100 kms of pristine pine forest and splendour
On the 1st day of January, this ultra opens up registration and sells out within a few minutes… In fact, I was one of hundreds of runners ready to click a million times per second on the registration button when 09 am EST time came along…
After about 5 minutes, my computer just kept showing a spinning circle like it was refreshing or glitching, and then to my surprise it told me I was in cue in order of registration… behold, moments later, bam… entry to one of the oldest ultra’s in America… first beginning in 1996!
Home to the Kettle Moraine State Forest; the race begins at the main trailhead of the Ice age Trail… it’s an out and back set up… 50 ish k out and 50 back. For the 100 milers they continued on for a separate out and back 60 ish k…
The park serves a delight of a pine bed forest trail, giving that earthy trampoline feel that is a complete trail runner dream… right up to Skuppernong where you run a lollipop loop and return back where you came from…
This race has been on my radar for a few years. Mainly because I adore these types of forests… the pine aroma, the soft earth, the dense forest …
The swag met its hype, and for the price point, you get some pretty stellar race gear, including a race bag with special compartments, an ice buff, a sweet hoodie, and one of few races that gifts you a buckle for 100 k, usually a covenant for the 100 miler distance! Might I add the owl is their main animal of choice for decor!!!
From the start of this race, the Wisconsin pride mixed with small town community passion, made this race extra special, and where words can’t really note the true spark…
The course weaves up and down rolling hills for the majority of the course, nothing too monstrous but just enough to test your quads!! It’s flowy, and you can get some solid consistency in pace and cadence… the scenery helps …
The volunteers were next level… I feel like somehow this race was on par with moving through a New York Marathon station; electric energy, ultimate hype, camaraderie, support, and enormous cheer…
I had a fantastic first 55 ish k, coming back to the furthest aid, my stomach would have different plans for me this race, mixed in with 30+ heat and humidity, I struggled the final 30 ish k metabolizing carbs and would end of pretty much bonking and suffering a little…
That being said, if it wasn’t for the volunteers, I think I would’ve called it… they were superb… like gladiators inspiring you to simply keep putting one foot in front of the other… the next aid, the next stage, where that finish line is nearer and nearer…
I ended up walking out the final 10 k, it was defeating, knowing that close to 10 people passed me on that stretch, but then, every single person offered a kind word of support, and it really shines a light on the spirit of this event…
I crossed the line at around 13:30 hours… I was so humbled by the trail, I bowed to the forest while walking across the line…
The director meets you and offers a hug as she drapes a medal over your neck… and thanks you for experiencing this with their team… what a spectacular feel…
Kettle was a treasure… there is a overwhelming mountain of reasons why it sells out in seconds… and if you ever want to visit Chicago, it’s within a 2 hour drive…
Running on these trails makes my joints and ligaments happy… it seems like a funny statement, but I mean every word of it… the spongy earth trails is an impact annihilator!!!
I do recommend using the ice bandana that is ironically offered in your pre race swag gear… haha… that I seemed to dismiss…
In total the 100 ks had me at a little over 2000 metres of vert, and for strava obsessed folks, brace yourself for an extra 5 ish k… I had 104.5 k…
This race will stay with me for a lifetime, and I’m so glad I had the shot to race it… it’s about a 10 hour drive from Toronto… and hotels in the area are modest in price point… food selection is endless, being so close to Chicago, and the options you have pre/post race to sight see, explore, are of equal advantage…
Happy trails 🙂
