Hyner View Trail Challenge, Once Delayed, Now Canceled

HYNER – The 14th annual Hyner View Trail Challenge was scheduled for April of this year, but COVID-19 forced its postponement to Aug. 29. But word came Thursday from challenge director Craig Fleming the event is scratched for this year but will return in the spring of 2021.

Fleming said multiple parties had worked to plan for the August date. However, in a social media post, he wrote, “But under the current Pennsylvania Department of Health guidelines, there is no way to safely hold the Hyner Challenge on August 29 as the race is just too large. And there is no chance Pennsylvania is going to lift the current restriction of 250 people on events and gatherings before then.”

The challenge has been an instant sell-out for entrants in recent years, its 25 kilometer leg limited to 1,000 participants and the 50 kilometers at 400.

Fleming said all registered runners (the race is a perennial sellout) will be moved to 2021. He said his organization still plans to hold the remainder of scheduled trail races as organizers can adhere to the current guidelines as established by the state. He complimented the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, stating the agency has “been great to work with.” He added that DCNR has left the door open for a possible modified Hyner event later in the fall, as the organization has been permitted for 2020.

Fleming left a positive note for those who had signed up for this year’s Hyner Challenge: “Happy trails and keep on chewing up some dirt on your favorite trails. Hyner is only eight months away!!!”