The 2017 event was held on Sunday September 17 at Kettle Moraine Park near Eagle, WI. It was a warm day, temps were already near 70 when we started at 8 am. The sun would shine and temps would get close to 90. The half marathon, 10k and 5k were on Sunday, and all started at different times. The longer races were held the day before.

*This is my 3rd year at the event.

Registration: This was available online, and prices were different for each distance. Price increased as race day approached, and if spots were available you could register on race day. Included with registration was a bib with timing chip, tech gender specific short sleeve shirt, finisher's medal and beer.

There were plenty of pre-race emails and if you had any question the website is full of information.

Expo/ Packet pick up: There was no true expo for this event. However there were multiple packet pickups in different cities (Brookfield and Madison, WI and Chicago) They were held Thursday and Friday. The Friday pick up at Brookfield had an event afterwards were the North Face store hosted North Face athletes and the Race Director spoke. If you were not able to grab your packet at that time, you could get it before your race on race day. Then if that didn't work a friend with an image of your drivers license could get your stuff too.

Pre-Race: There was plenty of FREE parking at the park, you just got a parking pass when you entered. *However, the earlier you arrived the further away you had to park. Keep in mind the longer distances started first. It wasn't super far, but enough to be annoying.

There were port-o-potties lined up away from all the events. All the park bath houses were locked up. There were tents set up near the start/finish line, many were for race related items, but there were sponsors, games, etc.

There were lots of announcements prior to the race start, you could tell the guy had been talking all weekend, lol. The half marathon started on time, 8:00 am and there were waves that started one after another, no long waiting in between, just enough to space out participants on the trail. I do not recall hearing a National Anthem.

Race/ Course: Trail race through the park.
-Elevation: Hills, nothing steep, but rolling, always seemed to be going up or down
-Terrain: All trail surfaces, rocks, sand, dirt, grass - but easy to navigate and wide spots for passing
-Photographers:Many were in the woods in the first and last few miles. Photos were loaded and available to purchase same day. They are great photos, but my days of paying for pictures of myself are over.
-Aid Stations: - there were a total of 2 on course (one you would hit 3 times) with Skratch and water, both in the same plastic cups. One aid station had some Skratch chews. Volunteers made sure to tell you what you were drinking. There was no real food at this distance. I feel when I came through the last station, they had already started to pack up.
-Volunteers: they were at the road crossings, very energetic
-Course markings: the course was marked with ribbons in trees, the ribbon color matched your bib color, which was distance specific, there were also a few arrows at major turns. I think the miles were marked at every even mile with a sign on the ground
-Spectators: There were many at the first/last aid station and many at the start/finish, however not easy to access parts of the course.
Medical: Help was always available at aid stations, but I didn't see any ambulance or medics except at the start/finish

Post race/finish: The finishers arch was also the starting arch, so it was easy to find and cross the final timing mat. A volunteer hung a medal around your neck. There were reusable water bottles and water monsters to fill them up. Then there was bananas, oranges, and bagel pieces.. There was a Sierra Nevada tent, as each finisher got one free beer. There was "Real meal" type food available for purchase.

*I finished the same time as the kids races. This was not ideal for finishers. I knew there were reusable water bottles, being a past participant. I had to snake through the kids to get to the tub of water bottles, no one handed me one like last year. I then had to fight the kids for a couple orange slices. I really wish there were better post race food options that didn't include purchase. I am all for kids running, but move them away from people who just spent hours on their feet!

All the sponsor tents and race tents were all still open and you could sign up for giveaways, sit in an ice bath or purchase race merchandise. Picnic tables were available for sitting, as well as some tables for the "real meal" food area. There was no shade unless you went into a vendor tent.

Overall: I really like trail running, and have really enjoyed this race in the past. There was just something that felt off, or like the race just went through the motions to put it on. I didn't feel as special as I did in years past, something was missing and I don't know what it was. I really do like the course and if you were a beginner at trail running, it's a great introduction.

My race: Whoa... spoiler alert, this was my worst half marathon time ever! I had a bust day leading up to this race. I had run 18.6 on trail the day before, sat outside at a football game, then made a late night drive to WI. I guess I was exhausted, but I always do what I sign up to do.... I kept moving through the woods, but it was just a tough day for me. My time was near 3 hours.