Trail Running Calendar Illinois 2025-2026

Potawatomi Trail Runs, held in McNaughton Park, Pekin, Illinois, is a challenging trail running event featuring distances from 10 miles up to 200 miles. The course is a 10-mile loop of mostly single-track dirt trails with prairies, creek crossings, and rolling hills, offering about 1,500 feet of ele..

The Earth Day 50k is a trail running event held in Crystal Lake, Illinois, at Veterans Acres Park. It offers three race distances: 50 kilometers, 15 miles, and 5 miles, all starting together on a 5-mile loop course featuring single track trails and rolling hills. The race emphasizes environmental re..

Childish Nonsense is a trail running event held in Palatine, Illinois, at Deer Grove Forest Preserve West. It offers multiple distances: 10K, 25K, 50K, and 50 miles, with courses consisting of laps on a mostly wide, non-technical trail. Runners encounter a single aid station at the start/finish area..

The F^3 Cap Sauers Trail Marathon & 10 Mile is a trail running event held at Teason’s Woods in Palos Hills, Illinois. The marathon features a challenging course on the Sag Valley Trail, consisting of wide horse trails with minimal technical terrain but significant elevation—1050 ft for the marathon..

The Galena Sky Trail Race is an annual trail running event held at Chestnut Mountain Resort in Galena, Illinois, typically on the third weekend of May. The race features challenging, runnable trails winding through ski hills with majestic views of the Mississippi River and neighboring states Iowa an..

The Elsa Chicken Plucker Backyard Ultra is a unique trail running event held at Willenborg Woods in Charleston, Illinois, featuring a 4.167-mile loop that runners complete every hour. Set on 149 acres of scenic trails, the course includes riverside views, ridge-top challenges, single-track paths, gr..