Welcome to the
Ice Age Trail races!

 
Ice Age is a true trail run. Outside of a few road crossings, you’ll have dirt (or mud), grass, pine needles, rocks and roots underfoot the entire time you’re on the course.

Ice Age takes you through some scenic, historic and geologically fascinating areas. You’ll run in dense deciduous forests, across open prairies, under tall pines and over rocky ridges – and see lakes, kettles, kames, erratics and other natural features left when the glaciers finally retreated from Wisconsin more than 10,000 years ago. You’ll pass sites that provide a glance into the lives of the area’s first settlers and climb Bald Bluff, a place revered by Native Americans and the location of the Black Hawk War, the last major Indian war in Wisconsin. Included among the 3,500 soldiers who camped beside the bluff were two future US Presidents, Abraham Lincoln and Zachary Taylor.

And Ice Age is once again proud to be part of the 2012-13 Montrail Ultra Cup Championship Series. As a series event, some of the nation’s top ultrarunning talent will be here to accumulate series’ points or go for the win and earn an automatic entry into the 2013 Western States 100 (awarded to the top two men and women in the 50-mile race).

We’re also pleased to have Hammer Nutrition (www.hammernutrition.com) back as a lead sponsor for this year’s race.

The competition that comes to the Southern Kettle Moraine forest each May contributes to the electric atmosphere that makes this event special, but I think most long-time Ice Agers will say that it’s the beauty of the trails, the wonderful volunteers and the other runners that have kept this race going for 32 years.

What will the weather be like? Hard to say. Last year, by most accounts, it was “deceptively warm.” The two previous years were marked by cool temps and light precipitation. Conditions were perfect the eight years I ran Ice Age – a mix of sun and clouds and temps in the mid 60s. On the extremes, snowfall was reported one year and temps topped 90 degrees twice in the 1990s.

There is more information about the weather, course and the race itself on our website – or “like” us on Facebook and receive additional news and updates.

Good luck with your training. I look forward to congratulating you at the finish line!

Jeff Mallach
Race Director

P.S.We’ve scheduled two training runs on the Ice Age course on Saturday, April 20 and Saturday, April 27. If you’re new to trail running or the Kettle Moraine Forest, I highly recommend participating in at least one of these runs.