Nearly 1,200 endurance runners are expected to report to the starting line at the Nordic Trail in La Grange on Saturday, May 11, some as early as 6 a.m., to run 50 miles, 50 kilometers or a half-marathon.
Originating from 32 states, Canada and the Netherlands, runners and their families will arrive — and stay, dine and shop in area communities.
About 225 volunteers from the Badgerland Striders Running Club, of Milwaukee, also the race organizer and lead sponsor.
This year’s event also is the Road Runners Club of America’s national ultra-marathon championship.
“We are pleased that the RRCA selected the Ice Age Trail 50 as the national ultra- marathon championship, attracting some of the best long-distance runners in the country,” race director Jeff Mallach said in a news release. “Designation as a national championship run is a testament to the stature of this race in the national running community.”
Competitors from Whitewater, Palmyra, Elkhorn, Delavan, East Troy, Fort Atkinson, Lake Geneva, Mukwonago and Jefferson are scheduled to participate.
Started in 1982, the Ice Age Trail 50 is one of the oldest trail ultra-marathons in the country. And the Badgerland Striders and other race captains who oversee all aspects of the race — organization and marketing, emergency medical, road safety, aid station management, timing and awards, finish line activities and trail marking — form the event’s backbone.
Members of the Ice Age Trail Alliance and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources also are partners.
One example of the 50-mile run’s continued draw are the 13 runners who have completed 20 or more events and have been inducted into the Ice Age 50 Hall of Fame.
Another example of the event’s demand in the trail running community is how fast each race sells out. Registration opened Dec. 2 with 338 runners registering for the half-marathon and 307 for the 50K in less than 10 minutes and 533 for the 50 miles in less than four hours. The average age of this year’s participant is 43.
The Nordic Trail also hosts two other ultra-marathons, the Kettle Moraine 100 (June 1 and 2 this year) and the seventh Bunk Endurance Challenge slated for Nov. 8 through 10. Three other trail runs in the Southern Kettle Moraine are the North Face Endurance Challenge, Bunk House Trails Runs and Get Fit 5K Trail Run/Walk.
Using data provided by the Wisconsin Division of Tourism for current spending by leisure visitors and registration data for this year’s Ice Age Trail 50, the estimated economic impact of this year’s race is $350,000.
And competitors will tackle the challenges of courses that feature ever-changing terrain with a mix of kettles, kames, eskers and prairies intertwined with ponds, lakes and wet meadows, which combine to create unique environments that immerse runners, hikers and bikers in continuous natural beauty and diversity.
“Visitors are increasingly seeking out activities that add to their overall health and well-being,” Anne Korman, superintendent of the Kettle Moraine State Forest Southern Unit, said in the news release.
“On another level, I continue to see an increase in support for preservation and restoration of the unique ecological system that is found in the Kettle Moraine State Forest by visitors, event planners and area business leaders,” Korman added. “The communities that both lie within the forest and in surrounding communities have the most to gain by supporting these restoration efforts. By keeping the forest healthy, we can continue to maintain this very special and unique eco-system for the benefit of all.”
For more information, visit www.iceagetrail50.com.
