Potawatomi Trail Runs Pekin, IL   Apr 9–11, 2026

Do you think Illinois is all flat cornfields? Wise ultra-runners will get some serious hill training in before coming to Pekin’s McNaughton Park! We don’t have mountains in Illinois… just a few rolling hills with elevator shaft downhills guaranteed to warm your quads on a chilly April evening. Here’s how one satisfied customer described the terrain: ‘I now know why Illinois is so flat. They took all the hills that are supposed to be there and put them ALL into one spot in Pekin, IL … and called it ‘McNaughton Park’.”

The Potawatomi Trail Runs at lovely John T. McNaughton Park in Pekin, IL is a family friendly event where camping and cheering along the finishing line is encouraged. The course is a 10 mile loop consisting mostly of single track dirt, some prairies, several creek crossings, and endless rolling hills. Elevation gain per 10 mile loop is 1600 feet. Mother Nature controls the creeks; your feet may stay dry but probably not.