Via Dolorosa Trail Marathon

The Via Dolorosa Marathon takes runners on their own “Way of Suffering” on a very difficult up and down course with somewhat challenging footing at times. The marathon course begins downhill just below the Basilica at Holy Hill parking lot on Carmel Road to Donegal Road. From Donegal, runners travel south to the Loew Lake Ice Age Trail entrance. Beautiful prairie grass trails makes way for treacherous wooded switchbacks taking runners across some of the most beautiful vistas in all of Wisconsin. Mostly grass and leaf covered single track trails, the Ice Age Trail is technically moderate to difficult. Runners arrive at Hwy K Parking Lot coming out of the woods for a brief turnaround and aid station and head back to Donegal where they enter the Holy Hill Ice Trail going north. This becomes increasingly difficult where flat and even footing is scarce. Runners head north up the Ice Age Trail through pine woods, farm fields and an occasional farm road. At the Lepien Dairy Farm, runners return south back to Donegal to Carmel where the finish is a grueling uphill. Throughout the course, there will be 14 Prayer Stations depicting the Way of the Cross for runners to contemplate the suffering of Jesus.