This was a beautiful race, and the race director (Chris) was very fast in responding to e-mail questions prior to the race. For lodging, I highly recommend the Stone Lodge & Grille in Leavenworth. If you are traveling from out-of-state, do be aware that some counties in Indiana observe Daylight Savings Time and some do not. Since we came from EST, I was already an hour off. Stone Lodge's county is an hour off from the county in which the race is held. I would definitely do this race again!

This is a trail race for those who are interested in a real challenge. The organizers claim about 7,000' of vertical climb over 26.2 miles and that was probably right. Winding through the Hoosier National Forest, it's all single track, rocky trail except for traversing two dams and a short patch of asphalt at the end of each 13.1 mile loop.

The marathon field was small in 2012, only 34 finishers, so expect to have some time to yourself on the trail.

I enjoyed this race a lot. If you want to run trails, this is a good chance to do so.

If you want a challenge, this is it. Course (two lake loop) is well marked, hilly and muddy. RD and aid station support were awesome. Very small race thats supports the local cross-country team. My slowest marathon to date, but one of my favorites. Camping was available a half-mile from the start/finish.