New River Trail Race April 12, 2025 -A Tribute to Endurance, Community, and Quiet Strength
- Tom Shankapotomous
- 5 days ago
- 6 min read
Disclosure
In the interest of transparency: ShankGym proudly served as a race sponsor, with the ShankGym logo featured on the event shirt. ShankGym also provided race entries for members of Charlotte Running Club’s Matties Run Club and volunteered at the Fries Junction aid station. This review was written independently, with no financial compensation or incentives received.
Overview
The New River Trail Race has a long, proud history. After a brief pause in leadership a few years ago, a new race director stepped up and revived the event, breathing new life into a course that deserves attention.
Now in its third edition under the new leadership, the race is growing again — for good reason:
The Terrain: A flat but fascinating course running through a state park, crossing trestle bridges, and tunneling through ancient rock formations.
The Simplicity: Straightforward logistics make this an ideal early-season event, especially for solo travelers.
This year, on April 12, nearly 214 participants lined up across four distances: 10K, 25K, 50K, and 100K. About 20 of us traveled from Charlotte to Fries, Virginia, and found ourselves welcomed by a course, a town, and a community ready to make this race unforgettable.
Geological Features Along the Race Route
Running alongside the New River feels serene — but geologically, it’s radical.
The New River is one of the oldest rivers on Earth, possibly predating even the Appalachians it cuts through.
Unlike most rivers that follow ridges and valleys, the New River stubbornly flows northwest — slicing through layers of ancient rock: sandstones, shales, and limestones deposited 450–300 million years ago.
This region showcases fluvial terraces (former floodplains stepped up along the valley walls) and evidence of karst topography — sinkholes and hidden caves born from the slow dissolution of limestone by acidic water. Subtle fault lines and rock folds tell stories of massive tectonic collisions long past.
Every step along the trail carries deep time beneath your feet. Not just dirt — but the weight of ancient seas, mountain-building cataclysms, and relentless, patient erosion.
History of Fries, Virginia
Fries was founded in 1903 as a classic American mill town. Textile magnate Francis Henry Fries built a cotton mill and dam, shaping the town’s economy and identity for decades.
When the mill closed in 1989, Fries adapted — turning toward outdoor recreation. The New River Trail State Park now runs through the heart of town, preserving its legacy while offering runners and visitors a front-row seat to its history.
The transformation of Fries — from industry to endurance — mirrors the very spirit of the trail running community.
Course & Conditions
Crushed gravel trail — smooth, runnable, with no technical rootwork.
Loop format — 25K loop once; 50K twice; 100K four times; 10K a shortened loop.
Early start for 100K runners at 4 a.m. to meet state park cutoff rules.
Weather was perfect: cool temperatures in the low to mid-40s, light tree cover, and low humidity. Logistics were flawless: ample, well-stocked aid stations at strategic intervals, run by volunteers who treated every runner like an honored guest. Two aid stations had hot food, especially important for the 100k runners who started at 4 a.m. to keep the majority of the miles during the daytime. The aid station where I volunteered had sandwiches, Hammer gels, Hammer endurance drink, and a variety of candy and salty snacks.
Race Director — Melissa Londry
Every race is a reflection of the person who shapes it. At the New River Trail Races, that reflection is clear, steady, and forged in something stronger than miles.
Melissa Londry isn't just a race director. She's a licensed mental health therapist specialist — work rooted not in theory, as well as in lived experience. Melissa knows that endurance is not measured by medals or finish lines. It's measured by the willingness to stand back up when the world tries to break you.
On the trail, that same spirit is everywhere she leads.
Through her work with the Blue Ridge Virginia chapter of Trail Sisters — a nationwide community focused on empowering women in trail running — Melissa has helped carve out spaces where strength isn't just respected. It's expected.
Where no one gets left behind. Where resilience speaks louder than speed.
Her own racing record carries the same signature: Unflashy. Unbreakable.
In June 2024, alongside Ashley Austin, she set the fastest known unsupported female time on the full New River Trail — 50 miles in 12 hours and 37 minutes. Add two 240-mile unsupported ultra-marathons and multiple 100 milers, and you start to understand something fundamental about her. Melissa doesn't build events. She builds communities.
Watching her direct this race is like watching a blacksmith at work.
No shouting. No theatrics.
Just steady, hammer-on-anvil leadership that says:
"This space is yours. You earned it. You belong here."
That matters — because running, like life, isn't always fair.
It isn't always safe.
But for one weekend in Fries, Virginia, under Melissa’s watch, the trail was both:
a challenge to face, a community to find, and a small victory claimed by everyone who showed up.
Race Day Highlights
The 100K runners started in the dark at 4 a.m., their headlamps bouncing through the cold, misty air.
Aid stations, such as our team's at Fries Junction, served as essential sources of water, salt, and encouragement. As runners passed through these stations throughout the day, their grit and determination were not only inspirational but also defined the essence of the race.
Across all distances, the trail belonged to those who dared to meet it:
First-time 10K runners conquering fears.
Veteran 50K runners chasing PRs.
100K runners forging their wills against time, distance, and doubt.
There was no roar at the finish line — just quiet, fierce pride.
Performance & Results
The flat course and ideal conditions yielded outstanding performances:
50K Men: Peter Alexander — 3:49:12
50K Women: Grace Hadlock — 4:14:32
100K Top Male: 9:59:08
100K Top Female: 12:58:44
More than 95% of starters across all distances finished — a testament to preparation, grit, and outstanding support.
Special note: Several members of the Matties Run Club, sponsored by ShankGym, completed their first ultra distances, serving as a powerful reminder that courage knows no "look," stereotype, or expiration date. I want to recognize these finishers: Fatema Kakimij, Luz Salas, Zhena Martinez, and Michael Watkins.
I've participated in thousands of races, but witnessing the pride on their faces as they passed through the aid station is one of my most cherished running moments. I could never be a coach, but I now know the feeling of a coach: pride and humility knowing someone reached their goals.
I also want to acknowledge Jeff Winchester, who achieved a personal record. Jeff is a longtime friend and podcaster. He has been crushing long races for years, and today he did it again.
Trail Sisters
Trail Sisters is a national organization founded by Gina Lucrezi to foster inclusion, opportunity, and empowerment for women in trail running and hiking.
Through educational resources, community standards, and no-drop policies, Trail Sisters ensures women of all backgrounds, body types, identities, and abilities feel not only welcome — but vital — to the trail community.
Melissa’s leadership with her co-leaders Lauren Jones, Meagen Musick, Ashton Daniels, Lauren Hartman in the Blue Ridge chapter continues that mission every day.
More info: TrailSisters.net
Summary
The New River Trail Race isn’t just another stop on the calendar.
It’s a crossroads of history, geology, community, and spirit.
Fries, Virginia may be small, but the echoes of resilience here — from ancient rivers to modern runners — are enormous.
Melissa Londry Peddy didn’t just organize a race.
She lit a torch.
One that runners, volunteers, and spectators alike were lucky to carry, even for a few miles.
I didn’t race this year, but sometimes you get something of a race in ways you didn't imagine; that is the beauty of running.
And I’ll be back — not for the miles, but for what they mean.
References
Londry, M. (2023). The Value of a Journey Run. Trail Sisters
New River Trail Races (2025). Official Race Results. Mountain Junkies Timing.
Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. (2024). New River Trail State Park Geological Survey Report.
Town of Fries, Virginia. (2024). Historical Archives and Documentation.
U.S. Geological Survey. (2024). New River Valley Geological Formation Study.
Trail Sisters. (2024). Blue Ridge Virginia Chapter Profile.
Note - All pictures (unless otherwise noted) couirtesy of Jennifer Thorsen who has been gracious enough to provide access to the the race photos for this post. Check out her incrdible work at her web site.
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