Friday's Featured 5k of the Week - Rockton Warrior Trail Race

A trail race.  Admittedly, Illinois is not known for having a lot of elevation terrain.  So, sometimes, one must drive a bit to get in a trail race.  Rockton, IL is right on the border of Wisconsin - not far from Rockford (and Rockford Speedway).

The Rockton Warrior Trail Race takes place at the Hononegah Forest Preserve and consists of a 1 mile trail race to start the day - and then the 5k trail race to conclude the day.   The race is very well organized from start to finish (no pun intended).  Due to limited parking at the Preserve itself, participants park at the Hononegah High School and are bussed, via two full size school buses to the start/finish line.  The buses run continually until start time, and then for quite a while after the awards ceremony at the end.  Gear check is provided in a secure area for those not wishing to leave everything in their cars.

Once at the event there is same day packet pickup and registration available.  The races are timed via re-usable chip - so participants must remember to let the volunteers cut the chip off of their shoes after crossing the finish line.  Results are posted same day on the timing/scoring company's website and within a day on the event website.

The races start right next to the pavilion and parking area on a grassy field.  Runners start off heading towards the forest on cut grass, but quickly head into the single-wide and double-wide paths of the forest.  Most of the first 2 miles in on these trails, passing needs to be timing properly, but isn't impossible.  The route provides for some up and down elevation changes, some roots in the path, and other expected trail obstacles.  There are a couple of wooden bridges to cross as well.  The morning of the 2015 event saw a steady rain for a couple of hours overnight, making the trails soggy and slippery but not flooded.  Definitely added to the fun - just like being a kid again playing in the mud.  The final mile of the race has an extended section on parking lot/entry roads before cutting across a mowed field and back into the forest itself.  Runners finish by exiting the woods where they entered for a open-field sprint to the finish line.  It is a cool site to see the runners "emerge" from the woods towards the finish.  At the finish line (for the start and finish) is the local high school drum corp providing some cool beats and inspiration for all of the finishers!

The awards are not the typical medals but rather various Native American themed items, such as a spearhead necklace with a feather for example.   Which echoes back to the start of the race where kids (and adults alike) received free face-painting to match the colors of the local high school team.

Being a trail race, it offered something for every level runner, from the elite, to the weekend warrior, to the walkers.  Everybody has fun on the trails - and who doesn't want a chance to play in the mud again (or dirt on drier days).

Official website here - http://rockton140pto.wix.com/rocktonwarriorraces