Relay Course Details

GOT LEGS AND KNOWS HOW TO USE ‘EM

Leg Details  

  • On the maps, you'll see a bunch of skinny blue lines; these are cross-trails, also known as: PLACES TO GET OFF COURSE, SO DON'T DO IT!!! PLEASE PAY ATTENTION TO THE COURSE MARKINGS AND SIGNAGE, you may enjoy the run more if you follow the course...
  • Leg Maps (below) include a description of what you'll be running on as you navigate between exchanges.
  • The course is segmented into "legs." Each leg starts and ends at an exchange.
  • NOTE!!! LEGS 12 and 13 must be run as a single leg; there is no exchange at the halfway point.
  • Printable Leg Descriptions (This Stuff) (PDF)
1. Stampede View Print
Fast and crowded blast across Hankerd over to Crooked Lake trail. Counter-clockwise Crooked Lake Trail with a couple of abrupt turns off wide trail onto a small trail. Dangerous road crossing on the approach back into Half Moon, watch the yellow caution tape & volunteers. Dog Drool (Trail Review): Pacing description, “Don’t get hit by car, flat & fast, Up, blind turn, skinny & flat, blind turn, Down, blind turn, don’t get hit, flat finish.”
Start End Length Color Climb Difficulty
Half Moon Half Moon 4.6 WHITE +490/-490 2.3
Dangerous Road Crossings Grunge Wetness Poison Ivy
2 Rocks & Rips Dry Minimal
2. Buttslider View Print
Exit from Half Moon around back of parking to the corner of the lot. Hard right along the park road, Relay 2 - PINK. PAY CLOSE ATTENTION. Into the woods and pop out to Very Dangerous road crossing!
The texture of the Abyss depends on summer rain. Dog Drool: A little ditty, “It may be dry and you will fly. It may be muck and you will get stuck. It may be a wild ride and you will butt slide.” From the off-trail, hard right onto Potto. Climb big ass hill before hard left onto small trail. Lots of fun in more off-trail until a smooth finish at Silver Lake.
Start End Length Color Climb Difficulty
Half Moon Silver Lake 4.4 PINK +490/-500 2.6
Dangerous Road Crossings Grunge Wetness Poison Ivy
 1  Crash & Burn Moist High
3. Rave Run View Print
Beginning and Ending are out and back so opposing runners are present. A face to face meeting in a blind turn could take an eye out. Watch Road Crossings. Dog Drool: A beautiful trail run. Some say harder than advertised.
Start End Length Color Climb Difficulty
Silver Lake Silver Lake 2.4 WHITE +250-250 1.5
Dangerous Road Crossings Grunge Wetness Poison Ivy
2 Clean Dry Minimum
4. Dirty Blond View Print
NEW ROUTE: Due to short distance of run, cars need to get moving. Fast teams may want to leave Leg 5 runner at HalfMoon. Quick Exit to Potto trail head and up to SilverHill road. Hard right-North on SilverHill on blue as splits from Leg 11-Pink. 100 feet by trail crossing sign left-West on new trail. Follow blue, ignore other colors. In middle it splits left from Leg 10-Green. Blonds will get dirty. Non-blonds may too. Dog Drool: “Lots of quick & sharp nonsensical turns, diabolical drops and sprightly adventures.
Start End Length Color Climb Difficulty
Silver Lake Half Moon 3.0 BLUE +330/-340 2.2
Dangerous Road Crossings Grunge Wetness Poison Ivy
1 Everything Moist unless it stops raining Moderate
5. Purgatory View Print
ROUTE REVISION. At corner of the parking lot, turn Left along the park road, Relay 5 -Yellow. Exit of park is Very dangerous road crossing. Watch closely for jump out off of Potto onto Kelly Road. Missing it would be a long mistake.
New, longer route on horse trails late in the course. Watch 2-way traffic Team parking is in lot on East side of Cedar Lake. Walk across road into ranch and then north to grassy exchange.
Dog Drool, “Fast and easy trail and dirt road run. Except for the length and the horse remnants.”
Start End Length Color Climb Difficulty
Half Moon Hell Creek Ranch 6.3 YELLOW +430/-430 2.2
Dangerous Road Crossings Grunge Wetness Poison Ivy
3 Horse Drops Dry Minimum
6. This Sucks View Print

ROUTE REVISION. Watch 2-way traffic. Finish at the Nielsen Ratings Ranch. Early ratings estimates from our exchange host James Nielsen is for record viewership especially in the adult mud up to their ass demographic. Warning: The shoe and human wash zone offered by Pinckney cross-country teams could be R-rated. BRING $.
New exit from hell creek ranch, new route to Monks road and onto horse trails. Revised nonsense through swamp. Use buddy system. Dog Drool: “We removed the paint on trees so who knows where Yellow Dog & Swamp Dog will take you through this mess!”
Start End Length Color Climb Difficulty
Hell Creek Ranch Neilsen's Rating 5.0 BLUE +350/-340 3 (due to swamp)
Dangerous Road Crossings Grunge Wetness Poison Ivy
1 gravel road Everything Wet Extreme
+ Stinging Nettle
7. Nookin' Futs View Print
Start & Finish are at Nielsen’s’ Ranch. Swedish runner who wondered,”What kind of "sadistic dirtbags made this?"Dat evil is Nuckin Futs!" Dog Drool, “Hard couple of hills and exquisite mud bath (no extra charge). You’re welcome.” Oh, bring tip $ for the human wash by the Pinckney cross-country team
Start End Length Color Climb Difficulty
Neilsen's Rating Neilsen's Rating 2.9 WHITE +270/-270 at least 2.5
Dangerous Road Crossings Grunge Wetness Poison Ivy
0 Everything Wet Extreme
+ Stinging Nettle
8. Stripper Pole View Print
Start is at Nielsen’s. Make momma proud sliding down the Stripper Pole. Dirt Ladder climb will be forgotten when you get whiplash in the zig zags. Dog Drool: “It started out as the flattest leg in the race but not now. Honestly, we make this thing hillier every year and nobody complains. Huh, what, oh, I thought that was a compliment”
Start End Length Color Climb Difficulty
Neilsen's Rating Hell Creek Ranch 4.2 PINK +450/-450 2.7
Dangerous Road Crossings Grunge Wetness Poison Ivy
1 gravel road Chutes & Ladders Dry Medium
9. Styx, River of Death View Print
The path to Hell is the river of death, Styx. Your tormented soul is ours. Watch 2-way traffic. Multiple river crossings and river run with dangerous river rocks and holes. Life jacket or swim wings optional. Keep moving as there is NO EXCHANGE IN HELL; go all the way to Silver Lake. Dog Drool, “Flat and wet to Hell. Hilly and dry out of Hell.”
Start End Length Color Climb Difficulty
Hell Creek Silver Lake 5.8 PINK +620/-630 3.1
Dangerous Road Crossings Grunge Wetness Poison Ivy
0 River, Butt Slider, Rocks Maximum Medium
10. Naked Woodchopper
 View Print
NEW ROUTE: Quick Exit to Potto trail head and up to SilverHill road. Hard right-North on SilverHill on green as splits from Leg 11-Pink. New hill climb and Topo features. In middle, splits with Leg 4-Blue. Dog Drool: One year at 7:45 am Scotty Dog heard a woodchopper up the trail just before the relay runners were to arrive. He went to warn him but was stunned to see the woodchopper was buck naked. He stealthily exited and informed the other dogs. The rest of the day our phones were filled with lines like “Frying Bacon”, Eating S’mores, and other moronic acts to do naked.
Start End Length Color Climb Difficulty
Silver Lake Silver Lake 2.6 GREEN +/- 210 2.1
Dangerous Road Crossings Grunge Wetness Poison Ivy
2 dirt roads mostly clean Mostly dry Minimum
11. Poto View Print
Long, steady power run on the famous Pottawatomi trail. Watch for bikes at your back. Splits from Leg 4-Blue and Leg 10-Green early at SilverHill Rd. Switches over to Silver Lake trail for a nice view of Pickerel Lake and then onto Crooked Lake Trail. Dog Drool, “Miles of hilly, rugged trails Watch the geo-web as it snags & trips like a bear trap. “
Start End Length Color Climb Difficulty
Silver Lake Half Moon 6.0 PINK +590/-610 2.7
Dangerous Road Crossings Grunge Wetness Poison Ivy
2 Rocks Dry Minimum
12. Be Prepared (Part1: Run together with leg 13)
 View Print
At the corner of the parking lot, turn LEFT. DO NOT follow Ultra PINK to the right. Potto from Half Moon west to huge trail sign, turn right out to Bartell Rd. Take aid at when you get to Bartell; you've still got over 3 miles to go on  your journey.
Start End Length Color Climb Difficulty
Half Moon Goodband Hole 4.0 PINK +310/-280 1.6
Dangerous Road Crossings Grunge Wetness Poison Ivy
1 None Dry Moderate
13. Vertigo (Part 2: Run together with leg 12)
 View Print
The Vertigo we all know & love. The recipe is a stock of nasty downhills, nice trails, sunny dirt roads, and steep hill climbs. Add a splash to top it off. Ultra and Relay may vary at the end.
Dog Drool: “Can be brutally hot this late in the day. Stay hydrated and cool off at the exchange pond and shower.
Start End Length Color Climb Difficulty
Goodband Hole The Farm 3.2 PINK +690/-650 4.0
Dangerous Road Crossings Grunge Wetness Poison Ivy
2 plus some gravel roads Slammers Wet Medium
14. Oh, Brother, Where are thou? View Print

Leave the cows at Farmer Johns, and feel like you’re on the lam. Careen through the fields and woods like the hounds are at your heels. Decide if it’s best to go over, under, or through the fences. Prison escapees don’t have blazed trails to follow, and neither do you. Get out of sight as you sink into the muck between the cattails. Shake the dogs off your scent when you make a splash as you return to Farmer John’s. You finish where you started, hopefully you’re fast enough to make bed check.
--Leg description by Mike Leary! Thanks, Mike!
Start End Length Color Climb Difficulty
The Farm The Farm 1.8 (more or less) WHITE +/- 240 2
Dangerous Road Crossings Grunge Wetness Poison Ivy
0 Swamp Wet Moderate
15. Don't Get No Better: Glory! View Print

A few more hills for your enjoyment. Grab a drink at the Aid station along the way ( not just for Ultra).Careful attention to turns as some are sharp and bad time to go off course. Merges with ultra 50k leg for last ¾ mile on the Crooked Lake Trail. Relay finishes on right hand side, Ultras left. Dog Drool: “Thanks for participating.”
Start End Length Color Climb Difficulty
The Farm Half Moon 6.2 PINK +470/-550 2.8
Dangerous Road Crossings Grunge Wetness Poison Ivy
2 Rocks Dry Low

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