Angry Cow Trail Run #3 Vets Run
Shubert, NE
- 12 Miler, 8 Miler, 4 Miler
- Trail (Unpaved)
- Official race website
Course is on trails with scenic views and rolling hills. 3rd Race in the Angry Cow Series. All veterans past and present get a FREE entry.
Local Historical Weather (Nov 01):
| 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | |
| H (°F) | 47 | 63 | 52 | 80 | 43 |
| L (°F) | 34 | 35 | 15 | 41 | 37 |
Find Nearby Lodging (hotel, rental, etc.):
A trail run worthy of the name
2025 has been a year of firsts and new challenges, so it makes me happy to report that there is nothing to be angry about at the Angry Cows Adventures’ … MORE
2025 has been a year of firsts and new challenges, so it makes me happy to report that there is nothing to be angry about at the Angry Cows Adventures’ Veterans Run. From the clearly marked, challenging course, large wooden medal, long-sleeved soft tee and bonus gloves to the welcoming crew and homemade treats, this was a trail run done right.
Let’s start with the course. Originally earmarked as a 4-mile loop, for either a 4-mile, 8-mile or 12-mile race, it was shortened to about 3.2 miles due to a mudslide earlier in the week. The change was explained at the start of the race, so it did not come as a surprise. Nonetheless, the first half of the loop included a steady mix of steep hills. I was worried that the entire course would be hills. Thankfully, the last mile or so was a generous mix of downhill or flat terrain. Before I ventured out to the second lap, I stopped at the restroom close to the start. It may seem like an unimportant detail, but when portajohns seem to be missing at a lot of races recently, I wanted to make note of the permanent fixture.
This is 5th (?) trail race this year, and I am learning along the way. I know I will be slower than a road race. At this race, I also rucked with a 20-25lb sack. My goal was to get comfortable with the ruck sack and improve my footing on a trail. Mission accomplished. While the elevation was challenging, the trail itself was NOT full of narrow paths, uneven surfaces and sharp rocks. Yes, it is a trail, so there was no smooth surface and the path was covered with leaves, but I was not slowed down TOO much by big boulders threatening injuries to my ankle with one wrong step. As a relatively new trail runner, I would encourage other newbies to try it out. The course is challenging, but the path is gentle and the route clearly marked.
I have to give big props to the production crew for the swag. Earlier this year, I was at a CHALLENGING!! trail run and received a sticker. This time around the long-sleeved, lightweight beige soft tshirt was included in the price and available for all. The wooden age division medal were large and designed on both sides. It is probably my 2nd favorite trail medal, and not only because I got an age division. (Yay for low turnout in the ruck division!)
Since this was a morning race, there was no pizza. The homemade chocolate chip cookies and creamcheese iced pumpkin bars were a much better reward. As the final participant of the race, the race director loaded us (jkelling) with additional water and other goodies for the road. I was luck enough to score a second pair of the warm, fitted gloves. They will definitely come in handy during the winter races.
My two caveats with the race are the park parking fee and start location directions. It was announced that parking fee was $7. It was $14. It’s something to consider, especially since we came from out of town. Then the race was announced to start at trailhead #5. Again, being unfamiliar with the area, we drove around awhile and then wait a good 20 minutes at what we thought was the start because of the small ‘trailhead ‘#5’ sign. Nope. The start was at the marina. It’s a small race, so by the time we found the correct spot parking wasn’t an issue, but the confusion was still…confusing.
Nebraska is a drive for me, so I can’t say I will partake in all the Angry Cow races, but they definitely made a good impression. Depending on how my race schedules line up, I will look to add them to my list.
Angy Cows makes me happy
This was my first time doing a race with this production company. It will not be my last. The trail was truncated this year due to some washout that had … MORE
This was my first time doing a race with this production company. It will not be my last. The trail was truncated this year due to some washout that had resulted in knee high mud, apparently. As an out of towner who had another race later that day, I appreciated curtailing it rather than declaring “just suck it up!” Subsequently, I now have another reason to go back and see what I missed.
The course is a loop with a dogleg left out and back towards the final third. For better or worse, the hills are frontloaded on this course, and the 34lbs I was carrying felt especially heavy as I slogged up to the top of the second one. After that you’re rewarded with a 0.8-ish mile LONG gradual downhill that really let me regain my pace (and honestly feels longer, in a good way), before going off to the left for a third of a mile and back to the start. Options are 4, 8 and 12 miles, so one, two or three laps, and they offer an official ruck division so ccruiz03 and I used it as a training ruck for Tough Ruck Boston in the spring. That, fortunately, is a much flatter course.
The swag consisted of age group awards only, which I manage to secure, a nice cotton T, and some of the best gloves I’ve received in a while They do run tight, but as someone who hates bunched up gloves at the fingertips, this worked out well. I can see they’ll be getting some use out of them.
This is a bit of a drive for me, but it’s a great race with great folks and a great production. I may not be back every year, but I’d sure like to, and I am looking forward to checking out the other Angry Cow productions.