Childish Nonsense

Childish Nonsense

Childish Nonsense is a looped trail event held at Deer Grove Forest Preserve west in Palatine, IL. The event offers multiple distances on mostly wide, non technical paths. The course layout repeats a 5.5 mile loop.

Race distances include:

• 5.5 Miler : one lap
• 25K : three laps
• 50K : six laps
• 50 Miler : nine laps

There is one aid station located at the start and finish area, which participants encounter every 5.5 miles. Crews may set up only at the start and finish; there are no other crew access areas on the course. For the 50 mile distance, a pacer is permitted after four loops. The cutoff time for all distances is 7pm.

The organizer describes playful activity on course, noting that shenanigans will occur throughout the day. The event is produced by CUSS Running, an organization that emphasizes whimsy and community in ultrarunning. The organizer states a mission to help others fall in love with ultrarunning and a vision to make the world slightly better through laughter and pain.

The event offers a number of free entries for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ athletes. Codes for those entries are available while funding lasts, and recipients are not publicly identified. Visit the organization's website for the most recent information.