2026 The Ring 71 Miler - Virginia Happy Trails Running Club

The Ring is a fat ass run hosted by the Virginia Happy Trails Running Club each year in late August/early September and just like the horror movie that came out in 2002, this course is bound to give me nightmares! The route covers the entire 71-mile orange-blazed Massanutten Trail in the George Washington National Forest, on the ridgelines of the eastern and western ranges of the Massanutten Mountains around the Fort Valley, situated roughly between the towns of Front Royal and Luray. The trail is hard, rocky, and slow. Sections of the trail have been around for centuries, but the entire, uninterrupted, 71-mile Massanutten Trail was not completed until 2002. This 2026 edition saw 22 of 44 entrants complete the entire loop. The race starts at 7:00am and I managed to come in at 5:20am the following morning. That's over 22 hours of rocks, flies, briars, chiggers, covering 71 miles and 13,500 feet of elevation gain! The aid stations and volunteers were top notch while the smashburgers at Woodstock Tower will forever hold a place in my heart! "STAY ON ORANGE"!! #VHTRC #ultramarathon #trailrunning #trailrunner #ultramarathonrunner #gopro