The Sandy Creek Trail, located in Venango County, is a stunning rail trail. The trail was developed from 2000 to 2005 when the former Franklin and Clearfield Railroad was converted to the now 12-mile paved trail. The Sandy Creek Trail winds its way along the Allegheny River and East Sandy Creek. The rail trail travels through the nearly untouched wilderness of Venango County, Pennsylvania. The trail boasts an impressive 8 bridges.
The Belmar Bridge is the most breathtaking feature of the Sandy Creek Trail. At 1385 feet long, this wooden deck bridge crosses the Allegheny River and offers sweeping views of the river valley.
Not only does this trail feature bridges, but it has a tunnel as well – the Deep Valley Tunnel – that is. This tunnel is another focal point of the trail and is 967 feet long. Ten percent of your race registration fee supports the Allegheny Valley Trails Association (AVTA), a volunteer, non-profit organization that continues to maintain and develop recreational trails throughout the Oil Heritage Region of Pennsylvania.
30 Minute Window Start:
All participants will have the option to start their race at any point from 8:00 am to 8:30 am in order to aid social distancing. The start will be chip timed so there is no penalty to starting later. All results will be based on net (chip) time.
Restrooms & Aid Stations:
Awards:
Awards will be given to the Top 3 Overall Male and Female Open & Masters Finishers as well as the top 3 male and female finishers in the following age groups: 18-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60+. There will be no in-person award ceremony due to Covid-19. All awards will be mailed. A virtual awards ceremony will be posted on YouTube in the week following the event.
Course:
Out & back on the flat, paved Sandy Creek Trail. Course Time Limit 3.5 hours (16:01 min/mile). Attainable by walking or running.
Directions:
The Belmar trailhead is at Belmar Village on the west side of the River. Access is from Route 8, 3 miles south of Franklin. Turn on Pone Lane and drive past Franklin High School to Belmar Road. Turn right and follow it to the parking area at the foot of the hill with the river and bridge in sight. GPS N 41 19.983 W 79 46.467
For more race information, please visit https://wolfcreektrackclub.com/belmar-bridge-half-marathon/
Opening: $55 (February 3 – February 5)
Early: $65 (February 6 – April 30)
Regular: $80 (May 1 – August 9)
Late: $95 (August 10 – September 10)
Holiday Inn Express Franklin - Oil City (225 Singh Dr, Cranberry, PA 16319)
Other Lodging Options (Distance from Start/Finish Area)
Check for flights into these local airports:
International
Regional/Domestic
DeBence Antique Music World (7.1 miles)
Venango Museum of Art, Science & Industry (14.5 miles)
Freedom Falls & Rockland Tunnel (21.8 miles)
Oil Creek State Park (21.8 miles)
Dennison Point Overlook (22.9 miles)
Kennerdell Overlook (24.2 miles)
Drake Well Museum (28.3 miles)
Male Overall: Jeffery Eide (Seminole, FL) 1:17:32.29 (2020)
Female Overall: Morgan Camerlo (Hidden Valley, PA) 1:24:06.41 (2020)
Male Masters: Tommy McNear (Negley, OH) 1:32:04.85 (2020)
Female Masters: Melissa Good (Linesville, PA) 1:43:58.15 (2020)
Franklin, PA - 15 minutes
Oil City, PA - 30 minutes
Grove City, PA - 35 minutes
Butler, PA - 60 minutes
Cranberry Township, PA - 70 minutes
Youngstown, OH - 70 minutes
Erie, PA - 90 minutes
Pittsburgh, PA - 90 minutes
Cleveland, OH - 2 hrs 15 min
Morgantown, WV - 2 hrs 30 min
Buffalo, NY - 2 hrs 45 min
Harrisburg, PA - 3 hrs 45 min
At Wolf Creek Race Management, we take COVID-19 very seriously. We will do everything in our power to offer a safe and fun event for all participants. We have taken several steps to ensure the safety of all participants, staff members, volunteers, and spectators. These steps in accordance with PA-state government & CDC guidelines include:
This event was approved during the pandemic and will occur as long as Pennsylvania remains in the green phase. If this event is no longer able to occur due to COVID-19 restrictions, all participants will receive a full refund. Refunds for any other reason will not be granted.
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Sandy Creek Trail - Belmar Bridge Trail Head
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