Page 1 of 18 Course Description Greenbush Town Hall / Fire Station Both races start in front of the Greenbush Town Hall / Fire Station, just south of Highway 23 on Sugarbush Road. Parking will be in the north lot; the south lot must be kept clear for the fire station personnel. Once the north parking lot fills up, park on the grass to the north and west of the building. You will have about ½ mile of pavement through town, and the turns (1 right and 1 left) will be marked with orange traffic cones. After the second turn, the road you are on will end at Kettle Moraine Drive; cross the road and continue on the connector trail (marked with blue blazes).
Page 2 of 18 Start of the connector trail at the edge of Greenbush The connector trail is about 1½ miles long, and ends at the Ice Age Trail (there will be 1 road crossing at Highway A on this stretch). At that intersection, you will turn right and head south on the Ice Age Trail (IAT). Signs will be placed where the course gets onto and exits the IAT, and we will add yellow flagging at trail intersections. The IAT is marked with permanent posts with yellow blazes.
End of the connector trail; turn right and head south on the Ice Age Trail. Page 3 of 18
Looking back at the connector trail; on the way back you will turn left here. Page 4 of 18
Page 5 of 18 Typical post w/ yellow blazes, marking the Ice Age Trail. For the 50K runners, you will not leave the IAT until you are returning to Greenbush. For the 50-mile runners, you will leave the IAT briefly near the turn-a-round by New Fane (and the return to Greenbush), but the bulk of the course is on the IAT. So you can help yourself by remembering that the IAT is marked with yellow blazes. There is a horse trail that runs from north to south, somewhat parallel to the IAT (with many criss-crossings), but at no time does the racecourse use the horse trail. The first few miles on the IAT are somewhat rocky, so take your time in this section. A fall here will hurt! You will have 2 road crossings coming up, Highway A (again) and then Kettle Moraine Drive (again). After crossing Kettle Moraine Drive, you will enter the Greenbush Trail area. This is a collection of loop hiking and skiing trails, and the IAT cuts right through them. All of the loop trails are marked with posts similar to the IAT, but with different colors (purple, green, red, & pink). So remember: FOLLOW THE YELLOW!
Page 6 of 18 IAT intersection with a Greenbush loop; follow the YELLOW! There is 1 tricky spot as you go through the Greenbush loops. After crossing each of the loop trails once, you will come near to the upper parking lot trailhead (by the outhouse bathrooms). The IAT joins the loop trail for about 50 feet, passing between the outhouses, and then branching off of the loop trail. We will add yellow flagging in this area.
Page 7 of 18 Greenbush loop trailhead by the outhouses; IAT straight ahead. As you continue south on the IAT, you will encounter some backpacking shelters, some visible from the trail. In this next section, shelter #5 will be on your left; stay to the right on the IAT. Not long after passing shelter #5, you will come to the Highway 67 road crossing, and the location of the first Aid Station (mile 7).
Page 8 of 18 Highway 67 crossing; the AS will be on the right. After leaving AS1, you continue south on the IAT. Within a few miles, the IAT will merge with the Parnell Tower loop trail (marked with purple). Right after these trails merge, you will see shelter #4 on your left. For a short section, you will follow posts with yellow on top and purple below. Eventually, the Parnell loop trail will split off to the left, and you will continue south on the IAT. As always, you follow the posts with YELLOW; if you find yourself by a post with only purple, then stop and go back to the last trail intersection.
Page 9 of 18 Example of a post when the IAT merges with another trail; you re okay because there s YELLOW! Just south of where the IAT splits off from the Parnell loop trail, you will cross Highway U. The next section of trail will have 2 more road crossings (Scenic Drive & Highway V) before the next aid station. On some of the IAT posts, you will see mile numbers. These numbers are referenced from the trailhead in Glenbeulah, north of where we start in Greenbush. The distance along the racecourse is about 2 miles less than the mileage on the posts, so you can use these as a reference throughout the day to know how far you have gone (or how far you have to go).
Page 10 of 18 IAT post with mileage; this is about 13 miles into the race, just before AS2. AS2 is located at Butler Lake (mile 13.3), and is where your drop bags will be. Later in the race, when you come through this AS again heading back to the finish, please make sure you let a volunteer know that you are done with your drop bag. We will keep those bags separate, so that they can be returned to the finish earlier than the last ones.
Page 11 of 18 AS2 at Butler Lake; the IAT continues south up the steps to the left. Please note that AS2 is NOT the turn-a-round for the 50K race; you must continue south. At this point, the IAT merges with the Butler Lake loop trail (marked with purple), and you will be following posts with yellow on top, with purple below (the same as by the Parnell Tower loop). Eventually, the Butler Lake loop trail splits off to the left, and the IAT continues south. Remember to follow the YELLOW!
Page 12 of 18 Butler Lake loop splits off to the left; follow the IAT (YELLOW)! South of the Butler Lake area, you will cross Highway F. Please note that this is NOT the turn-a-round for the 50K race. You must continue south on the IAT for almost another mile. There will be volunteers at the 50k turn (but no aid station), and you must let them know your number. Then you can turn-a-round and head back. Remember to follow the YELLOW markings of the IAT, until you get to the connector trail to Greenbush (marked with blue, about 2 miles from the finish).
Page 13 of 18 This open glen is where the 50K turn is. The 50-mile runners do not need to give your number here; just smile, wave, and continue south! Just after this spot, there will be a trail branching off to the right for shelter #3; continue straight on the IAT. The next section will include a couple of big rocky hills, a gravel road crossing, and a road crossing at Highway SS. Between Highway SS and the next AS at Mauthe Lake, there will be a number of creek crossings, but don t worry because they all have bridges. You may find a few muddy spots here and there, but your feet should stay dry (unless it s raining).
Page 14 of 18 One of a number of creek crossings. Just prior to entering the Mauthe Lake area, you cross Highway GGG. The IAT trail curves around the upper campground of Mauthe Lake; it will be on your right, above you on top of the hill. You ll cross the creek again, head up a big hill, then descend to AS3 located by the Mauthe Lake entrance station (mile 20.5).
Page 15 of 18 AS3 at Mauthe Lake; the IAT continues south on the other side of the parking area. South of AS3, the trail leading to shelter #2 will split off to your right; stay left on the IAT. On the other side of the hill, the access trail from the shelter merges back with the IAT. Shortly thereafter, you will cross Highway S. Continue south on the IAT, and soon you will be able to see some of the town of New Fane to your right. But this isn t the turn for the 50-mile; that is further south at the New Fane trailhead parking lot. The last road crossing is Highway DD; hang in there because you re almost there! We will have a sign at the point where you will leave the IAT and move onto the New Fane trail system. At that point you have about ½ mile to AS4 and the 50-mile turn-a-round.
Turn left onto the connector trail to the New Fane trail system. Page 16 of 18
Turn right onto the New Fane loop trail, to the trailhead and AS4. Page 17 of 18
Page 18 of 18 AS4 at the New Fane trailhead parking lot; 50-mile turn-a-round. Congratulations on making it to this point, but don t linger too long. The cut-off here is Noon (6 hours). Head back the way you came, turn right onto the IAT, and head north to the finish. Remember to follow the YELLOW markings of the IAT, until you get to the connector trail to Greenbush (marked with blue, about 2 miles from the finish). I hope you have a good day on the trails of the Northern Kettle Moraine, and I ll be waiting for you at the finish!