The course starts on the northern tip of Door County in Gills Rock and meanders south through quiet residential areas, quaint little tourist towns as well as peaceful countryside, there is however, no shortage of hills! This race is mainly known as a relay (pairs or teams of 5) but it also has a solo option for those brave enough to tackle all 50 miles on their own. The course is broken up into 10 legs, in which relay teams can break up as they choose. We has some people that wanted to run consecutive legs, while others wanted to switch legs each time. Not matter how you break it up, you are guaranteed to have fun!

Registration: I generally don't put a section in my reviews about race registration, but this is one that I feel needs it. The relay option for this race generally sells out quickly - as in usually in less than an hour!
(I have heard that some years it's as quick as 15 minutes!) If you want to get in, you need to make sure that someone on your team is at the computer with fast fingers when registration opens up - usually at need on April 1st!

Packet pick up on Friday night is simply that - packet pickup. One of the gals on our team actually lives in Sturgeon Bay, so she picked up our teams packet and shirts, so I really have no knowledge of what it is like, aside from being told that it was quick and easy.

Race Day! All runners converge on Gills Rock for the start of this adventure! All of the solo runners start at 7am to give them the most time available to complete the course. Once the solo runners are on their way, they have 3 waves of relay runners (7:45, 8:30 and 9am). Which wave a team starts in, is based on the team average pace. They try to stagger teams out so that everyone finishes between 3 and 6pm. The course closes at 6pm)

Exchange Zones/Aid stations: Are awesome! All aid stations have oranges, bananas, chocolate chip cookies and a variety of other snacks. there is also medical aid available at all station. Depending on the time of day, Aid stations can get a little busy, and is some of the small towns, parking is at a premium! The one in Fish Creek especially! This is a small touristy town, which on the weekends can get very busy. The relay exchange is right in town, next to a small park. Unfortunately, the only parking area available to runners includes about a 1/4 mile walk from your car - so be sure to plan accordingly to get your runner to the exchange on time!

The Course: Beautiful! The fall colors are usually at (or close to) prime and one can get lost in the vast beauty around you! this race is the perfect way to experience the foliage up close! The course is mainly on quiet roads, but there are some areas through towns where you end up running on sidewalks. Around a few of the exchanges, there are small areas of grass or gravel so please be sure to take caution when you hit these areas!

Finish line: All runners finish at the park in Sturgeon Bay, right along the water. There is a relay team reunite area .1 miles from the finish line for teams to meet up and run into the finish chute together. From there its a matter of gather up your medal (usually on a chain instead of a ribbon!), grab a few team finishers photos and head to the party!

Post Race: All runners are treated to a tent full of beer, wine, pizza, breadsticks, a DJ, dancefloor and a ton of shenanigans! We stuck around long enough to grab a glass of wine and a few pieces of pizza before we hit the road. After a long day of running we were ready to get back home and crash... but had almost and hour drive to go, so we headed out early!

Will I do it again? Let's just say, our teams are ready to go with fast fingers on April 1st 2018!

For my full recap of this day full of shenanigans, you can find that here: http://crazyhamster.run/2017/10/door-county-fall-50-2017-running-against-the-wind.html

Link to this review