Traveler Travis's Staging Area

The Ironbull in Wisconsin is about as close to a mountainous trail race as you can get in the Midwest, with several steep ski slope climbs that require you to climb on all fours at times! There are BOULDERS everywhere on the course, including the easier stretches in the woods, but you actually climb on HUGE boulders going up the ski mountain, which is both exhilarating and treacherous at the same time.

The race is well-organized and the course markings were much better this year (2023) than last year. The aid stations are adequate but not plump with offerings, and that’s ok. The finisher’s award and t-shirt were both high quality this year. Registration also includes a food truck meal and an alcoholic beverage after the race.

The race course begins at the state park speedway, which is so cool, but quickly goes into the woods towards Rib Mountain State Park. Once in the park, you run along a wooded path on private properly for a while, and this is actually the EASIEST part of the course, even though it has LOTS of rocks along the course. It’s also recommended to wear a head lamp at the race start because it’s dark in the woods and the race begins at sunup (but NO sun this year, which I’ll get to later). Then you have a gradual ascent to Granite Peak, which is not too bad and is still quite runnable. But once you reach the top, there is quite a bit of technical terrain, weaving in and out of large rock formations. After all that, you go back down and prepare for SEVERAL very steep climbs and descents through the ski slopes. This is the HIGHLIGHT of the race because it’s so unique. There are times when the grade is 40-50% and includes HUGE boulders that must be traversed on all fours. The descents are just as challenging because of the steepness and rocks along the course. But it’s all worth it because you really “find your tough” by the end of this race. The last few miles are back in the woods and have some up’s and down’s but nothing too bad. The 25k does this entire loop once, while the 50k does it twice! The former has about 3,600 ft of elevation gain, while the 50k tops out at double that!

THIS year in 2023, there were THUNDERSTORMS that began around Mile 5 and never let up the ENTIRE RACE. This made the course even MORE challenging, especially with slippery rocks and eventually full on mud going up and down the slopes. With lightning and thunder throughout the race, it was pretty exciting but also very DARK. I was one of the few smart runners who wore a headlamp and I used it almost the entire race and it helped so much.

Overall, this is a FANTASTIC race with a unique, challenging course and a well-organized event. I drive 5 hours and make this my main destination race each year now, and I’ll be going back again next year. I think the 25k is the sweet spot, but maybe I’ll attempt the 50k. After the race, make sure to grab a ticket at the Granite Peak Ski Area to take a lift back to the top. If there are still runners out there, you can watch them and also visit the observation tower.

There’s a 50 miler, 50k, and a half marathon… but none of these are for beginners! This is a challenging course with lots of hills, rutted equestrian trails, and even a spillway climb. It may not match the mountainous courses in some states, but it’s still one of the most challenging courses in the area.

Sun Trail Racing always puts on a GREAT race at an affordable cost, and this is no exception. There are two aid stations – one at the start/finish and one at the halfway point (it’s a half marathon course done multiple times by the longer distance runners). The trails are mostly equestrian with lots of ruts and muddy sections with creek crossings. There are some hills with very steep gradients, but also a few flowy runnable sections. The course is comprised of “Sac Fox South”, which is a loop of around 5 miles, a connector trail of less than 3 miles, and then a “Hauberg” section along the Rock River that is another 5 or so miles. The scenery isn’t fantastic, but it’s definitely not boring terrain.

It was my first time racing the course and I got 5th place overall, so not too shabby!