Thank you for a successful inaugural year!

🌽➡️🌊

Runner's Manual

Click here for the runner's manual. If you signed up before 11/12, and have not gotten an email about this, please check your spam folder and mark us as not-spam, so we can communicate via email as the race approaches

Discover the Magic of Wilderness Park

Step off the pavement and into the trail state of mind at the inaugural Corn to Creek Wilderness Trail Run, a grassroots 25K and 10K race designed to showcase the rugged charm and winding singletrack of Wilderness Park. Held as the vibrant fall season winds down and the air turns crisp, this community-driven event invites trail runners of all levels to experience a thoughtfully marked course that celebrates the park's natural flow and beauty.

Whether you're a seasoned trail enthusiast looking for a rewarding local loop, a newcomer ready to dip your toes into off-road running, or a road runner excited about an off-season race opportunity, this event is your perfect autumn adventure.

All proceeds will go to Friends of Wilderness Park, a local nonprofit. This allows us to fund a variety of trail maintenance/improvement projects, provide conservation and education, and host community events (and hopefully trail races!) in the future.

No cutoffs! Enjoy your day out there

Course Description

COURSE MAPS 🗺️ - the 25K is a single, flowy, non-repetitive loop that traverses a massive portion of the park!
The 10K course has a unique start loop of 2.5 miles, then "cloverleafs" off of the start/finish area to follow 1.85 miles out and back on a portion shared by the 25K (3.7 round trip)

While we finalize our permits before we can confirm these exact routes, expect about 10-15% crushed limestone, and 85-90% dirt singletrack with a wonderfully natural flow. If you are completely new to trail running, the course could be described as technical in parts - think fallen leaves, a few roots and rocks, and a couple punchy, short hills. If you've hiked or run a lot on various trails around the country or world, you might consider this non-technical. No special gear is required.

Both races have little to no repetition. Expect negligible elevation gain overall (100 feet or so for the 10K and 200 feet or so for the 25K).

Be prepared for chilly temperatures due to the time of year, but get excited, as this course will feel like a surprisingly remote late-fall adventure through the woods and along the creek!

We will have a well-stocked start and finish area with restrooms available. There will be 3 well-stocked aid stations for the 25K, one of them being halfway through with restrooms available. There will also be a water drop between the last aid and the finish. The 10K will utilize the start and finish area as its mid-course aid station

RACE RULES

We don't want to be those people, but we do have to have rules to ensure safe, fair, and fun race day conduct. Please read these ahead of time, and be ready for a quick review before the races start as well:

1) 😡 Non-incidental physical contact, aggressively foul language, confrontational behavior, and especially littering (including of "biodegradable" things) will result in an automatic disqualification. Respect each other and the trails
2) 🥤 This is a cupless race - please have capacity for any fluids you need. You probably will be fine with a 500ml bottle or two. Aid stations may coincidentally have cups for snacks or drinks, but they're not to be taken with you, and definitely not to be left on the trails
3) 🚽 Plan to use the bathroom at the start, at the finish, or in the case of the 25K at the halfway aid station. Please do not be the person who #2s next to our nice singletrack. We can't truly enforce stuff like this, but you get the gist
4) 🚩 This is a closed course. If you take an off-trail turn (bushwhack), or accidentally go onto unmarked trails, return directly to the point where you meandered, and then keep going. Significant travel off of the course can result in a penalty or disqualification as the race organizers see fit
5) 🏃‍♂️ No pets, animals, pacers or "bandits", strollers, mechanical travel (come back and bike another day though!), etc. is allowed - just you, your shoes, and your kit. Poles are okay if they help you hike comfortably
6) 👁️ Be aware of your surroundings, follow posted trail rules for Wilderness Park, PAUSE and wait for cars at the road crossing, and give right of way to faster runners/recreational horse riders if you happen to see them. In the same vein, respectfully announce when you need to make a pass. This probably won't be an issue, as the margin next to the singletrack is usually even
7) 🗣️ Make sure to clearly announce your bib number when going through aid stations. If you hang around for a while, it's cool to announce arrival and departure. We might miss logging your number, but we really would like to get it down and in our spreadsheet, to track live results accurately and maintain integrity
8) ⬅️ When in doubt in an area that seems like a doubly marked intersection, stay to the left (clockwise). You will see this intersection again, or have already seen it; if you think hard and stay to the left/clockwise at all such times, you won't be stuck in an infinite loop or other similar quagmire/quandary/paradox
9) 🍔 We cannot accommodate special nutrition requests, but will provide water, gatorade, and fun food like fruit snacks, PB pretzels, bananas, chips, and maybe a surprise item or two. You are responsible for your own calories of choice beyond that. Fortunately, this is a flat 25K at max, so you will survive no matter what aid station snacks we have
10) 🏅 The top three male and female finishers, respectively, will be asked to show GPX verification such as a Garmin or Strava activity before accepting any prizes or other tokens/podium recognition. This is to ensure the integrity of the event, although we are not super competitive here
11) 🦌 Generally, respect the flora and fauna you see. This is a beautiful area and we kindly ask that you leave no trace other than your footsteps. For instance, you could very well see a deer (but it will sprint away after 5 seconds)
12) ⚖️ The race organizers otherwise reserve the right to assess a time penalty or disqualification for any runner and any circumstances listed or not listed above. This will probably never happen, but also, we have to say this as some people are downright insane and will do bizarre things on trails

Event's current local time: 1:01 AM CT