This was my second year running this race and I had an absolute blast! No one puts on a racing experience like The North Face!

Every participant gets a tech shirt (men's and women's sizing) and the medal ribbon has the date, location, and distance on it.

Aid stations were about 3-4 miles apart on the course and there were 4 total. Tailwind, water, and Clif Shots at each one along with volunteers that were cheering for us the whole time.

The scenery is gorgeous! The course runs through some of the most beautiful trails in Kettle Moraine State Park and that alone just MAKES this course.

Packet pick-up was available on Thursday and Friday at the Chicago, Madison, and Brookfield locations of The North Face stores. The Brookfield store hosted a panel on Friday evening with Race Director Nick Moore, Brogan and Bojan from The November Project, and Stephanie Howe, one of The North Face athletes.

The elevation (according to BibRave Pro Angie's Garmin) was ~988 feet. The first few miles are a lot of up and down and some of that is on the steep side. Definitely a challenge for a new trail runner but not impossible or crazy hard to manage!

Ottawa Lake Recreation Area, where the Start/Finish line is, is located about 40 minutes west of Milwaukee. There is more than enough parking with Parks employees directing you to the designated parking areas.

Race management for this event is amazing! The whole vibe of the Finish Line party reminds me of tailgating! The North Face had a tent where you could play corn hole and win TNF swag, Repreve had a spin wheel where you could win prizes, Sierra Nevada had a "beer garden" set up, and there was even a Karno Kidz tent where the tiny humans could have their faces painted. This is truly an all-weekend event and TNF encourages that atmosphere.

This is one of my favorite races and I might even attempt *gulp* the 50K next year!