Frequently Asked Questions

How muddy/wet will the 10K/Half Marathon/Marathon/50K/50M be?

   10K Half
Marathon
Marathon 50K 50M
Devil's Lake Hilly; Dry Hilly; Dry Hilly; Dry Hilly; Dry Hilly; Dry
Gnaw Bone Hilly; Muddy;
River Walk
at finish
Hilly; Muddy;
River Walk
at finish
Hilly; Muddy;
River Walk
at finish
Hilly; Muddy;
River Walk
at finish
Hilly; Muddy;
River Walk
at finish
Michigan not offered
but see RunWoodstock
not offered
but see RunWoodstock
not offered
but see RunWoodstock
Hilly; Mucky; Wet Hilly; Mucky; Wet

What is the terrain like?

The courses are strictly trail….dirty, rocky, rooty and hilly terrain often along a single track trail and occasionally with sections without established trail (but well marked, no worries.). The course can get technical at times, but always challenging and fun!

Will the event go on rain or shine?

The event will go on rain or shine with only the possibility of delay in the event of lightning.

Is there a time limit?

  • The 30K, 50K, 50M, and Relay must finish their races by 6:30pm.
  • Relay teams must finish by 5:30 pm to be included in the awards.
  • Time limits for the other distances are "guidelines" and not hard & fast cutoffs...
  • * 50K/50M: there are cutoffs at intermediate points on these courses for 50K/50M; please see the Event Details > Special Instructions for each race.
  Gnaw Bone Devil's Lake Hell
10K (3 hours) (3 hours) (n/a)
Half Marathon (6 hours) (6 hours) (n/a)
Marathon (9 hours) (9 hours)  (n/a)
30K (n/a) (n/a) 9.5 hours
50K 10 hours* 10 hours* 12.25 hours*
50M 13 hours* 13 hours* 12.25 hours*
Relay 11 hours (n/a) 11 hours

May I register in person? by mail?

Registration forms will be available to download. The only option for paper registration is to mail in your registration. See the Registration page for more details.

Are there Finisher's Medals?

Yes, for all distances.

I was injured after registering for the race. Can I get a refund or defer until next year?

No – there will be NO refunds or deferments. We incur fixed costs for each runner based on registration numbers. As a result, we are not able to allow any refunds.

Can I switch race distances?

You may transfer your registration from one distance to another for a fee. Contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or you may complete your transfer at packet pickup. We strongly encourage you to complete all transfers before a week out from the race. The transfer fee does increase as race weekend approaches.

Can I transfer my registration to a friend?

You may transfer your registration to a friend for a transfer fee.  Contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to make that change. There are no race day transfers to someone else.

Is there an age requirement for the races?

Participants must be 16 or older to participate in an ultra distance. There is no age requirement for marathon or less. All minors must submit a registration signed by their parent and a parent/guardian must be present on race day.

What is included with my entry fee?

Your race entry fee includes a finisher’s medal, aid station services, drop bag service for ultras, award eligibility, post-race refreshments and final race results.

Can I wear headphones on the course?

We discourage the use of headphones on the DWD courses.

Is the Marathon course certified? a Boston Qualifier?

No, sorry, it’s not a BQ. A course needs USATF cer­ti­fi­ca­tion to be a BQ, and trail courses are very dif­fi­cult to cer­tify due to the vari­ety of run­ning sur­faces encountered.

Are dogs allowed on the course? How about if on a leash?

As fond as we are of the K-9 Corps, we will not allow them on the course for the comfort and safety of other runners.

I'm a ROOKIE! I need a little advice for training for this 10k.

I would like to do this race with my son/daughter/husband/wife/grandmother. Any recommendations for a training program/schedule to prepare for this race?

Head Goat's reply
I would suggest running a couple road race 10K events before this trail event. Also, get in some of your training miles on trails. For the Gnaw Bone and Devil's Lake courses, you'll be doing some hill climbing: if you get the chance, find your way to any ski resort (not in winter) and run up the longest steepest run, walk down quick as you can based on footing, then do it again! Yikes! You will be ready for some extreme running fun!

This schedule allows you to run for time or miles, which ever motivates you more. I like to log miles but I measure my miles by time. Get to know your pace on a measured route. You will learn what 8, 9, 10, 11 or whatever minutes per mile feels like. So, if you are running around 10 minutes per mile and run for 30 minutes, log 3 miles.

Start this schedule in the middle if you've already built a base.

Week Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
1 rest 10min/1m rest 10min/1m rest 20min/2m rest
2 rest 15min/1.5m rest 10min/1m rest 20min/2m rest
3 rest 15min/1.5m 10min/1m 20min/2m rest 20min/2m rest
4 rest 20min/2m 20min/2m 25min/2.5m rest 25min/2.5m rest
5 rest 20min/2m 30min/3m 20min/2m rest 30min/3m rest
6 rest 30min/3m 20min/2m 30min/3m rest 40min/4m rest
7 rest 30min/3m 25min/2.5m 20min/2m rest 50min/5m rest
8 rest 25min/2.5m 30min/3m 25min/2.5m rest 15min/1.5m 5K race
9 rest 30min/3m 25min/2.5m 30min/3m rest 60min/6m rest
10 rest 30min/3m 30min/3m 30min/3m rest 50min/5m rest
11 rest 30min/3m rest 20min/2m rest 15min/1.5m 10K race



end faq