Blue Blaze Festival
October 12, 2024
The Buckeye Trail Blue Blaze Festival will be held on the second Saturday of October in 2024. The BTA will again host the Blue Blaze Festival, in Shawnee, celebrating the Buckeye Trail with running, hiking and backpacking.
Registration is now OPEN at https://runsignup.com/Race/OH/Shawnee/RunForBlueBlazes
This year there will be five options for a distance and trail challenge right for you: Half Marathon, 10K, 5K run/walk, 8 Mile BT Hike, and an overnight backpacking experience. All events are on the Buckeye Trail in the Wayne National Forest.
—The 10K and Half Marathon courses are out and back on the Buckeye Trail. Most of the course is on single-track trail, with some challenging and hilly conditions, and there are some sections on roads. The half marathon has over 1,000 feet of elevation change. There will be several aid stations with water and Gatorade, and volunteers at all road crossings. The Half Marathon and 10K Run will start at 9:00AM.
—The 5K course starts 9:15AM, will be the same looped course introduced in 2021, and will include the Woodthrush connector trail near Tecumseh Lake.
—The 8‐Mile Hike will start and finish in Shawnee with hikers following the Blue Blazes of the Buckeye Trail and a road section that will connect to the BT to offer a looped hike experience. The 2023 Hike was designed by the Little Cities of the Forest Chapter of the BTA. A guide to historical sites will be provided to participants.
Register for the 5K, 10K, Half Marathon, and 8 mile hike at https://runsignup.com/Race/OH/Shawnee/RunForBlueBlazes
— The Backpacking course is a Friday-Saturday introduction to backpacking and will be covering sections of the Buckeye Trail. This course is being planned and coordinated by Appalachian Understories and Tecumseh Theater. This course starts at 11:00AM on Friday at the Tecumseh Theater in Shawnee.
For more information to register for the Backpacking course, please use this link.
The start and finish for all of the events (Run — Hike — Backpack) will be in Shawnee, Ohio, near the Buckeye Trail Association office, 127B W. Main Street.
Early packet pickup will happen on Friday evening, with camping available at several locations in and around the Village of Shawnee. More information and to register go to: https://runsignup.com/Race/OH/Shawnee/RunForBlueBlazes