There were myriad reasons to get dressed up this past weekend. If Mother's Day family dinners weren't incentive enough, there was the matter of a little event on the UNC campus where caps and gowns were standard fare, and high schools are in the thick of the prom season's formal style show.

It even seemed as if the Chapel Hill North Forest was putting on its finest. Lush, dripping in dew, dappled in sunlight and morning mists, and thickly perfumed in honeysuckle, the paths usually-less-traveled that meander through this natural resource were certainly putting on a show on Saturday morning, and it wasn't lost on the 475 participants in the Trailheads' fourth annual Philosophers Way 15K and 7K Trail Runs.

"It was a perfect day for running," said Trailhead Hollie "Tempest" Mann in her first year as race director of the Philosopher's Way Trail Runs, now in their fourth year.

The runs took place primarily on the single-track trails traversing UNC's Carolina North Forest. Proceeds from the event benefit the CFN management, which promotes and employs sustainable practices to ensure that the natural 750-acre oasis at the heart of Chapel Hill is here for the community's enjoyment for years to come.

The PWTR reflected the second of two annual events staged by the local off-road enthusiasts Trailheads, the other being January's Little River Trail Run, staged in the Little River Park Regional Park and Natural Area off Guess Road in northern Orange County. Funds raised through both races benefit the trail systems on which the events are staged.

Hitting the 7K (4.3-mile) trails in fine fashion was women's winner Ragan Howard (34:57.0) of Savanna, Ga., followed by local favorite Mimi O'Grady (35:00) and Beth Fazekas (35:18.5) of Raleigh. Becki Cleveland (38:25.3) captured the women's masters crown.

"It was really tough," Howard said. "Savannah is really flat, plus this is my first trail run ever. It was painful. I never knew that running that low mileage could hurt that bad."

Still, Howard said trail running may have won her over.

"You're in the race the whole time, which I liked," she said. "I sort of stayed behind someone the whole time to watch their turns, and that helps, especially for a trail running newbie."

In the men's 7K race, it was Kyle Doran (27:29.4) at the front of the pack, with 2010 winner Nick Krouse (28:17.3) earning silver, and Raleigh's Ian Edwards (28:56.1) taking the bronze. Southern Piness Steve Sims (32:49.7) took the men's master title.

"I pretty much led from the start, but Nick was right on my shoulder for most of the race," Doran said. "I felt great--it was nice that it wasn't too hot."

"I won last year and I was hoping to repeat, but it was still fun," Krouse said. "We were probably together for three-ish miles, but then (Kyle) had a fifth gear I didn't have. He was awesome."

In the 15K (9.3-mile) run, Timmons Williams (1:12:10.9) led all female finishers, while Megan Wrightman (1:15:20.9) finished second, and Cheryl Miller (1:15:34.2) rounded out the top three. Bridget Perry (1:20:40.9) of Pittsboro won the women's masters division.

Duncan Hoge (1:00:06.9) claimed the title in the men's 15K field, with Bull City Running Company teammate George "Monk" Linney (1:01:14.8) in second place, and D.J. Dore (1:03:30.7) also making the medal stand. Cary's Anthony Corriveau (1:07:55.9) captured the masters bracket.

"All three of the top male runners in the 15K beat the old course record," Mann said. "Duncan Hoge just smashed it."

"I wasn't setting out to set a course record--I just wanted to run it well," Hoge said. "I love these trails, and I just wanted to really let it loose out there."

"We were all together for about three miles," Linney explained. "Being teammates, I definitely felt like Duncan and I were sort of working team tactics. Duncan made a breakaway at three miles, and I sort of tucked in behind him with D.J. I kind of kept my rhythm and tried to hit my goal splits. I'd see Duncan about a minute ahead most of the race."

Though Linney and Hoge both run for Bull City, both also have ties to the local trails, and Hoge's father Steve "Squonk" Hoge helped to found the group of off-road enthusiasts known as the Trailheads ( www.trailheads.org), who seeks to promote the joy of trail running and to celebrate and enhance the natural environments like the Chapel Hill North Forests.

Mann was particularly pleased with the turnout on Saturday, which reflected about a 50 percent increase in participation relative to last year's event.

"We had a lot of runners. I was worried that we had too many," Mann said. "We had a goal to really grow the race. We had 475 competing this year compared to around 300 runners last year, and we still kept the whole event 'green.'"

Next up for Hoge will be more happy trails at the Rock 2 Rock10K trail run on May 27 near Asheville.. As for teammate Linney, everything's downhill from here.

"I'll be running the Utah Valley Marathon on June 11," Linney said. "The course starts at 6,000 feet elevation, but it drops steadily about 1500 feet, so I'm doing a lot of downhill work. Next week I'll do about 100 miles of training. I'll be trying to break 2:50 in Utah."

Mann foresees a possible change in venue for next year's PWTR, but it would technically be a move within the same forest system.

"I'd actually think about changing the course next year and maybe running on the other (western) side of Seawell School Road," she explained.

Mann and other Trailheads will have a bit of time to make future plans, however.

And next for the Trailheads will the seventh annual Little River Trail Run, Mann said.

While the Little River Run's traditional January schedule may not evoke images of the formal attire on display along nature's "runways" this past Saturday, a little wintry precipitation might add the touch of white that's a must for almost formal occasion.