Katherine Ashburner's Staging Area

A beautiful course along the Mississippi river. Some gravel, about three miles and the rest is on a concrete road. Adequate water stops and porta potties. Several hills with one doozy, then almost all downhill from there. A smaller race where friendly locals are actively involved. We stayed in Lacrosse WI which is an easy 45min drive.(There is an airport in Lacrosse too)

Easy to get to and ample parking. Loops around a lake with many different distances. Well managed. Not a lot of extras, but this is a fund raising event.

Flat and fast dirt course under a beautiful canopy of trees. Great course support and awesome RD. Fast posting of results and pictures. Difficult to get to, but well worth it.

Easy in and easy out to visit Anchorage. Beautiful views all around you. Gentle, mostly downhill run with a couple of hills at the end. Super friendly atmosphere and a fun after party. Would do again.

The course is fairly scenic for a city race. I did not find it too hilly or difficult. There was a lot of community support and I enjoyed seeing the alcohol mile and junk food mile. My favorite was the pickle juice shot (no alcohol) at mile 10. The weather was unusually humid and I heard there was a water shortage at one of the stations (I also heard it was corrected promptly). Food at the end was good and so was the gingerbread stout! I would recommend some tents at the finish for inclement weather. Too many runners in need of shade were passing out/tossing cookies at the end

Small race with a bigtime feel. Beautiful scenery and covered bridges are part of the course. Generous cut off time. Great support before, during and after. The hills , oh my! Would highly recommend!

Easy to get to and from the race. Very convenient parking. Always a plus for me. Beautiful countryside run. Awesome course support. Plenty of flaggers and police. The roads remained open and I would have appreciated better runner lane markings and signs for the oncoming cars. Lots of aid stations and porta potties; also a big plus for me. I would consider doing again.

Beautiful scenery running along the river. Mostly on a hard packed gravel road. Plenty of parking, bus shuttle back to start, good after race food. It was cold, so be prepared to bundle up.

This was the most beautiful and scenic race I have ever done. Vacation Races really knows how to run a race. The elevation was a problem for me, but the course was so beautiful and well supported it didn’t bother me one bit to slow down. More porta potties would have been helpful and less of a wait for the start would have been appreciated. That being said, I heard they are already looking to improve in these areas. I would highly recommend this race.

This was the toughest 50k that I have ever done. Starts off ok, a little bit of paved (but hilly) road, then a dirt road and finally a jeep trail. Well marked but you need to pay attention for the signs. Lots of single track and beautiful scenery. Be prepared for steep ascents and descents. Poles would be helpful on the back half. Also be prepared for fields of granite and some rock scrambles. There was four aid stations (last one was water only), but I would advise bringing your own to be safe. Friendly support and good atmosphere.

Very well supported, plenty of aid stations, well marked. First off, DO Not underestimate the AT section in the beginning. Train for rocks (boulders and such). Then enjoy the flat and mostly smooth canal path and roads. I was a back of the packer on this one and chased cut offs. Overall, it was an awesome adventure and would do it again with a friend or two. The only complaint I have is that in finishing so close to the cutoff meant there was no food left at the finish(they were packing up as we got there) and the free massages were also packing up..double bust for me.

Wonderful aid stations filled mostly with experienced ultra runners . All aid station volunteers were super helpful and good listeners. The scenery was stunning. However, not all aid stations had a pit stop to use. Course markings were adequate. I would have preferred some healthier food selections at the aid stations, but that’s ultrarunning. Mostly on ATV trails so it was dusty and rocky. Very generous cut off. Will consider doing a longer distance in the future.

Nice location. Easy to get to and lots of parking. No repeat miles. A mix of everything, hills, flat, fields, water views… Lots of hills that look like nothing until they gang up on you! Great and frequent aid stations Awesome and generous swag.

Not being from the area, it was a little hard to find. Only one sign on the main road that we passed. However, once we parked , and there was plenty of room for parking , things went wonderfully. All the volunteers and the hosts went out of their way tending to the runners wants and needs. All runners, not just a select few! Friendly and outgoing volunteers! Beautiful scenery on the trail. Lots of rocks, roots and ups and downs. It can be a bit challenging if you are new to trails. Definitely worth doing!!

This race is as described. No hidden punches. It was a little muddier than I expected but that just added to the fun. Aid stations are well stocked and at appropriate locations. RD was very accommodating for the needs of all. Good swag, I love my mug!!! This was my first 50k and although I don’t plan on running this again (11 hour drive) I will definitely do another 50k.

Not the easiest course to run. The long gravel stretch killed me at the end. Although it was nice to run through a working farm, I felt as if I was intruding. The post race party was fun. Running and wine is a great combo.