The first Saturday after Labor Day has the scenic town of Elroy, Wisconsin, sponsoring its very own Apple Dumpling Days. As part of the festivities, The Elroy Lions Club hosts the Elroy Apple Dumpling Day Races. The first races were in 2007 with a 5K and a single kids race. …
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The first Saturday after Labor Day has the scenic town of Elroy, Wisconsin, sponsoring its very own Apple Dumpling Days. As part of the festivities, The Elroy Lions Club hosts the Elroy Apple Dumpling Day Races. The first races were in 2007 with a 5K and a single kids race. The Apple Dumpling Day Races expanded in 2008 and added a very successful ½ marathon and an additional kids race for the very young. In 2013, the full marathon was added to the venue.
Elroy has the perfect logistics for hosting these races. Elroy is the center of three abandoned railroad beds that have all been converted into bike trails. These three trails are the Juneau County Omaha Trail, the Elroy-Sparta Trail, and the 400 Trail. The trails have a great running surface, levelness, a nice amount of shade, fantastic scenery for the runners, and feature tunnels!
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Come and get your PR
This is a small race that should be a destination race for those seeking a PR. If that is your jam you will probably love this one. This race is … MORE
This is a small race that should be a destination race for those seeking a PR. If that is your jam you will probably love this one. This race is highly supported by the community. Participants receive several coupons from local businesses ranging from a free drink to a movie pass….along with an apple dumpling and beer for post-race. The shirt was also extremely nice.
Pros:
– Great course provided you like it flat and straight. Once out of town the course is out and back on an old railroad line. No turns and I felt like I was running downhill both directions.
– 90% of course is under tree cover so it kept it cool
– Very cool running through the old tunnel
– God bless the volunteers! They were all extremely friendly and supportive. Thank you to all – and there were many and all very supportive.
– Plenty of waterstops. Easy to stay hydrated with the number of stops that were approximately 1.5 miles apart.
– Small field made it easy to run your race and not have to dodge people.
Cons:
– Scenery was a tree-lined trail and an occasional rock outcropping or body of water. I enjoyed it, others may not.
– Maybe getting there? There wasn’t much in options of places to stay other than 10 minutes away in Mauston. The Wisconsin Dells are maybe 45 minutes away.
– The medals are the only ding on ‘swag’ as they were generic with a sticker designating the “Big Apple” Marathon. This is nitpicking as they are nice but small and kept the price of admission for the race low. I will gladly trade off the medal for the awesome shirt.
Overall enjoyed the race as it was well organized and had a good vibe to it. Thank you, Elroy!
Small hometown race
This is a small hometown race with nice perks especially for the price (wicking shirts, fresh apple dumplings (at the finish), and more. The race director made the race very … MORE
This is a small hometown race with nice perks especially for the price (wicking shirts, fresh apple dumplings (at the finish), and more. The race director made the race very personalized and was extremely nice and accommodating. Race start/finish was at a park, which include a small camping area. The aide stations we laid out nicely, with very friendly volunteers. The course was nicely groomed trail run, as runners passed over several bridges, and through a lantern lite tunnel with was historical (not to mention a few degrees cooler than outside, which felt great). The medals were okay (again this is a small race, with minimal race entry fees). I would certainly run this race again.