Featured Running Event of the Week - Acres of Hope 5k/10k

The featured running event this week consists of a 5k and a 10k, both held at the same place, but with staggered start times.

The Acres of Hope is held at Stade's Farm in McHenry, IL.

As you might guess by the location, this is a trail run, on a farm.  The farm itself is more than just a field of crops, it's actually an interactive farm which features a farm stand/store, a large play area for children with unique activities like slides and tunnels and climbing items, and an area to handpick raspberries.  And, I'm probably missing something as well.

The event itself, aside from the two races, had a post-race raffle with nearly 20 prizes and a pancake breakfast (free pancakes to all registered participants).  Prizes are distributed on a giant stage in front of an open seating area, making it cool for the medal winners.

The terrain of the course is mostly flat for the 5k and is basically what one would expect for a farm - lots of grassy trails, dirt trails, and crushed gravel trails.  The 5k and 10k trails begin winding through the u-pick raspberry vines with a few back and forths.  The cool thing going through this areas is that you can hear the runners only 5 yards away, but you can't see them through the vines.  Runners appear and disappear around the numerous switchback turns.  The 5k then proceeds on some dirt and crushed gravel paths, making a few more turns, going past some corn fields, with an eventual finish on a grass/lawn type section right in front of the stage.  The 10k also ends on that same lawn.

The 10k however, splits off from the 5k at some point and heads further out into the fields and eventually out of the crops into a hilly backyard/forgotten prairie area.  There is a long a steep uphill climb on a crushed gravel road, which then leads into a series of winding paths, primarily on grass.  These paths wind and wind through trees and hills for at least 1 mile or more, sometimes even passing by each other.  Participants can see other runners, but really can't tell if they are catching those runners - or if those runners are catching them, as the winding is almost confusing.  With plenty of hills in this section runners get some great views of the horizon.  The course then heads back down that long steep hill.  So, for every uphill, there is a welcomed downhill.

The course is very well marked, even in the winding areas, and has plenty of volunteers pointing the directions and providing water.  Though like any trail race, if someone loses focus on runners ahead or signage, their can be confusion in the winding 10k area - but that is all part of trail running - navigation!

A very well run event, super friendly volunteers all along the course, and a great down-home small-town midwestern atmosphere!!