This was my very first ultra race. I was convinced I had to do this 50K after watching so many of my friends successfully complete it last year.

T-Shirts/SWAG: Gender-specific North Face tech shirts with WI displayed prominently in the front.

Aid Stations: First off, the volunteers are fantastic! Each aid station was stocked with PBJ sandwiches, chips, candy, salt, canned potatoes (tasted awesome dipped in salt!), Skratch electrolyte drink, water, and soda. The volunteers also helped people refill their water bottles and water bladders easily. Port-a-Pottys were at all aid stations. The ones that were located further out in the race had huge ice buckets with ice water in them and towels to help cool off runners.

Course Scenery: If you want to see the best of southern Wisconsin scenery, go running in Kettle Moraine State Forest. There is also a section that is on the Ice Age Trail (maintained completely by Ice Age Alliance volunteers!) that is so breathtakingly beautiful. Trail running at its best, right here!

Expo: The finish line party had great music, a North Face AirStream with merch in it, a shoe try-on tent, tents with ice buckets, mats, and rollers for the runners, a tent with food (runners got a free meal, spectators were able to purchase), and Kenosha Running Company also had a tent there with advertising for their upcoming trail races.

Elevation: After doing Dances with Dirt, the elevation for this race felt incredibly doable and tolerable. There are a decent amount of hills, but nothing that is overwhelming. Enough to challenge you but not enough to absolutely crush your spirit.

Parking/Access: Ottawa Lake is super easy to get to, not very far off the freeway in any direction. The race pays for everyone's parking passes for the day and there is more than enough parking for everyone.

Race Management: This is easily one of the best races I've ever done. If there are problems, no one participating can tell. Nick and his crew do such a good job putting on a super enjoyable event for runners and spectators alike. The volunteers are awesome. Everything about this race is just fantastic.