IRONBULL’s Last Hurrah Returns

Fat tire bikers Jacob Sterzinger, Candace Jenkins and Stacey Brickson raced for the first time at Erbach Park at the 2021 Last Hurrah. Photo credit: Coates Photography

ATHENS – March in Wisconsin can deliver any sort of weather, but at least through next week, it remains a winter outdoor enthusiast’s dream. Complete snow coverage and steady temperatures mean great trail conditions for fat tire bikers and snowshoers. Conditions are expected to hold up for IRONBULL’s Last Hurrah race at Athens’ Erbach Park next weekend even as the sun angle rises, often causing sloppy spring conditions this time of year.

Racers ages 6 to 70 participated in the 2021 Last Hurrah at Erbach Park in Athens. Photo credit: Coates Photography

The Last Hurrah features a fat tire bike race, snowshoe race, and non-competitive snowshoe walk. Those new to snowshoeing are welcome to participate. Free Northern Lites Snowshoes rentals are available.

“We organized the event last year after fortuitously ending up with Northern Lites’ demo snowshoe fleet as a way to celebrate the end of winter,” said race director, Andrea Larson. Larson named the event the Last Hurrah since this is historically the last weekend of snow on Central Wisconsin’s trails.

At the inaugural event, IRONBULL included a fat tire bike race, making the Last Hurrah the first bike event at Erbach Park. Feedback was positive, with all racers and volunteers responding to the anonymous post-event survey saying they would recommend the event to others. The event brought in 55% of participants from outside of Marathon County, with 61% visiting Erbach Park for the first time.

“We hope we continue to bring new visitors to the Athens community in 2022,” said Larson. “The Village of Athens and Athens Area Trail Association have a beautiful trail system along Black Creek.”

For more race information including race course map and racer guide go to https://www.ironbull.org/last-hurrah-details

Banner photo credit: Coates Photography