Eight Coweta-Fayette runners head to Utah to raise money for local trails

Eight runners from Coweta and Fayette Counties are trading Georgia red clay for Utah mountain trails this summer, competing in the Ragnar Trail Soldier Hollow overnight relay on August 28–29 in Midway, Utah — and every dollar they raise goes straight back to building and maintaining trails in their own communities.

The team — Brent Snodgrass, Jeff Butterworth, Sandy Wisenbaker, Michael Fouts, Vicki Kaiser, Troy Blackwood, Sarah Jacobs, and Chris Doane — is running to benefit the Southern Conservation Trust, according to Winters Media. The SCT will direct donations toward creating, improving, maintaining, and expanding local trails and outdoor spaces in Fayette and Coweta Counties.

The effort is sponsored by Piedmont Newnan and Georgia Power, according to Winters Media.

Ragnar Trail relays are multi-leg overnight running events built around teamwork and endurance, with teams of runners taking turns on a looping trail course through the night. The Soldier Hollow course runs through the mountains near Midway, Utah.

For residents of Coweta and Fayette Counties, the practical payoff is closer to home: funds raised support the kind of trail infrastructure — new paths, upkeep, expansions — that turns undeveloped green space into accessible outdoor recreation.

Why it matters — Money raised by this team during a race in Utah will directly fund the trails that Coweta and Fayette County residents hike, run, and explore at home.

Sources differ on Year of the Ragnar Trail Soldier Hollow event: 2026 (wintersmedia.net (summary reference 1)) vs circa 2020 (wintersmedia.net (summary reference 2))

Reported by wintersmedia.net, sctlandtrust.org, times-herald.com