feel free to email me here or fill out this form.

Becki Jones, Dirty Soles Trail Races race director

Question: Why did you get into race directing?

Answer: We have a local road running club but nothing specific for trails. The road runners tend to stick to roads. We have some pretty nice mountain bike trails, forest road trails and the Pinhoti Trail all within our city of Anniston, Ala. When I was on the board for the road running club, I tried to get a trail race put together on one of the mountain bike trails but the dates could never work out with the club. So I decided to take matters into my own hands and in 2021, I started Dirty Soles Trail Races. I thought that it was time to try and bring local and nearby trail runners to our trails to see why we (my group and other small groups) loved to run on these trails.

Question: What's the most interesting thing you've learned about yourself since you became an RD?

Answer: In general, I'm not really a people person. I deal with the worst kinds of people in my

full-time job. But, I love volunteering for races and had no idea what it was like to be an RD. I

have found that it brings me so much joy to watch and interact with every runner that comes through my finish line. I truly want the best for each runner and seeing them step outside their comfort zone, or crush a goal or finish a race for the first time is just so exciting.

Question: What's your best piece of advice for someone who wants to become an RD?

Answer: Don't do it! Ha, I'm kidding. it's a lot of hard work and it's just me. Get a support system because you cannot do it alone. I do everything leading up to the race on my own and I rely on my friends to help during the race. Without them, I couldn't do this. Also, work with and around all the local race directors. Try and make sure that you don't schedule races on other local race days, this includes road races because some of your road racers are hybrid athletes.

Question: What's your favorite race to direct?

Answer: I have two favorites. In the Heat of the Night because it was the first 100K trail race in Alabama. It's a night race in August on a forest road that just has a great vibe all around. There is just something special about watching people suffer but conquering it in the end. It also has a 50K, 25K and 10K so it's really fun to see the speed of these distances come through. The course is a big loop with a lollipop at the start/finish and requires no flagging! So I don't have to take the day off before to mark the course. There are four directional arrow signs at each aid station and that's it! An easy course to mark makes my job easier.

My second favorite race is Lake Yahou. It's an early October 50K, 10 mile and 5.5 mile. It's the most perfect weather each year. It also happens to be the race that the least amount of runners sign up for. Probably because there are a lot of big fall races. But I actually love that it draws a smaller crowd. It allows me to really remember each runner’s name and just feels more homely and more like a giant group run. The vibe is very laid back but you still have the competitive side of the runners come out. It's very low key and I love it.

Question: What's your favorite race to run?

Answer: Honestly, I'm not sure I have a favorite run. I don't normally repeat races but a few of the local ones I have to support my friends. My favorite type of race is a looped race though. I know what to expect, it's easier to push to another loop. I don't have to carry much. Some of the races that I have loved include No Business 100, Wild Florida 200, Bear Baits 100K, Farmdaze, The FireFly, Mountain Mist and Dizzy Fifties.

Question: Tell me about a funny experience as an RD and what you learned from it.

Answer: Last year at In the Heat of the Night, I had a bandit runner. I had runners telling me about a weird guy on the course. I knew exactly who it was since I had an encounter with him after the race started. When he came in after one loop, I stopped him and had a conversation with him and asked him to leave. Afterwards, my volunteers were like, ‘Holy shit, we got to see the cop side of you come out. That was great!’ (I've been a police officer for 17 years). This was funny because I'm always just happy go lucky and smiling all the time at my races. When it came down to business, I switched and put my big girl pants on and didn't even realize I had flipped the switch. It's just second nature I guess.

Question: If a runner can only do one of your races ever, it would be ...

Answer: Delirium. It's the most unique and not like most of the races out there. The 32K course consists of four trails. They are a loop and you have to come back to the start/finish after completing each loop (trail). The catch is, the runner gets to choose which order they run each trail. I assign a different color for each trail and for accountability, somewhere on the loop, I have bracelets that are the same color of trail they are running and they must pick one up before heading back the finish area. In the end, they will have collected four bracelets. Instead of finisher medals, I hand paint rocks and each one is different. I think the race is a fan favorite.

Question: What exciting project do you have in the works?

Answer: NOTHING! and that is what is exciting. I have a full time job and put on four races a year. It's a lot for one person to handle. I will note that next year will be my fifth year of putting on races. The race that started it all is McClellan Madness. It's a four-hour and eight-hour race on a 4.1-mile loop. For the fifth year, we will reverse the course. A little change to celebrate year five.

Question: Where can runners find out more about your races?

Answer: www.facebook.com/dirtysolestrailraces