Delta Grind
- Date Sat 12th April 2025
- Time 10:00AM EDT
- Location Helena, Arkansas
- Price $3.12 - $50.82
- Races 3 races
- Distances 5km
Last chance to enter
Race day is fast approaching
Event summary
Join us for the exhilarating Delta Grind on Saturday, April 12, 2025, in the charming town of Helena, Phillips, where the vibrant culture and stunning landscapes of the Arkansas Delta come alive! This unique event invites runners of all skill levels to tackle a challenging and scenic course that winds through the heart of the Delta, showcasing its rich history and breathtaking natural beauty.
Participants will start their journey through the town, passing iconic landmarks such as the Delta Cultural Center, before heading up the levee walk with breathtaking views of the port. As the course transitions into the lush national forest, runners will experience the distinctive flora and fauna of this remarkable region. The run is designed to be a cupless event, encouraging participants to bring their own hydration packs or bottles, with water jugs conveniently located along the route.
After crossing the finish line, celebrate your achievement with live blues music, delicious local food, and refreshing drinks in a lively picnic area. The Delta Grind isn’t just a race; it’s a community celebration aimed at revitalizing the Delta through adventure tourism. Don’t miss this chance to be part of a day filled with fun, culture, and camaraderie in Helena!
Participants will start their journey through the town, passing iconic landmarks such as the Delta Cultural Center, before heading up the levee walk with breathtaking views of the port. As the course transitions into the lush national forest, runners will experience the distinctive flora and fauna of this remarkable region. The run is designed to be a cupless event, encouraging participants to bring their own hydration packs or bottles, with water jugs conveniently located along the route.
After crossing the finish line, celebrate your achievement with live blues music, delicious local food, and refreshing drinks in a lively picnic area. The Delta Grind isn’t just a race; it’s a community celebration aimed at revitalizing the Delta through adventure tourism. Don’t miss this chance to be part of a day filled with fun, culture, and camaraderie in Helena!
Organiser's Description
Celebrating the unique culture and beauty of the Arkansas Delta, runners can expect a challenging and scenic course that showcases the beauty of the Delta region. Live music will be playing throughout the day, and delicious food from local vendors served after the run. Cupless event. BYO bottle/hydration pack recommended. Water jugs on course.
"_The first bit of the course runs through the town, Past the Delta Cultural Center, where the King Biscuit Blues radio show continues its daily broadcast, just as it has for over 80 years. Up the brick path of the levee walk overlooking the port of Helena. Looking down on the ruins of old warehouses and wholesalers as the bricks turn to gravel and you head out of town._
_Leaving the levee and entering the national forest, the road moves further from the river. On the west side, Crowleys Ridge rises steeply. As geologic features go, this one is pretty new. It was formed about 20,000 years ago as windborne glacial loess accumulated here. Helena is the southern end of the ridge, which extends about 200 miles north to Missouri and rises 250 feet above the otherwise pancake-flat region._
_The riverside to the east is a dense tangle of thick, flat woods, interrupted occasionally by cypress swamp. At first glance, much of the scenery in the forest was not unlike the typical green tunnel you find elsewhere in the region, but as the eyes began to soften and adjust, differences appeared._
_The trees that make the consistent canopy are considerably taller than most you find in the Ozark and Ouachita Mountains. The timber industry was a main source of wealth in the Delta in the 19th century, but most forests were cleared and turned to cotton, rice, and, later, soy fields. Most of the existing Arkansas mills are in the hilly parts of the state, and those forests are more likely to be interspersed with recent cuts._
_The road itself was softer and sandier than non-Delta gravel roads, making for an ideal running surface._
_There were more cool drinks waiting back at the finish, with mocktails and cold local Arkansas and Mississippi beer set up in a brick-lined picnic area that had once been a building. The live blues music and barbeque kept 100% of the participants there for hours after the race ended. The liveliness of the scene on that block that afternoon gave hints of what had been and could be again in Helena._
_Achieving that vibrancy and highlighting the culture and natural beauty of the town and surrounding areas is very much the intention of the organizers of the Delta Dash run and accompanying Delta Grind ride. The events are organized primarily by the nonprofit StudioDrift, which aims to revitalize the Delta through placemaking and adventure tourism." Read the rest of Brian Hurley's recap here: www.irunfar.com/recovery-run-running-as-revitalization-in-the-arkansas-delta [https://www.irunfar.com/recovery-run-running-as-revitalization-in-the-arkansas-delta]_
"The perfect mash-up of fun and folly, all to support the creation of the Crowleys Ridge Gravel Trail," said Ammen Jordan, Director of studioDRIFT. "Helena is the perfect basecamp for a weekend of adventure."
CUPLESS EVENT. BYO BOTTLE/HYDRATION PACK RECOMMENDED. WATER JUGS ON COURSE.
Delta Grind is a family-friendly event that is open to the public.
"_The first bit of the course runs through the town, Past the Delta Cultural Center, where the King Biscuit Blues radio show continues its daily broadcast, just as it has for over 80 years. Up the brick path of the levee walk overlooking the port of Helena. Looking down on the ruins of old warehouses and wholesalers as the bricks turn to gravel and you head out of town._
_Leaving the levee and entering the national forest, the road moves further from the river. On the west side, Crowleys Ridge rises steeply. As geologic features go, this one is pretty new. It was formed about 20,000 years ago as windborne glacial loess accumulated here. Helena is the southern end of the ridge, which extends about 200 miles north to Missouri and rises 250 feet above the otherwise pancake-flat region._
_The riverside to the east is a dense tangle of thick, flat woods, interrupted occasionally by cypress swamp. At first glance, much of the scenery in the forest was not unlike the typical green tunnel you find elsewhere in the region, but as the eyes began to soften and adjust, differences appeared._
_The trees that make the consistent canopy are considerably taller than most you find in the Ozark and Ouachita Mountains. The timber industry was a main source of wealth in the Delta in the 19th century, but most forests were cleared and turned to cotton, rice, and, later, soy fields. Most of the existing Arkansas mills are in the hilly parts of the state, and those forests are more likely to be interspersed with recent cuts._
_The road itself was softer and sandier than non-Delta gravel roads, making for an ideal running surface._
_There were more cool drinks waiting back at the finish, with mocktails and cold local Arkansas and Mississippi beer set up in a brick-lined picnic area that had once been a building. The live blues music and barbeque kept 100% of the participants there for hours after the race ended. The liveliness of the scene on that block that afternoon gave hints of what had been and could be again in Helena._
_Achieving that vibrancy and highlighting the culture and natural beauty of the town and surrounding areas is very much the intention of the organizers of the Delta Dash run and accompanying Delta Grind ride. The events are organized primarily by the nonprofit StudioDrift, which aims to revitalize the Delta through placemaking and adventure tourism." Read the rest of Brian Hurley's recap here: www.irunfar.com/recovery-run-running-as-revitalization-in-the-arkansas-delta [https://www.irunfar.com/recovery-run-running-as-revitalization-in-the-arkansas-delta]_
"The perfect mash-up of fun and folly, all to support the creation of the Crowleys Ridge Gravel Trail," said Ammen Jordan, Director of studioDRIFT. "Helena is the perfect basecamp for a weekend of adventure."
CUPLESS EVENT. BYO BOTTLE/HYDRATION PACK RECOMMENDED. WATER JUGS ON COURSE.
Delta Grind is a family-friendly event that is open to the public.
Delta Grind