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Runners Face Trail Challenge

Trail races in Fairfield County are hard to find because there aren't many trails or venues that can support a race. Those factors make Sunday's third annual Cranbury Park Challenge one of the most unique events on the area's recreation calendar.

The 5-kilometer run starts at 9 a.m., hosted by Target Training of Westport and sponsored by Honda of Westport. A portion of the event's proceeds will be donated to children with cancer at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and the Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale-New Haven. An event for children 12-and-younger will be held after the start of the 5K race.

Race director Dom Gillen says nearly 100 runners competed in last year's race. "It's intended to introduce people to trail running,'' Dom says. "There's a 5K every weekend of the year, so this is a chance to do something different."

The race will wind all through Cranbury Park. One of Dom's challenges was to find a loop that would put the grounds to good use. "We used just about every inch of the park,'' Dom said. "We used everything from narrow trails to wide-open fields. Some of the trails are real soft; some of them have harder terrain. It's a great setup."

Trail running is harder for runners because they need to stay focused on terrain. It's easier to twist ankles or fall over tree roots and limbs. "That's where concentration comes in,'' he says. "The more you do it, the better you get at it. Getting a few trail runs in beforehand is always a good idea."

Runners can register through the Target Training website. Dom promised an interesting race. "You can bring your dog and your kids,'' he says. "And there will be a lot of food afterward."

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