Who We Are
We’re a community of trail runners based in Southern Maine. We host group runs every week, put on a handful of races each year, and maintain trails at Bradbury Mountain State Park as adopters of the Terrace, Bluff, and South Ridge trails.
Our runs and races cover everything from 5K cross-country meets to 100-milers, from timed events to fat-ass runs with no fee and no swag. What connects it all is the trail — and the people willing to show up for it in whatever condition Mother Nature ships that day.
What it means to be a Trail Monster
A Trail Monster is someone who needs to run trails. Not someone who likes to run trails once in a while, or someone who shows up only when the trails are dry. We mean the people who are out there every week, all year long — not despite the conditions, but because of them.
There is no rain too heavy, mud too thick, snow too deep, or hill too big that a Trail Monster won’t run.
Anyone with a real interest in trail running is welcome to join us for a group run. But becoming a Trail Monster takes something more: showing up consistently, volunteering at races, giving time to trail maintenance, hosting runs of your own, and proving over time that you’re as invested in the community as we are.
Membership dues are paid in the form of sweat and blood on the trails. They’re collected weekly, in person, on the trail.
It’s not about how fast you run. It’s about running with heart.
How to get involved
There are three ways in. Pick any of them, or all of them.
Come to a group run. Our weekly group runs are the front door. Everyone’s welcome, all paces are covered, no one runs alone. Check the schedule on the Group Runs page, or subscribe to the weekly email to get it delivered.
Volunteer at a race. Aid stations, course marking, registration, finish-line support, cleanup — none of our races happen without volunteers. If you want to see what TMR is really like, spend a day standing in the woods handing out water to strangers with sore legs.
Give back to the trails. We’re stewards of three adopted trails at Bradbury Mountain: Terrace, Bluff, and South Ridge. Trail work days happen throughout the year — bring gloves, we’ll bring tools. Days are announced in the weekly email.
Beyond that, Trail Monsters pitch in wherever they can — hosting extra runs on odd weekday mornings, bringing soup to aid stations, building adirondack chairs for the finish line, keeping the site running, writing race directors’ checks. There’s no template.
A note on the merch
Trail Monster merchandise is available in the shop — hoodies, tees, hats. Anyone can pick one up, and we’re glad when people do; the proceeds go straight back into race operations and trail work.
Wearing the shirt is one thing. Being a Trail Monster is something else, and it isn’t for sale.
Get in touch
The best way to find us is on a trail on a Saturday morning. If you can’t wait that long:
- Subscribe to the weekly email — group run details, race updates, occasional rants about mud
- Say hi on Facebook
- Or send us a note at [email protected]
See you out there.