Ice Age Trail 50, live.

One of America's classic ultras, in the Kettle Moraine

The Ice Age Trail Races are on Saturday 8 May 2027 in the Southern Kettle Moraine Forest, starting at the Nordic trailhead near La Grange, Wisconsin.

The Ice Age Trail 50 was the first 50 mile trail race in the Midwest. It was conceived in a Milwaukee tavern in 1981, and the organiser counts it among the oldest continuously running ultramarathons in the country, with the 2027 race marking its 45th anniversary. It is staged by volunteers and sponsored by the Badgerland Striders, with Jeff Mallach as race director.

The 50 mile race starts at 6:00 am sharp, the 50K at 8:15 am and the half marathon at 9:00 am, all from the Nordic trailhead about 1.5 miles north of La Grange on Highway H. The 50 mile course opens with a loop of the Nordic ski trail and then follows the Ice Age Trail, marked with yellow blazes, south to a turnaround near Rice Lake and north to the Emma Carlin trailhead, passing over Bald Bluff, the highest point of the course.

The 50K goes out to the Horserider's aid station and back, then runs two loops of the Nordic trail, and the half marathon is two loops on the Nordic trails. The terrain is single track with rocks and roots over eskers, through pine and hardwood forest and across prairie, with hills that the organiser calls incessant rather than long.

Parking is very limited. The 50 mile field parks at the start, while 50K and half marathon runners park at Palmyra Eagle High School and ride buses. Crews and spectators for the 50K are asked to stay at the start and finish, where they can see their runner four times. Registration for 2027 opens on 13 December 2026.

On Livebib you can follow a participant who chooses to share their own live position from the phone they carry. This is not the organiser's timing, and official results come from the Ice Age Trail 50.