Registration Open for Firecracker Off-Road and Reforestation Ramble
June 19,2007 

The Chippewa Falls McDonald High School Track Club has come forward to become the local organizing committee and staff WORS Firecracker Off-Road trail run.  Now with staff in place to run the event the race is on and both mail-in forms and online registration is available at trailrun.wors.org.  WORS has also secured a partner for the Reforestation Ramble trail run and registration for that event is also available.  We are continuing to work on the other two events on the trail run schedule.  We have strong possibilities for the Nordic Mountain Adventure, but still need to find an interested organization for the Crystal Ridge Scramble.  If you are part of or know of a group or club that may be interested in partnering with WORS to run the Crystal Ridge Scramble please contact Don Edberg at (715) 592-5095 or don@wors.org.

WORS Trail Runs to run as individual Events, 
Series Cancelled
May 11, 2007

WORS Trail Run Series for 2007 is cancelled.  Without a director, sponsors, and especially local organizing committees, most of the races on WORS five race series schedule are in jeopardy.  At this point the only confirmed event is the Reforestation Ramble and the only event definitely cancelled is the Nine Mile Forest Chase.  WORS director, Don Edberg, states that although participation in the race has increased, there has been no progress on advancing the administration of the running series to develop an infrastructure similar to the mountain bike series.  "Our goal is to get a local running organization at each venue to partner with WORS in the running of each race.  If an organization is interested in partnering an event with WORS, WORS can, for this year, guarantee that they will receive revenue from the event.  WORS is offering to cover all of the cost and split the gross (before expenses) revenue with any  organization that can supply the 20-30 volunteers necessary to run an event at any of the venues on this year's schedule other than the Reforestation Camp". 
We hope to see you at the Reforestation Ramble and please check back for updates on other events as they become available.

Rebuilding WORS Trail Run Series
February 21, 2007

As WORS Trail Run Series heads into year five it faces serious challenges to its existence.  WORS Trail Run Series Director for the last three years, Cassie Gran, resigned after the completion of the 2006 series and a meeting was conducted to pass control to new directors who subsequently reconsidered and informed WORS in December they would not be heading up the series.  With WORS in the midst of putting together its mountain bike series and 2007 racer handbook, a tentative trail run schedule was put together and all other matters related to WORS Trail Run Series were put on hold.

So at this point WORS is still looking for a new trail run series director and is working on getting local support for the five events on its trail run schedule.  Changes in the trail run series guidelines, registration costs and procedures, and scoring are in the works and will be posted soon.  It is our hope that the shortened schedule will increase turnout at each event.  Unfortunately, with Cassie’s departure, the trail run series sponsorship relationships that she formulated over the past two years will need to be re-established.  We will be posting updates to this website as trail run details are figured out.  It is WORS sincere hope that we can continue to produce trail runs, but at this point we can only guarantee that there will be a trail run at the Subaru Cup on August 19th and that we will try to present a five race series for 2007 beginning with a run at Nine Mile Forest in Wausau on June 3rd.

SHEBOYGAN SHOWDOWN, LAST RACE FOR 2006

The Sheboygan Showdown coming on Sunday, October 8th will be the final WORS Trail Running event in the 2006 racing season. Please remember the starting time for this event is 8:45am, not 9:00am as previously posted.

It has been an extremely competitive year with runners coming from around the world. We have seen runners stop on by for some great trail action from as far away as Japan. Sheboygan will be our last stop in this season and we have saved the best for last. Sheboygan, a brand new venue for WORS trail runners, is made up of not one, but two park trail systems. The 5K runners will enjoy one of these, the 10K will see both. For the first time, while medals will be distributed in their normal fashion, prizes will not be distributed to top overall finishers but will instead be given out in our event wide prize drawing, open to all trail runners regardless of placing. Participants of all skill levels and purpose have shared the trails with us now for 4 years and we would like to return the favor by giving everyone the equal chance at some pretty neat swag.

This event will also be the host of the 2006 WORS Trail Running Series Award Ceremony and prize drawing to honor our series competitors and their achievements over the past several months of racing. Only two slots had been decided before the last series event last week in Wisconsin Rapids making this our most competitive series ever. And a record number of 40 runners have qualified this year for Series Overall and Age Group awards. Congratulations to all!!!

This event will also be the final event in our year long fund raising effort to benefit the Achilles Track Club of Wisconsin. A portion of every entry this entire racing season has been set aside for this incredible group of folks to help them in their efforts to participate in running sports. What most of us might take for granted these folks, both athletes and assistants strive for with incredible purpose and determination. It has indeed been our honor to contribute in such a small way to the benefit of this stellar program.

We look forward to seeing you all again and to share one last trail before we place the final period on this, our 4th year of trail running here at WORS Racing. For those who can't make it to Sheboygan, we will save room for you on the starting line in 2007.

!!! SERIES RESULTS POSTED !!!

Tentative Series final results have been posted on our Results Page. Please review the 2006 Series Standings Age Group pages to verify your scores by Wednesday September 27th. If any discrepancies are found, email us immediately at trevents@wors.org or call (608) 235-1108. Results will be final if we are not contacted by midnight Wednesday Sep. 27.

Congratulations to everyone on an extremely competitive season! We hope to see you all at our last event of the year, the Sheboygan Showdown and Series Award Ceremony on October 8th.

TWO RACES TO GO

What a season it has been, and it's not over quite yet. With two races left, our series finale at Wisconsin Rapids on Sunday September 24th, and our end of year Special Event at Sheboygan on Sunday, October 8th our 2006 racing season is looking to go out with a bang. The La Sportiva Rapid Trail Run will at last determine our Series final standings, most of which have yet to be decided. It has been a great season with more series competitors than ever and rightly so, it comes down to the finale.

The Sheboygan Showdown will be unlike any event to date. It takes place in not one but two park trail systems and instead of the typical WORS Trail Running prize structure, with most going to the top overall finishers, at this Special Event, all prizes will be handed out through our event prize drawing open to all racers regardless of finish. We are clearing out everything left from sponsor donations... and then some, making this our largest prize drawing ever. Following this event, we will be conducting our Series Award Ceremony and Series runner prize drawing. We encourage all series runners placing in this year's series to attend to receive their awards. Final placings will be posted on our web site results page as soon as possible after the La Sportiva Run. Any challenges to this final posting must be made no later than Tuesday, September 26th.

We are still in need of a few volunteers to help out on race morning for the event in Wisconsin Rapids. Anyone interested please contact WORS Trail Running at trevents@wors.org or call our new phone number at (608) 235-1108.

WISCONSIN RAPID VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

8-10 volunteers are needed for the next trail run, the La Sportiva Rapid Trail Run to be held in Wisconsin Rapids on Sunday September 24th. Volunteers will be needed from 6:45 to around 10:30 or so. Volunteers can contact WORS Trail Running via email at trevents@wors.org or by phone at 608-527-4924. All volunteers will receive a free WORS Trail Towel and Teva sponsored music CD.

DEVIL'S RUN NEXT UP

Reminder that our next upcoming event is this coming Sunday August 27th at Devil's Head Resort in Merrimac, WI. Pre-Registrations Saturday afternoon 4-6 pm, same day registrations begin Sunday morning 7:am. Events start 8:45 am Sunday Morning.

SOMETHING A-FOOT IN MIDDLETON

On a morning straight from a Sherlock Holmes novel, runners converged on Pope Farm Park in the Town of Middleton from as far away as Philadelphia, PA for WORS Trail Running’s first ever ‘Runners Only’ event. A thick fog cut visibility to 50 meters as runners warmed up for the race , appearing as ghosts from only a few feet away fading away again as if they were never there after they passed by.

10K runners took off first at 9:01 am with the 5K runners only 3 minutes behind. The identical courses started out with a few hundred meters along side Pope Farm Park’s century old stone wall before heading down to the bottom of the park's woods section where runners headed back up hill through the trees on a brief but challenging climb. Once out of the woods, runners cut right along an eerie and narrow alleyway running between the tree line and the park’s corn crop made that much more isolated by the heavy fog. Two quick left hand turns sent runners back towards the starting area where they were cheered on by spectators before heading back out into the fog to and to the far side of the park.

On a clear day, almost the entire park can be seen from the start/finish area of the race course making for one of most spectator friendly courses anywhere. On this day, such was not the case. As runners left the view of their quick pass near the start area, they ventured to the far side of the park, running again along the tree line before turning at the far side of the park for another of several uphill sections. From the mid point of the far edge of the park, runners cut back towards the middle to drop down and around a knoll before heading back out again to the far side of the course. From there, runners began their final return to the start/finish area, running among new seedling trees and around the tree lines to the south of the park to end up with a final short climb before finishing or heading around again for a second lap for 10K runners.

On a course described by participants as ‘very hilly’, and much more challenging than the race direction team anticipated, all showed stoic determination to run their best. The 5K male runners were led by an outstanding first place performance from Kyle Gleason of Deerfield, WI who negotiated the course in 18:17. Matthew Sanford of Wausau, WI took second with a time of 9:03 followed by Bill Gilmore in third with a time of 19:56. The 5K women were paced by Series leader Stephanie Kottke from Wausau, WI who turned in a winning time of 21:37. Jamie Reich of Madison brought home second in 26:18 while Fawn Paczkowski of Withee, WI rounded out the top three in a time of 26:46.

The top finishing woman in the 10K event was series veteran and overall 10K Series leader Kara Vosters of Stevens Point, WI clearing the course in 48:33. Finishing in second was newcomer, and clearly the long distance participant of the event, Nishi Shah who hails from Philadelphia, PA who finished in a time of 55:06. Taking third just seconds behind Nishi was Melanie McManus of Sun Prairie, WI, crossing the line only 5 seconds back in 55:11. For the men’s 10K, Joe Binder ran a truly impressive race taking honors and crossing the line in 38:33, out pacing current Series leader Archie Barribeau who battled to take home second in a time of 42:02. Milan Milovancev rounded out the top 10K finishers less than a minute back in a time of 42:46.

The story of this day would not be nearly complete without mention of the fantastic force of volunteers who donned orange to pass out water, medals, food, swag and great cheers to participants. We also would like to thank Fleet Feet Sports-Madison and their team of running staff for all their wonderful support for this event, most all of whom volunteered for at least part of the event (someone had to open the store) and to Teva and Peter Huseboe for their donations and support. And finally, there are three people who we would like to thank who without their involvement, this event would never have happened. Dave Shaw, of the Town of Middleton who secured approval of our request to use this great park as a race venue, Matt Groose from Fleet Feet Sports-Madison, who’s assistance in directing this event was crucial to it’s success and finally, and most importantly, Mel Pope (yes, the gentleman the park is named after), who’s incredible donation of these family lands to create this park, his personal approval and assistance in helping coordinate the logistics of this event. To all who gave, we thank you very much and we hope to see everyone back again next year when we hope you can actually see fully what a beautiful course this is when seen in it's entirety from one of it's several outstanding vistas!

MAD SCRAMBLE COURSE

Here is the link for the Course Map for this coming weekend's Fleet Feet Sports Mad Scramble at Pope Farm Park. 5K Runners will do one lap and 10K runners will do two.

MAD SCRAMBLE UPDATE

There are a few more days to get pre-registrations submitted by mail or online for the Fleet Feet Sports Mad Scramble being held on Saturday, August 19th in Middleton, WI. There are a few points we would like to highlight for both new and repeat WORS Trail Running competitors.

This event is a Series event. Series runners will be awarded points at this event.

- Pre-Registrations on the day before the event are different than normal. Runners can still pre-register at the discounted rate of $15 but the location is at the Fleet Feet Sports-Madison store, 2 miles east of the race site. The store address is 8440 Old Sauk Rd. The times are also different, you may pick up race packets and pre-register from 11:00 am thru 6:00 pm.

- Registrations on the day of the event will be on site at Pope Farm Park starting at 7:00 am and run through 8:30 am.

- Parking will only be allowed at the designated parking area off Old Sauk Road. No parking is allowed in any of the park's parking lots. We have reserved space for race competitors and spectators parking.

- Pets will not be allowed at this event.

- Metal running spikes will not be allowed at this event.

- There is a racer limit of 250 runners.

- Course maps will be posted online this week for runners to download and review. Note that the maps do not show all trails in the park, just the course outline. For more detailed course and event information, just stop on by the Fleet Feet store and ask for Matt Groose. The course will be marked late Friday afternoon August 18th for those interest in pre-running.

CALUMET EVENT UPDATE

A few quick notes for this weekend's race at the Calumet County Park. First, there will be a limited amount of parking in the immediate registration area. We encourage runners to come early as there is slightly more than 1/2 mile between registrations and the starting area. Car pooling is encouraged. Secondary parking will also be available with shuttle service but it is not as convenient.

The registration area is different this year than in the past. We will be conducting pre-registrations on Saturday from 4:00 - 6:00 pm in the Coffee Tree Lodge as usual but on Sunday, we will be setting up in the Chapel area by the harbor. Park details can be viewed at the following link Calumet County Park Info

Last, remember that all trail running events for the remainder of the year have had their starting times moved forward 15 minutes to 8:45am(10K) and 8:50am(5K).

REGISTRATIONS BACK ONLINE

Issues with the Online Registrations System have been resolved. Runners can now register online for all remaining events.

IMPORTANT UPDATES!!!

Following are updates for the series or events runners need to be aware of:
- Race Start Times have been modified for all remaining WORS Trail Running events for 2006. Starting times will be as follows at each remaining event 10K - 8:45am, 5K 8:50am.
- The typical 'day before' On-Site Registrations and race packet pickup for the Fleet Feet Sports Mad Scramble race in Middleton will take place on Friday August 18th at the Fleet Feet Sports-Madison store at 8440 Old Sauk Rd from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm. This is just 1.5 miles from the race venue at Pope Farm Park and only 1/4 mile west of the beltline.
Same Day On-Site Registrations will take place beginning at 6:30 at Pope Farm Park and run through 8:30. (see event page for directions)
- To limit trail wear at Pope Farm Park, there will be a 250 runner limit to the Fleet Feet Sports Mad Scramble. This limit is not race distance dependent. Also, runners will not be allowed to wear metal spikes at this event in order to limit trail wear as well. And finally, although the park ordinarily allows for dogs, our agreement with the Town of Middleton stipulates no pets will be allowed during the running of this event. For everyone's best interest and future relations with park management we ask all runners and guests to respect these few guidelines.

Amazing Tales From Eau Claire

What a day for a race this past Sunday in Eau Claire. Sunny, warm with a light breeze and a field of extremely interesting people. Something different is called for here, in honor of the spice this event brought to the table of the WORS Trail Running Series.

The course at Eau Claire is easily one of the most unique of our racing series. It features grass covered road, open grassland, winding/wooded trail, a pine grove in a prairie setting and some challenging undulations in and amongst the small valleys that dot the park. With a field nearly 50% larger than last year's, there were plenty of enthusiastic runners to enjoy every last step of it.

We like to chat among ourselves about who traveled the furthest to attend our events. We have had folks from California, New York, Kentucky, Idaho, Colorado and other more regional states. We have even had a runner from Ontario. And this year at Eau Claire, we once again got to expand our reach to new distances. Oddly enough, while medalist Molly Kate Ortiz from Ketchikan, Alaska might have seemed the run away winner in this 'unofficial' category, the actual winners (and not soon to be outdone we think) were Robyn and Anthony Zeller who hailed from Minato-Ka, Tokyo. A distance of roughly 6300 miles.

The hands down winner in the category of 'Good Genes', has got to go to the Bye family of Chippewa Falls. Weighing in with 5 entries, from ages 13 to 46, the family came away with 5 individual medals, two 1st's, two 2nd's and a 3rd. Another record not likely to be broken any time soon one would suspect.

We would like to thank all the folks up in Eau Claire, Phil Johnson and crew and our event hosts for this event, the Indianhead Track Club for their amazing support and assistance in making this venue one of our hottest and fastest growing series race. We also would like to thank Scheels All Sports and TDS Telecom, our title sponsors, for their generous and enthusiastic sponsorship of this event. Make no doubt as to the effort and numbers of volunteers it takes to make an event of this quality happen. We want to recognize everyone who helps makes this series possible and at the highest quality possible to provide our runners with the best off road running experience possible.

See you all at our next event in Calumet in August!

Eau Claire Reminder

A quick reminder of this coming weekend's races in Eau Claire. The Scheels Chippewa Valley Firecracker will be conducted on July 2nd at the Eau Claire County Expo Center. Pre-Registration discounts can still be had if you register on-site Saturday from 4-6 pm. Sunday registration begins at 7:00 am and the 10K begins at 9:00, the 5K at 9:05.

Record Field At Nine Mile

A record field of 85 runners swarmed the trails at Nine Mile on Sunday in near perfect race conditions. Early forecasts for rain turned into clear and sunny skies by race day making for a great day for racing. 10K racers got things rolling at 9 am followed 5 minutes later by the 5K wave of runners. New trails were added to both courses the night before in order to compensate for some submerged track removed earlier in the week. This led to a more challenging beginning to both courses than the normal, fast double wide lanes used in previous events at Nine Mile.

With temperatures in the mid 70’s by race time, it didn’t take runners long to warm up to the course and get rolling on this fast track. Youth made it’s mark this day as 16 year old Steven Monk of Wausau took the 5K Men’s title in 22:02 on a slightly longer than usual course, making him the youngest male event winner in WORS Trail Running history. Close behind came Chad Juel of Onalaska in second in a time of 22:11 and men’s 5K Series leader Jeremy Johanski in third turning in a time of 22:43.

Current Women’s 5K Series Leader Stephanie Kottke of Wausau turned in an impressive win outpacing the field by over 3 minutes in a time of 24:09. Sheri Van Epps of Onalaska took home second in a time of 27:25 followed by Anne Zepp of Stevens Point in 28:39.

The 10K course came in a little shorter than normal due to the trail lost to earlier rains but runners still got to run some of the best trail Nine Mile has to offer. Current 10K Series Leader Kara Vosters of Stevens Point took the top spot on the podium with a great time of 39:05. 2005 Series Champion Sandy Gregorich followed in second with a time of 40:52 while Andrea Mueller of Edgar rounded out the top 3 with a time of 41:25.

Our “Long Distance Award” this race goes to our Men’s 10K top finisher, Jordan Theuerkauf of Pensacola, Florida who crossed the line in a time of 34:33. (he just happened to be in the area and decided to drop on by for a little run). Jay Punke of Wausau protected his slim 10K Series Lead by taking second in a time of 35:39 while Archie Barribeau kept the pressure on Jay for the Series Lead by following up in third place in a time of 37:00.

Congratulations to everyone!

We would like to thank our great Title Sponsors and support crew who help to make Wausau a premier WORS Trail Running event, Series Title Sponsor - TDS Telecom, Event Title Sponsor - Eastbay Sports and the Wausau Area Runners Club volunteers. Without these folks assistance, this event would not have been possible. We encourage everyone to show their appreciation for what these folks do to make this event and our series possible by dropping them a line and letting them know you appreciate the opportunities they help to provide in this really great sport.

Up Next is the Scheels Chippewa Valley Firecracker on July 2nd in Eau Claire, WI. This is another really great course and a venue that’s great for on-site camping and it’s many amenities. Phil Johnson and the folks in Eau Claire did a fantastic job at our first event there last year and we expect this year to be even better! See you all there.

Wausau Coming Up Fast

Our next event, the 9-Mile Forest Trail Run - Presented by Eastbay, is less than two weeks away. This race last year proved to be our second largest race ever and with better positioning between Grandma's and Journey's Marathons we expect an even bigger race this year. Runners can still register on line through Sunday May 28th or by mail postmarked by Saturday May 27th. And don't forget, those who miss their chance to register either On-Line or by mail can still register at the discounted rate On-Site on Saturday June 3rd between the hours of 4-6 pm. Early registrations help our timers provide faster and more accurate results so your early registration benefits everyone!

We want to welcome back the Wausau Area Runner's Club as our Guest Event Hosts this year and remind everyone that a portion of all entries will be donated to this great club as well as our 2006 Charity Club - The Achilles Track Club out of Madison. Both are great organizations that give back to their communities and we are delighted to be able, on behalf of our runners and sponsors to contribute to their ongoing efforts.

Good Luck to everyone and we look forward to seeing you at Wausau on June 4th!

Iola Kicks Off 2006 Season

Runners were treated to an absolutely gorgeous day and a fantastic course for the first trail run of the season. Sixty six runners took the field to edge out last year's venue record attendance by 1 with over 1/2 of those registered for this years Series Competition. We would like to thank the Iola Winter Sports Club and all the volunteers for their hard work and gracious hospitality in once again allowing our runners to enjoy the use of their wonderful trails. We want to extend a special thank you to Phil & Jon who opened up new trails for us this year and put in the extra effort for us to accommodate the new 5K & 10K Trail Run formats for 2006.

Our 10K runners got things started followed 5 minutes later by our 5K runners. The 10K field started the same as last year but about 1 mile into the course were sent on new trail, untouched by the wheels of the mountain bikers that were to follow. This short loop included a good sized climb which was followed immediately by another as it rejoined the regular circuit. The first 5K of their event proved to be the more challenging half of the race. Halfway through, they merged onto the 5K course where they would share the trail the reminder of the race. The last 5K ran more level trail that wound through great pine forests and wide grass covered throughways until the finish just outside the sports club chalet.

Our first race winner of the year was Scott Hansen of Rothschild, WI who won the men's 5K event in 20:41. Jeremy Johanski of Green Bay took second followed by Jake Swanson of Stevens Point. The women were led in the 5K event by Stephanie Kottke from Wausau in a time of 23:06. Sheri Van Epps of Onalaska followed up with second and Gabriela Baranova from Zion, IL finished out the top three.

On the 10K course Kara Vosters of Stevens Point took first for the women in a time of 43:18. Sandra Gregorich of Madison took home second place while Lucy Davies of Peoria, IL came in third. The men's 10K saw Jay Punke of Wausau, WI take honors in a time of 37:22. Archie Barribeau of Kaukauna followed in second and Jonathon Rulseh of Steven's point finished third.

WORS Trail Running would like to thank our Series Title Sponsor TDS Telecom and Event Title Sponsor Moosejaw Mountaineering for their generous and enthusiastic support for our 2006 kickoff event. We also want to thank all our racers. You are why we are here and why we do what we do. Your participation at this event has helped raise over $500 to be distributed between the Iola-Scandinavia Cross Country Teams and the Achilles Track Club of Wisconsin. Thank you all and we hope to see you again at our next event, the 9 Mile Forest Trail Run - Presented by Eastbay on June 4 in Wausau, WI.

Moosejaw Bump & Jump

There is less than one week to go before our first Trail Running event of the year. The Moosejaw Bump & Jump will take place on Sunday, May 7 at the Iola Winter Sports Club. Check out our Moosejaw Event Page for specific details. This is one of our favorite venues as it provides a truly fun trail experience regardless of weather.

NOTE: Beginning this year, racers can still receive 'Pre-Registration' entry rates ($15) for On-Site Registrations from 4:00pm - 6:00pm the evenings before each event. This is to assist our timers with entering racer information early to reduce entry time on race day so results can be available quicker and with less chance of error. We thank you for your assistance in helping us streamline this time and labor intensive process to make everyone's racing experience much more enjoyable. Se you all this weekend in Iola!