Scrub Jay 5k 10k

Join us for the 24th Annual Scrub Jay Races on Saturday, January 20, 2024. 

NEWLY ADDED-It is going to be a chilly morning so we are making providions for your "extra" clothes.
If you need to get rid of extra clothes while you are on your run, we will have a clothes drop location with a sign on each course .  
            5K-drop at the water station at about 1 1/2 miles.
           10K-drop with the volunteer at about 3/4 mile at the transition from the Green to Orange trails.  

Please do not just toss them aside on the trails!  Items dropped off at the designated drop locations will be transported back and placed in the screen room adjacent to the Nature Center for you to retrieve after your race.

If you would like to leave dry clothes for after your run.  Generally you will have been able to park pretty close but if you'd like, you are welcome to leave items in the screen room adjacent the Nature Center building (Please no valuables! Items will not be under continous surveillance.)

The 5K and Scramble 10K utilize different starts and courses!  Same great finish through the picnic area and post race party by the Nature Center and pavilions.

The Scrub Jay 5K is a course designed with the road-runners in mind.  There is still the beauty and nature of Oscar Scherer Park on mostly hard packed surfaces but there are still some tree roots and a section on the trails and a little bit of the dreaded "sugar sand."  You will begin near the Nature Center and travel the length of the main entrance road just about to the entrance before turning onto the Lester Finley trail and South Creek Nature Trail on mostly prepared-surface park trails including crushed shell and paver paths then onto earthen trails for the last 3/4 mile with only a very small sandy area.

Getting all "thumbs ups" and great reviews since its introduction in 2022, the Scrub Jay Scramble 10K is a course on the trails, sugar-sand included, with some ups and downs using recently created pedestrian underpasses and overpasses. Designed by trail runners for trail runners using the parks' features to challenge even experienced trail runners.  Check out the detailed description and map of the Scrub Jay Scramble 10K.

Your registration includes a custom finisher's medal for all finishers and a post-race featuring hot dogs (veggie dogs on request), bananas and other snacks.  Participants will receive a snazzy tech race shirt as long as supplies last.*

*NOTE:  Race shirts will be ordered approximately three weeks before race day to have them ready in time.  At that time all sizes will be in the online inventory and available only while supplies last.  We do this to ensure that participants who register early will be sure to get the shirt size they select during registration.  Any race shirts not picked up by the close of packet pick up race morning will be forfeited and available to swap sizes or for those who may not have had shirt inventory available at the time they registered.

5K and 10K Awards: Overall, Masters (40+), Grandmasters (50+), Senior Grandmasters (60+), Veteran Grandmasters (70+) and Youth Overall (14 & under)

5K Age Groups: 3-deep in 9 & under, 10-12, 13-14 and 5-year increments 15-19 to 90 & overScramble 10K Age Groups: 3-deep 14 & under and 5-year increments 15-19 to 80 & over.