New Glarus Woods Trail Run
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Sue Moen
The New Glarus Woods State Park hosted a Trail Run on Saturday, August 17, 2019. This was the first annual event, and a part of the Savanna Trail Run Series. Proceeds from the event went to the Friends of the New Glarus Woods State Park.
The Friends of New Glarus Woods State Park hosted the first annual New Glarus Woods Trail Run event on August 17th. 185 runners from across Wisconsin, Illinois and a few other states participated in Saturday's races including 1, 5 and 10 mile routes that zig-zagged across the park's hilly trails.
Participants parked at the New Glarus High School and as they boarded the shuttle to the park Kevin Lague set the mood by playing accordion. At the park, George Albright and Heinz Mattmann played their Alphorns, inspiring the runners at the start line.
The races began at 9:30 a.m., under clear skies and welcome temperatures in the low 70s. A heavy dew made for some slippery spots on the trail but fortunately the DNR staff had cleared out a couple of trees and mowed the trails earlier in the week. The park's wide walking trails made it easy for runners to pass on the course, something they don't see at other events. The New Glarus/Monticello High School cross-country team gave directions at course intersections and manned the water station.
As the 5 and 10 mile events were underway, the 1 mile run/walk and the kids' fun run events went off and led to at least one photo finish next to the park shelter.
After the race, runners enjoyed Hoesly's brats and New Glarus beer while the Zweifel Brothers Band played. Several couples still had the energy for polka dancing! Gof Thompson served Limburger sandwiches to all who dared; the iconic cheese was generously donated by the Alp and Dell Cheese Store.
Cliff Reithel won the consistency award-a one-night stay at the Chalet Landhaus-for the most even 5-mile splits in the 10 mile race with times of 44:52, 45:08. Age group prizes included Bailey's Run wine, New Glarus Brewing Company beer tokens, and Altra Running Shoes. Full results are at https://my.raceresult.com/134307/
Colony Brands, Monroe Clinic, Roy's Market, and many other local businesses supported the event.
The Friends of New Glarus Woods State Park partnered with Andy Allstadt of In-Focus Timing to promote the event. The race brought many first-time visitors to the park but it helped raise funds and awareness for the Friends group's next project, building single-track mountain bike trails. The Friends group has been working with the DNR for the past two years and hopes to get clearance on the next step in the process later this year.
