Shawnee Hills Trail Races

Shawnee Hills Trail Races

The Shawnee Hills Trail Races occur August 21 - 22, 2027 at Camp Ondessonk in Ozark, IL, within the Shawnee National Forest. The event offers multiple distances that run on a figure-eight loop beginning and finishing on the Camp Ondessonk grounds.

The course is roughly 80% singletrack with intermittent fire roads. Terrain is highly technical with rocks, roots, ruts, and creek crossings. Runners pass sandstone formations, oak-hickory, maple-beech, and pine forests, and several waterfalls including Pakentuck Falls, Jackson Falls, Horseshoe Falls, and Cedar Falls. Elevation features rollers of about 50 to 150 ft per climb, with approximately 2,500 to 7,500 ft of gain per 50 miles. Hazards include high heat and humidity and potential encounters with native snakes, ticks, ground hornets, and bees.

Distances

• 100 Mile: 1 short prologue plus 3 × ~32-mile loops
• 100K: 2 × ~32-mile loops
• 50K: 1 × ~32-mile loop
• Night 50K: single ~32-mile loop run at night
• Half Marathon: additional camp loop plus 13 miles on the west section

Five manned aid stations provide water, electrolyte drinks, snacks, and first aid, with roughly 5 miles between stations and no gap greater than about 8 miles. Restrooms are available at several aid stations and start/finish.

Registered runners receive a custom event shirt with a women’s tank as the default women’s option unless a unisex shirt is chosen. Shirt order and lodging add-on deadlines are August 1, 2027. Finisher awards include custom belt buckles for 100M and 100K, medals for 50K and half marathon, and overall awards for male, female, and non-binary winners. Lodging in Camp Ondessonk tree houses for runner plus one person is included; additional occupants and extra tents incur a $10 fee each. Registration closes August 15, 2027 and tiered price changes occur January 1 and June 1, 2027. Visit the organization's website for the most recent information.

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