It's exactly what the blog headline says:  Win the 2018 Pond Sprint, and get into next year's Patch Sprint for free- essentially a $50 first place prize!

With the Patch Sprint selling out early every year," said event organizer Tim Singer, "we have always given the Pond Sprint winners guaranteed entry.  Now we're taking that a step further, by granting them a place for free.  It's the least we can do for such accomplished runners who are dedicated to our races and beneficiaries."

The 2018 Pond Sprint is set for October 6. The 2017 champions were Jeremy Drowne and Mackenzie Young (below).

Pond Sprint and Pond Hike proceeds will support two not-for-profit organizations:  Adirondack Scholarship Foundation, and the Long Pond Conservancy program of Champlain Area Trails.

The mission of Adirondack Scholarship Foundation is to provide financial aid to children attending summer camp; proceeds from POND SPRINT will be specifically earmarked towards sending a local child (Essex or Clinton County, New York) to a summer camp.

Long Pond Conservancy is a program of Champlain Area Trails, with a mission “to preserve the wild nature of Long Pond and its watershed by protecting the clean water and forest that surround it. Working with landowners, we seek to balance use with the conservation of scenic vistas, natural areas, and forest and lake ecologies.”

Your entire fee, less goods received and event services (amount to be determined) will be a shared donation to the Adirondack Scholarship Foundation and the Long Pond Conservancy program, for which you will be issued a tax-deductible receipt.