This was my 3rd year at the race. It's a straightforward, old school, simple cross-countryish/trail race. The first two years I ran with kids as it was their first 4 mile race. This year I ran for myself.

Cost is about average for a race that is between 5K-10K. Great food provided by the Iowa Machine Shed, a well known restaurant in Des Moines. Beef stew with biscuit, pumpkin bars, (not as dense as a brownie, but more firm than cake, awesome icing!), and hot coffee or apple cider. Simple, but great. This year the swag was a nice baseball cap. One year we got a stocking cap. One year a small duffel bag. They all have the race logo. You can sign up online or mail in.

Course is not for the faint at heart. There is some gravel road at the beginning. Then you are only some long grass and field running before a jeep road, then more field running. Then in and out of timber, (with some more field running), with lots of tripping hazards and a few good hills. The ground was beat up in several sections from rain and then cattle going over it. The last stretch puts you through several shallow stream crossings and up and down about 4-5ft banks to scurry up. Then there's a long final hill to the last 1/3-2/3 mile run to the finish. I saw people stumble, trip, and fall. I hit a few things and slipped a bit too once.

Awards are nice big coffee cups with the sponsors listed and the race logo. There's also a woodsman/woodswoman competition where you do pull-ups afterwards and they reduce your overall time, but only in that competition.

All ages race, and by that I mean, there is an over 70 category and two guys fought it out with one being 82. So awesome!