More marked trails planned by IRONBULL
WAUSAU (Wausau Pilot & Review) – IRONBULL has unveiled more marked trails amid the Safer at Home order for those in the Wausau area to enjoy. The newest course offering is called the Island Hop Adventure, starting at Oak Island Park in downtown Wausau and circumnavigating Fern and Barker-Stewart Islands. To enable more residents to participate, IRONBULL designed a 5k (3.1 mile), two-mile, and one-mile course options.
IRONBULL asks that all participants register to enable tracking of trail usage, even if they aren’t vying for top times. To entice people to register, all participants are eligible for raffle prizes.
IRONBULL is creating more courses for area walkers and runners after positive feedback on IRONBULL’s first marked trail event, the Choose Your Own Adventure 5k, held recently at Nine Mile County Forest and Recreation Area.
“This event was a great way to get out of the house, be active and still follow health guidelines,” said one participant.
In response to the feedback from participants, IRONBULL sought and received approval from Wausau and Marathon County Parks, Recreation, and Forestry Department to keep a marked 5k course at Nine Mile County Forest and Recreation Area active through May 10. With the opening of the single track mountain biking trails, the course that will remain marked through May 10 is on the cross country ski trails. The markings on the singletrack mountain biking trails have been removed.
The Choose Your Own Adventure 5k was designed to offer a free activity for those wanting to explore the trails for a leisurely walk, while also offering a challenge for racers. Sean Wright and Candice Wayne topped the field with times of 22:33 and 25:27, respectively. However, many participants were just happy to have a marked trail to enjoy. Nearly two-thirds of registrants were out at Nine Mile County Forest and Recreation Area for the first time in 2020.
“IRONBULL events are fantastic opportunities to challenge yourself to exceed your own expectations while exploring Central Wisconsin,” said Gina Smith.
Smith would know. She completed the 5k course ten times. She also made it a family activity, encouraging her son to participate. But she wasn’t the only one that came back to complete the course over the ten-day window. More than thirty people completed the course multiple times, with Kevin Connaughty completing the course twelve times.
“We had so many people loving the trails, we want to continue giving our community more areas to explore. We are blessed with so many opportunities in Central Wisconsin to get outside,” said Andrea Larson, IRONBULL executive director.
IRONBULL is currently looking at other course locations throughout the area including Wausau, Athens and Edgar. IRONBULL has also launched two virtual challenges for anyone, anywhere to keep active.
Although the IRONBULL course is free, donations to the Wausau & Marathon County Parks and Recreation Foundation are encouraged to offset reduced revenues to maintain local facilities.
All park users must maintain social distancing and abide by Safer at Home orders. Also, if parks seem busy, users are asked to come back at another time to prevent a park closure due to overcrowding.
For more race information on the IRONBULL Island Hop Adventure go to the IRONBULL Facebook page or https://www.ironbull.org/island-hop-2020
