OXFORD — Registrations continue for the third annual Four in the Forest and Happy Moose Half Marathon fun-run fundraiser, which takes place September 14 at Rick and Karen Bennett’s personal woodland trail on Bennett Lane in Oxford.

Proceeds from the 4.12-mile race and 13.1-mile half-marathon will go to Western Foothills Land Trust of Norway.

Last year the event raised $550 to support WFLT’s campaign to add the 84-acre Staples Forest in Oxford to its increasing public lands system in Oxford county. This year the races’ registration fees will be utilized for the land trust’s broader programming.

“The Bennett family’s donation to WFLT is in support of our conservation, recreation, and outdoor education programs in the Oxford Hills,” said Lee Dassler, executive director for WFLT. “They have pitched in to create and maintain a beautiful system of well-marked woods trails, and they organize and promote Four in the Forest and the Happy Moose Half Marathon.”

Registration for both races will remain open until next Saturday’s start times. The Happy Moose Half Marathon gets underway at 8 a.m. Competitors will run the course loop three times. The Four in the Forest starts at 9 a.m. and goes around the forest trail once.

During its first year six people participated. Last September saw two runners compete in the half-marathon while 18 took part in the Four in the Forest; of those, five were accompanied by their dogs to compete in canicross.

The Happy Moose Half Marathon runners Ed Clifford , left, and Arnold Twitchell cross the finish line during last year’s race, with dogs that participated in the 4.2 Four in the Forest race on the same trail waiting at the finish line. Courtesy Abby Bennett

Rick Bennett said some people walked the trail and others approached it with a walking/running combination. He hopes to take 30-35 registrations for this year’s event. As of Sunday, 21 people had signed up.

The course name was inspired by the trail system’s appearance as an outline of a moose when viewed on satellite GPS.

Maine Sen. Rick Bennett and his wife Karen are hosting a half-marathon on the trail system, the Happy Moose, they have built behind their Oxford Home. Supplied image

“I completed Four in the Forest in 2022 and 2023, and really enjoyed the morning,” Dassler reported.  “The course is predominantly level and forested, with some full sun stretches around and through corn fields that are just perfect for an autumn run.”

With support from race sponsors Café Nomad, Oxford Casino Hotel and Rocket Ron’s American Grill, the top three finishers of each race will earn cash and gift card prizes.

Half-marathon awards are $125 cash for first place, a $50 gift card to Café Nomad and a $25 gift card to Rocket Ron’s.

The first-place winner of the four-mile forest run will receive $75 cash, while a $25 Café Nomad gift card will go to the second-up and a $10 gift card for Rocket Ron’s for the third-place runner.

Additionally, all registrants will receive free commemorative beer glasses – with beer – courtesy of Oxbow Beer Garden and other free swag from High Rollers.

Dassler commended the Bennetts for utilizing eco-friendly equipment to operate the race.

“The family is dedicating to [the concept] of reduce, reuse, and recycle woven throughout the event,” she wrote. “Course directional signs are all repurposed, as are the runners’ bibs. It is a great way to start off a September Saturday morning in Oxford Hills.”

Runners may also encounter local characters who call the forest of the Happy Moose Trail home. Karen Bennett, a volunteer with the Saco River Wildlife Center, facilitates rehabilitated wildlife releases; the Bennetts recently welcomed 10 raccoons and three foxes who had been rescued and brought back to health.

“Often when we walk the trail, we will see signs of these animals,” Bennett said. “Or porcupines. We have many deer sightings, including a couple of spotted fawns recently.”

You may find updates for the race of your preference by visiting their Facebook pages at: https://www.facebook.com/events/485527110757652 for the half-marathon and https://www.facebook.com/events/560125933006689 for the four-mill run.

Sign up to participate at: https://runsignup.com/Race/ME/Oxford/HappyMooseHalfMarathon or https://runsignup.com/Race/ME/Oxford/FourintheForest.