The North Face Endurance Challenge Series in Wisconsin is a well run event refined by a team that clearly runs many races each year and understands how to run an ultra. This was my first ultra and I expected that the organization might be lesser than some of the more popular shorter distance runs. The ECS WI was run as well as any race could be.

The course starts and ends at a campground with plenty of parking and space for everyone to stretch out on the grass before and after. The 50km course winds through trails designed for cross country skiing, snow mobiles and eventually runs down the Ice Age Trail. The trail ranges from single track to wide mowed prairie paths and has plenty of rocks and roots to keep you on your toes. The elevation is rated as one of the flatter trail courses and yet for someone training in Chicago there were plenty of rolling hills that made the distance a challenge.

The aid stations were fully stocked with tons of food and water staggered 4-5 miles apart across the course. There were sorta potties at each aid station and at least one station had a cooling fan to help cool off as it got hotter mid-day. The aid station staff were awesome, helping fill bottles and providing ice. There was significant medical support at each aid station, and the race director told us there were ambulances and a helicopter on stand-by if it was needed.

The chip timing allowed for real-time tracking of athletes although it wasn’t always real-time. When I passed through the last aid station it was apparently tracked manually so it was more difficult for my wife to know when I was going to cross the finish line. Even still, I was able to sign up and have the chip timing post to my Facebook to share with all my friends as I made progress through the course.

Packet pick-up was easy as you could choose to pick up in Chicago, Milwaukee or Madison. Living in the suburbs of Chicago I decided to pick up downtown, although in the future I would choose to pick up my packet at the store where the pre-race panel was being held to kill two birds with one stone. The t-shirt was nothing special and is the same no matter if you were running the marathon of 50-miler.

The pre-race panel was better than expected. I thought we’d see Dean Karnazes (he’s the North Face face of the ECS) but I didn’t see him either Friday night at the panel or the day of the race. Instead, the race director and a few seasoned ultra racers shared a mixture of race specific information (what to expect, cutoffs, what to watch for) and thoughts on how others handle running ultras. The entire panel was about an hour at a North Face store about 35 minutes from the race start; the only negative was that there weren’t enough chairs to sit and nobody wants to stand for an hour the night before running an ultra.

The finish festival was well organized. Crossing the finish line we had water and food similar to the aid stations. Each finisher is given a medal which was heavy and nice although the same for every distance (the difference is the ribbon). I appreciated that they gave us an Endurance Challenge Series water bottle filled with water upon crossing the finish line instead of just a disposable bottle of water.

One note for organizers, the course guide changed between the time I registered and when the race took place. When I first read the course guide, it said the electrolyte drink would be Cliff brand and later it was changed to Tailwind. I feel lucky that I noticed because I bought Cliff to try it, only to later notice it was different. When something changes like that in the course guide, it feels like they should send and e-mail to everyone who is registered to review the changes.

Overall, this was a great first ultra to run and there were many others like me as first timers. The staff and resources were plenty and everything was well organized. Definitely a run to do again.

I signed up for this marathon to get more trail running experience, and I was pleasantly surprised at the single-track trail segments on this course. I expected the paved bike path sections, and I didn't realize that 3-4 miles of the course were going to be single tracks in the woods and along the lakefront. It was great views and fun terrain.

I signed up for the race and drove up from Chicago the morning of the race. I didn't know the area and I was somewhat disappointed at the lack of signage or helpers around at 5:15 am when the website posted that packet pick-up would start at 5 am. I parked where the instruction said to park, only to find that others who have run the race before knew you could park much closer to where the start, finish and packet pick up takes place. I was there early enough to move my car, but it could have been more clear.

There were plenty of porta-pottys at the start-line. There was a place to stash a bag that I had access to twice as I passed it on the course. The race started on time at 6:30 am which was nice because it got warm throughout the day.

The aid stations were great; helpful volunteers with water and some bananas every 2-2.5 miles. They happily refilled my handheld water bottle. There were also porta-pottys at each aid station which was great. One aid station had Cliff Shots and many had some kind of other food.

The course markings were mostly good. There were volunteers along the course to help be sure you stayed on the route and made the turns. The course was marked with spray paint on the ground that did get worn after many runners had been by. There were also small flags that another runner told me to look for as I ran through the woods, that was really helpful.

I got confused once late in the race when I was by myself and it wasn't clear whether to stay on the road or turn on a path, so I had to backtrack about 1/10th of a mile before I found another runner. One of the dangers (and benefits) of a smaller race that I was out of sight of another runner for portions of the run. Otherwise, the course was marked fine.

The trail portions were a good surprise for me, but I could imagine if you didn't expect to be on single track trail or go up and down stairs you might be bummed out. The marathon course loops into the trails twice, once in the first 10 miles and then in the last five miles. Taking on the trails and stairs in mile 23 makes the finish tough. There were also non-runners on the trails, and I encountered hikers and bikers at least a couple times during the run.

The finish had music and an announcer that blasted your name and town which I found nice. Crossing the line you get a medal and a warm bottle of water. Only a minute later did I realize there was a table set up with chips and a voucher for a cold Gatorade or beer 100 yards away. It would have been nice to have the finish-line volunteer tell me that information rather than chance finding it on my own.

Overall, a good low-key community run. A fun option to try out trail running, and the variety in distances (there is also a half-marathon and a 50k) gives good options for all runners. The views of the lake were beautiful even if running along the bluffs made you feel like there should be a fence or something.

Advice to organizers, post a schematic of the Sheridan Park where key things will be (like packet pick-up, start, finish, porta-pottys) so that someone who isn't familiar with the area will know where the key stuff will be. It would also be nice to guide finishers to the food & cold drinks so they don't miss out.