Crazy good and muddy running races summer 2020

BY BRUCE STEINBERG

Looking to add some spice to your running life this summer?

Silent Sports is here to help.

Iowa

June 13: Although not technically summer yet, the Garwin Iowa Ridge Run in Garwin, Iowa, will be warm enough, and this May issue of Silent Sports still gives you time to register. Want to experience some Iowa mud over 3 to 4 miles of a top-notch obstacle course? Here you are. This race bills itself as an obstacle course suitable for the newbie and the tough-as-nails uber-experienced obstacle course runner, making this race a potential family affair. At least 20 obstacles confront you over the course, through some of Iowa’s biggest steeps and deepest valleys. Teams encouraged, with course volunteers along the way to help you through if needed. What makes this race unique? See all of the above. Plus—a free beer for all finishers, along with a traditional goody-bag. And, you will have a full-body mud pack by the end that spas charge a mint for! Check out www.theridgerun.com for more information and registration.

July 23-25: Bix 7-miler in Davenport, Iowa. A mix of three races (plus

sprints and training runs), the Bix 7 (7-miler), Prairie Farms Quick Bix

(2-miler), and the Arconic Jr. Bix (for children 12 and under, with a choice of

distances based on age; parents can accompany their child-racer, ages 5 and

under). In existence since 1995 when the participant count was under 100, now

the number of participants reaches 9,000, with over $62,000 in prize money.

Runners from all over the world race the Bix, including many of the best from

Kenya. Also renown for spectator size and volunteers, costuming (with post-race

costume contest), unique events including a large post-race party. Also, the Brady

Street Sprint, a quarter-mile steep-steep uphill sprint with time trials

culminating in televised finals on the 23d. 

For more information, go to ww.bix7.com

August 1: Need more Iowa mud? Consider Conquer the Gauntlet, at

Eagle Creek MX Park in Woodstock, Iowa. Twenty-five obstacles over 4.1 miles of

muddy course. With the best finish time, ever, being at just under a ten-minute

per mile pace, this is a race filled with challenges. Definitely a race for

experienced mudders. For more information, including a full pictorial of the

obstacles, go to www.conquerthegauntlet.com/iowa-2020

September 13: This will be the tenth year for the Clinton Half Marathon,

in Clinton, Iowa, which also includes 5K and 10K options. Starting in historic

downtown Clinton, the half marathon takes runners through some of the most

scenic vistas of any half marathon in the Midwest. With its challenging climbs

along the Mississippi River, you’ll experience breathtaking vistas, especially

the Eagle Point Park’s overlook of the widest section of the Mississippi. A

race for lovers of challenging hills. Perfect for Birkie prep. For more

information, go to: www.ywcaclinton.org/clinton-half-marathon

Wisconsin:

In addition to the July 4 holiday weekend of Minocqua Winter

Park’s Muggy Buggy 2.5K, (check out minocquawinterpark.org/muggy-buggy

– events) that will be featured in the April

print and online editions of Silent Sports Magazine, consider these other

unusual Wisconsin races of note:

June 13: So, what’s so unusual about the 10K Bellin Run, in Green Bay,

Wisconsin? Admittedly, there’s no mud or obstacles, and it’s a flat course

overall However, starting in 1977, the Bellin Run in 2019 attracted over 11,000

participants, including walkers and wheelchair racers. That’s a Birkie of racers

in a 10K! This race seems to attract named and notable elites, starting with

Frank Shorter in 1977, to today’s world Olympians. Most of all, there’s a

scheduled meet-and-greet where you can have facetime with, and pick up

autographs from, these elite runners. For more information, go to www.BellinRun.com.

June 19-20: First of all, the Jake Lake’s Silent Sports

Association is a great name, don’t you think? It holds its family-friendly Ultra

8’s Trail Run at the Jack Lake Mountain Bike Trail in Deerbrook, Wisconsin.

Shorter courses are available, including a free race for kids. The unique

nature of this race is the trail run itself. Much of it is single-track and moderately

challenging. In its third year, this race has attracted more runners quickly

and is billed as an all-day event, sunrise to sunset, so choose your start

time. This is also the setting for the Crazy Eights Mountain Bike Race

held on June 27. Looking for a trail-run race in forested beauty? This is a

race for you. Check out www.jacklaketrails.com.

July 18: The Ashland, Wisconsin Bay Days Fun Run includes a 5K, 10K, and 1K

family fun run. These races take place during the Bay Days Festival held

from July 17-19. For those wondering what it might be like to race along Lake

Superior’s shoreline, this 10K takes you along the Chequamegon Bay Waterfront Trail, all for $10

pre-registration, $15 race day. This is an excellent choice if you’re looking

for a long weekend trip with the family, and you want to squeeze in a truly

fantastic waterfront 10K race for yourself. Additional information at  www.ashlandbaydays.com/15.html.

July 25: The Alpine Adventure Challenge is a 5K adventure run in Little

Switzerland, Wisconsin, with over 30 obstacles described as small, big, and

wacky, with plenty of water and mud, for the experienced mudder, but also

providing a family friendly course which permits parent-accompanied runners

from 7 to 13 years of age. Racers start in groups of 25 to 50 every ten to

fifteen minutes, so start times are flexible. This race’s web site includes a

course overlay as well as video that ends with an extended downhill

slip-and-slide, plus food! Check it out at www.alpineadventurechallenge.com

August 1: Lumberjack Run 5K, in Hayward, WI. See link below, Birkie Festival

Run.

August 9: Mudders

have got to love the name of this one: The Caveman Adventure Run, a 5K

obstacle run held at the historical Maribel County Park, near Manitowoc,

Wisconsin. There is also a half mile obstacle course for children, whose

parents can accompany as well.  Family

friendly, with bike trails, caves to explore, hiking, picnic area, and

shelters. The aggressive mudder can run while non-mudder loved ones also enjoy

the day. Lone runners are known as the Paleolithic, teams of 2 to 4 as the

Flintstones, and teams of 5 or more are called Tribes. Start times are

flexible.

More information at www.dutrirun.com/page/show/4228757-caveman-obstacle-run-walk.

August 22: Now this is party-time, with great running. The Rugged

Maniac Race Series is a series of obstacle races held all over the USA,

plus Calgary. Milwaukee gets its turn on August 22d. (The Twin Cities,

Minnesota, gets its turn on September 12). Located at Wilmot Mountain in

Wilmot, WI (close enough for you Chicago-area obstacle course runners to attend),

this is a game-and-food-filled festival, with three-story water slide, music

extravaganza, and pie-eating contest, free to over 5,000 attendees, that also

caters to children. The run itself is over 3.1 miles with more than 25

obstacles and plenty of mud, at a modest race fee. Perhaps the most unique part

of this party-obstacle-mud race is that you can choose a start time from

anywhere in the early morning into the early afternoon. Check out more

information and registration at ruggedmaniac.com/events/chicago.

Sept. 5: The Northwoods Bad-Dash, registering at Manitowish Waters, WI, is

a 4-miler with 12 obstacles and plenty of mud. Individual and large teams

welcome (with teams of five or more receiving race fee discounts.) This is an

untimed event, so more focus is on the fun. And, the race is sponsored by

Leinenkugel’s, so you know there’s a great post-race party waiting for you. Web

link: nwbaddash.com 

Sept.  25, 26: A smidgeon beyond official summer,

but hey! —we’re talking about the Birkie Trail Run here. And what makes

this event special is just that—the Birkie Trail as well as the twisting and

turning single-track of the CAMBA trails, starting and finishing at the Birkie

Trailhead in Cable. With a well-stocked festival, and plenty of food, music,

and beer, this is an event for everyone. Nine events are there for you to

choose from. Want an ultramarathon? You’ve got it. Also, solo and relay-team

marathons, half marathon, ten-mile hike (walking poles welcome), 5K run/walk

and 1K children’s event. And did I already say it’s all on the Birkie/CAMBA

trails? See web site at www.birkie.com/run/events/birkie-trail-run. For the Aug. 1 Lumberjack Run 5K, check out www.birkie.com/run/events/lumberjack-run.

Minnesota:

July 11: This Tough Mudder Race Series event isheld in Hugo, Minnesota, offering three races, timed and un-timed, from no obstacles, to 13, to 25, proclaiming it has a course for you regardless of fitness level. Its web site,toughmudder.com/weekends/twin-cities, provides information on the party atmosphere, training opportunities, and scheduling. An event for experienced mudders as well as for the family.

Sept.

12: See Twin Cities

edition of the Rugged Maniac Race Series, Sept. 12, described in the

Wisconsin section above (August 22). Link: ruggedmaniac.com/events/twincities.         

For a further guide to runs throughout

Minnesota, you can check out the following link: www.runguides.com/minnesota/runs.

Illinois

July

24-25: The Savage Race Blitz Chicago,

which is actually held in Spring Grove, IL, has got a video-filled website with

great images and detail that you need to check out at https://savagerace.com/event/chicago-2020/. The Savage Race series is held

throughout the USA at 14 events, which the web site directs you to. However,

the Chicago (Spring Grove) location is the only one in the Midwest for 2020.

This race is billed as tough, filled with the most challenging obstacles of the

sometimes-twisted-imaginative sort (shall we discuss all those tons of ice, or

the 43-foot-tall “Colossus?”). The web site video shows just how tough. But

there are also race categories that include youth races of shorter distances

and less-wild challenges. Also, failure is an option for each obstacle as

volunteers are there simply to encourage and help the less-experienced forward.

Plenty of team and individual categories, too. At the end, the free beer will

help you decide if it was all worth it.

August

22: You can’t title a mud race more bluntly

than MuckFest Chicago, a 5K filled with big obstacles and thick mud

intended to challenge you, held at the Lake County Fairgrounds in Grayslake, IL,

which means this race is very close for Wisconsinites, too. Waves start at 9

AM, and then every twenty minutes, so pick your start. Among the goody-bag, a

free beer awaits you. Check out more at www.mudrunguide.com/event/chicago-illinois-muckfest-2020.

August 22: The Tough Mudder Chicago is actually held in Rockford

(why do these Illinois races say “Chicago?” Anyway …). Choices of a 3-mile

course with 13 obstacles, or an 8-to-10-mile course with over 25 obstacles.

There are ten to fifteen start groups going off every 20 minutes, so pick your

start time in advance. Team and individuals of course are welcome. This is the

same series that holds its event in Minnesota on July 11, and the web link is

the same.

September 19: Up for a race with paint balls on arrows? The Highlander

Assault in Highlander Hills, IL (McHenry County, so a draw for

Wisconsinites, too) has that and much more. Talk about unique, this race, part

of an obstacle race series, is a race of “battle courses.” And get this: with

increasing numbers of obstacles, there is a 4-mile course, 8, 12, and, finally,

a marathon-distance obstacle course called the King Arthur Challenge with 100

obstacles! You can earn membership into the Black Watch. Oh yes, there’s plenty

of mud. Check out the link www.highlanderassault.com for this race and the series,

including a night race in May, plus obstacle photos.

Michigan

June 13: The Kalamazoo Mud Run 5K bills itself as running through mud for

the benefit of clean water, a notable cause and effort. From elite divisions,

to team, open, and kids’ editions, with a mud-run training camp. Web link: www.kalamazoomudrun.com.

June 20 through October: For

unparalleled trail running in Michigan’s UP, try the Two Hearted Trail Run in

Paradise, Michigan, held June 20. This race offers a half-marathon, marathon,

and 50K ultra. Incredible trails overlooking the Lake Superior Basin, with the

50K and marathon meandering through shoreline forests and upon awe-inspiring bluffs.

Culhane Lake and Little Two Hearted River are also on the palette, with 80

percent of the course on single-track and 20 percent on dirt forest road. At

the finish, you can run, walk, or crawl another 200 meters and find yourself at

the Camp 33 Brew Pub. You can link to this race, and other great and unique

Michigan UP races, including the Rock River Canyon 50K Trail Run (May

24^th), Waugoshance Trail

Marathon

(July 11), Grand

Island Trail Marathon (July 25), Tahqua trail Run (August 8), La Demi Grand (Sept.

20), and the Treetops

Trifecta (October 31). www.greatlakesendurance.com/michigan-races.html

August 1:

Casco’s Ultimate Mud Challenge 5K held in South

Haven, MI, has four events: the 5K obstacle/mud course for individuals that

features mud hills, ravines, and waters to traverse; a team race over the same

course, a mud-free 5K trail run, and a 1K kids run that doesn’t shy away from

mud. Family friendly. Web link at www.cascomudder.com.

August 9: FOR WOMEN ONLY! —all caps, with an exclamation mark, per its

web page, The Muddy Princess 5K in Millington, MI, bills itself as a

race for all sizes of women, no judgment allowed! Children are welcome,

accompanied by moms, grandmas, or aunts of course. Individual racers and teams

of any size set off in waves every 20 minutes, with volunteer support to make

sure all princesses reach the finish line, where food and drinks await. Check

out the Muddy Princess Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/MuddyPrincessUSA, and web link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/muddy-princess-michigan-registration-70242698803

August 15: A mud race with a purpose and a heart, the Drew Kostic

Memorial 5K Tough Run in Copemish, MI, began after Marine Veteran Kostic,

took his own life in 2016 even though he was active in his community, including

helping other veterans suffering from PTSD. The race seeks to raise funds to

continue to help veterans and educate the civilian community to help veterans

as well. A 9-minute video on the web page explains it all in heart-grabbing

fashion, and includes detailed race-cam footage from 2019. Check out the link

at runsignup.com/Race/MI/Copemish/TheDrewKosticMemorial5K. The first race was held on

September 9, 2017, and has quickly grown to several hundred individual and team

racers. Classic mudding obstacle courses included, but also a shooting range

“obstacle.” Runners shoot, they’re not shot at! An enjoyable, purposeful, and

important fundraising event.

August 29: Starting in 2009, the Grand Rapids Mud Run 5K held in,

of course, Grand Rapids, MI,has grown to over 3,500 mudders and

spectators and includes among its obstacles a 60-foot mud slide. Runners are

encouraged to donate their post-race mud-shoes to charity, to be cleaned up for

a good cause. A timed, competitive event, but also for fun, with a kids’ race. Waves

go off at 8:30, but with starts staggered every thirty minutes. Facebook page: www.facebook.com/GrandRapidsMudRun/.

Web page link: www.grandrapidsmudrun.com/about/.

Indiana

June 20: Located in North Vernon, IN, Tame the Terrain, takes pride in its

use of unique, natural terrain for its obstacles and mud. Per its web page:

“Tame the Terrain is a 4-plus mile obstacle race that takes participants up and

down the hills of Jennings County, Indiana, trekking rock walls, ravines,

cliffs, ponds, tunnels and the Muscatatuck River. There are 30-plus different

obstacles set within the terrain of Muscatatuck County Park to challenge

participants in a beautiful, natural setting.” Team and individuals welcome and

timed, this race has grown to over 600 participants. Race web site at www.tametheterrain.com

Also on June 20: The Hollis Adams Mud Run, Indianapolis, IN, is a

3-miler (“ish”) with over 25 natural and man-made obstacles, run with the

purpose of raising funds for helping disabled adults in central Indiana. With

beer, like many other mud-races, but also vodka-based drinks, and dogs! Yes,

there are dog-allowed and friendly courses at this one. Also, lunch and a

wash-off included. For individuals and teams, and a great race for first-time

mudders. Check out www.facebook.com/hollisadamsmudrun.

July 25: Located in Lawrenceburg, IN, the Indiana Spartan Race 5K Sprint,is one of three races called The Spartan Trifecta, and is part of a

nationwide series of races.  Twenty to

twenty-three obstacles face you in the 3 to 5-mile course. This race also

includes a 10K trail run without obstacles but with plenty of hilly terrain,

and also kid-friendly races and distances. Waves of 250 runners go off every

fifteen minutes, starting at 7:30 with the elite men, going through afternoon

start times. Why so may start times of 250 racers? It’s THAT popular. Prize

money included. Also, military, first-responder, and student discounts. Check

out the race web page: www.spartan.com/en/race/detail/5831/overview.

No doubt I missed some, but there you go. As always, check

each race out thoroughly before signing up. And, if you do one these races or

any other, feel free to send photos of same to Silent

Sports Magazine!