The first Saturday after Labor Day has the scenic town of Elroy, Wisconsin, sponsoring its own Apple Dumpling Days. As part of the festivities, The Elroy Lions Club held its first races in 2007, hosting a 5K run/walk and a .75K kids fun run. The Elroy Lions are expanding in 2008 and adding its first half marathon. Elroy is the center of three abandoned railroad beds that have all been converted to bike trails. These three trails are the Juneau County Omaha Trail, the Elroy-Sparta Trail, and the 400 Trail. The trails provide a good running surface, a nice amount of shade, and great scenery for the runners. All runners will receive a race T-shirt, a free apple-dumpling, medals for the top finishers, as well as refreshments (water, sports drink, soda) at the end of the race. Elroy Tunnel-Trails Half Marathon (13.1 miles) The half marathon is unique in that it uses three
different bike trails and features a fascinating tunnel. The race begins
in the charming Elroy Apple Dumpling Dash 5K The 5K run/walk starts and finishes at the Elroy City Park, near the Elroy Lions Food Stand. Participants will head out of the park, and take the 400 Bike Trail into downtown Elroy, cross onto the Elroy-Sparta Trail until they reach the Thompson Memorial Park parking lot. Runners will loop there and return the way they came, ending near the Elroy Lions Food Stand. Elroy Green Apple Kids Fun Run
.75K Kids 12 and under can enjoy a one-lap run around the Elroy City Park, starting and finishing at the Elroy Lions Food Stand. The distance is .75K or just short of a half-mile. Run, jog, or walk, all are OK for the Green Apple kids.
The entry form may be downloaded as a Word document or Adobe Acrobat (PDF) file. Go here for a map of the Half Marathon course. Some pictures from the 2007 Dumpling Dash are here. Here are some useful links to websites for runners for runners. For the Elroy Lions Club website go to www.elroylions.org. For
City of Elroy website click here. |
village of Hustler, Wisconsin. All runners will board buses at the Elroy
City (Schultz) Park at 8:00 a.m. and head to Hustler, arriving there at
about 8:30. Bathroom facilities and bag & tag will be available there.
The race will start at 9:00. Shortly after the start of the race, the
runners will enter the peaceful and secluded Juneau County Omaha Trail and
head south towards Elroy for about 10 miles. Runners will pass through
the tunnel after about three miles of the run. The tunnel was built in
1876 and is 875 feet long! There is a gradual incline up to the tunnel
and a gradual decline afterwards. Some lighting will be added if
necessary to help ensure safety, but the runners should use precaution and
good judgment while running in the tunnel. Upon entering Elroy, the
course will take a short wind through Kimball Avenue and then a one-mile
trek on County PP. There, the runners will take the Elroy-Sparta Bike
Trail into Elroy, pick up the 400 Trail, and enter the Elroy City Park for
the finish line. Runners need to understand that they will encounter some
bicycle traffic along the way and good judgment will be necessary. Water
and sports drink will be provided at regular intervals (1 – 2 miles) and
cookies/energy bars will be provided during the last three miles. Check
out
