Trail Running Calendar Illinois 2025-2026

Limestone Rocks! 8-Hour or 4-Hour Race takes place at Limestone Park in Kankakee, Illinois. Runners choose an endurance 8-Hour or a 4-Hour option, competing on a 1.65-mile loop course. The surface is mostly crushed limestone with sections of asphalt; the course is roughly half flat and half hilly, f..

4sta Hike is the 8th annual running held at Loud Thunder Forest Preserve near Andalusia, Illinois, along the Mississippi River. The event features a 1-mile loop that runners may repeat for as long as the four-hour time limit allows. A hard course (about 304 feet of gain and loss per loop) is favored..

Half Day at the Lake is a unique ultra-running event held in Evanston, Illinois, featuring 6- and 12-hour race options. The race takes place on a scenic 2-mile loop along Chicago’s north shore lakefront path, passing through Evanston’s lakefront and Northwestern University’s campus. The course is a..

The Tiger 10 Miler is an annual trail race held at Byron Forest Preserve and the Nardi Equine Prairie in Byron, Illinois. The 8th edition of this event features a challenging 10-mile course with twists, turns, and hills through scenic natural areas. Participants receive a custom finisher's medal and..

Hindsight Ultra Trail Runs, held in Dixon, Illinois, offers a grassroots ultra running experience with distances of 25K, 50K, 100K, and 100 miles. The course features a 7.85-mile loop combining roughly 50% singletrack, 30% grassy meadows, and 20% gravel paths, with about 6,200 feet of elevation gain..

Miles for Marshall 5K Trail Run for Childhood Cancer is held in Greenville, Illinois, at 1000 Patriot's Park, on Saturday, September 27, 2025. The event features a 5K Run/Walk along a scenic trail course suitable for runners of all levels. Described as an extraordinary, heartwarming adventure, it bl..

Bloomingdale Trail 5K is an annual, family-friendly running event in Chicago, Illinois. The day features a timed 5K race along with ¼- and ½-mile dashes for young runners. The event location is 1834 N Lawndale Ave, Chicago, IL 60647, and the site describes a welcoming atmosphere for runners of all a..

Miles of Madness is a grassroots ultra-running event held at Pekin Park District Sports Complex, Pekin, Illinois. It offers 2, 6, 12, and 24-hour options with 1.2-mile laps, for solo runners or relay teams (minimum 3 members; only one team member on course at a time). The atmosphere is laid-back and..

Run The Woods is a charity running event held in Hudson, Illinois at Timber Pointe Outdoor Center (20 Timber Pointe Lane). The series includes 5K, 5K for Youth, 8K, 8K for Youth, and a 1 Mile Trail Walk – Untimed. While the site doesn’t describe a specific course layout, the venue suggests a family-..

Anderson Humane's Walk4Animals & 5K Run takes place in Batavia, Illinois, centered at the Peg Bond Center at 100 N Island Ave along the Batavia Riverwalk. The event offers a 5K Run (timed), a 1.5-mile Walk, and a T-Shirt Only option. The Walk4Animals route is a 1.65-mile loop around the Batavia Rive..

October 4-5, 2025, The Hennepin Hundred is Illinois’ only point-to-point, all-trail ultramarathon, running from Sterling along the Rock River to Colona near the Mississippi and following the 104-mile Hennepin Canal State Trail through northwest Illinois’ historic locks, lift bridges, and scenic farm..

Located at the SIU Touch of Nature Outdoor Education Center in Makanda, Illinois, the Rocky Ledges 5K/10K Trail Run/Walk offers two trail distances: 5K and 10K. The course unfolds through wooded and natural terrain, delivering a scenic, nature-rich atmosphere that welcomes individuals and teams of a..

Autumn Leaf Run is a 5K trail race held in Freeport, Illinois, at Oakdale Nature Preserve. The course loops through diverse terrain, including wide tree-lined trails, moderate hills, prairie areas, bridge crossings, and several single-track sections. The start and finish are in close proximity, and..

The Fall Trail Classic 2.0 is a trail running event held at Marengo Ridge Conservation Area in Marengo, Illinois. It features two races on the same day: a 4-mile run through oak and hickory woodlands, small stream bridges, and restored prairie trails, and a 7-mile run that includes the 4-mile loop p..

Fire Zone 5k is a first-time event hosted by the Lockport Fire Foundation in Lockport, Illinois. The 5k takes place on a Forest Preserve trail, with a single full marked loop starting at the Hassert Park parking lot across from Lockport Township Fire Station Six and ending back there. Runners and wa..

The Farmdale Trail Run, held October 11-12, 2025, takes place at Farmdale Reservoir near East Peoria, Illinois. This premier trail event offers multiple distances: 10K, half marathon, 30-mile, 50-mile, and 100-mile ultras. The course features miles of single-track trails, service roads, and open pra..

Des Plaines River Trail Races is an endurance trail event held in Lake County, Illinois, starting and finishing at Half Day Forest Preserve. The program features a Half Marathon, Marathon (Boston Qualifier), 50K, and 50 Mile ultra. Runners traverse a 100% trail course on a fast, flat crushed gravel..

Arrowhead Endurance Run takes place at Arrowhead Lake Campground in Johnston City, Illinois, just north of Marion. The course is a certified 2.07-mile loop around Arrowhead Lake, predominantly gravel with a short concrete section by the boat ramp, offering less than 50 feet of elevation change per l..

Saw Wee Kee - Fall Trail Run is held at Saw Wee Kee Park, Sundown Lane, Yorkville, Illinois. The event is the Fall Trail Run segment of a four-race series; each race features a different course and medal piece, and completing all four earns the series medal with different seasonal swag at each stop...

Palos Park Spooky Shuffle 2025 is a 5K and 10K trail run/walk held at Swallow Cliff South Forest Preserve in Palos Park, IL, organized by the Palos Park Department of Recreation & Parks in partnership with the Forest Preserves of Cook County. Runners traverse the Sag Valley Trail System on wide, unp..