Earth Day Trail Races.
Six laps of the same loop is the whole proposition of the 50K at the Earth Day Trail Races in Crystal Lake, Illinois. No single point on the course is hard on its own, but each one comes round six times, so your preparation is less about a big hill than about staying patient for hours on single-track, prairie and pine forest.
Earth Day Trail Races 2027: Course, Elevation & Route Profile
Start and finish sit at the main parking lot of Veterans Acres in Crystal Lake. From there the course runs through Veterans Acres and Sterne's Woods on a loop of 5.2 miles, a little over eight kilometres. 50K runners cover it six times, while the shorter distances are done after one or three laps. The race is in its 14th running.
It never gets high: only about 30 metres separate the lowest and highest points of the lap. The demand lies in ground that never stops moving. The trail drops briefly after the start, rolls over small undulations, sinks from the fourth lap kilometre to its low point, then rises at its most noticeable: just over 700 metres with spikes around eleven percent, followed by a second, shorter wave. You first reach this stretch after a little more than five kilometres and for the last time at kilometre 48.
Underfoot is winding single-track, broken up by open prairie and pine forest, with spring flowers along the trail in April. The major aid station stands at the start/finish line. You pass it at the end of every lap, which divides the day into six manageable pieces without any help from you.
| Start | Length | Ø | Max. | Gain | Cat. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| km 5.7 | 0.7 km | 3.8 % | 10.8 % | +27 m | — |
| km 14.1 | 0.7 km | 3.8 % | 10.4 % | +28 m | — |
| km 15.1 | 0.4 km | 3.9 % | 11.8 % | +14 m | — |
| km 22.6 | 0.7 km | 3.8 % | 10.8 % | +27 m | — |
| km 31 | 0.7 km | 3.8 % | 10.5 % | +28 m | — |
| km 39.5 | 0.7 km | 3.8 % | 11 % | +27 m | — |
| km 48 | 0.7 km | 3.8 % | 10.5 % | +28 m | — |
| km 49 | 0.4 km | 3.9 % | 11.6 % | +14 m | — |
Climb categories follow the road-cycling convention and rate the terrain itself (length and gradient) regardless of sport: Cat. 4 marks the easiest rated climbs, Cat. 1 the hardest, and HC (hors catégorie, “beyond categorization”) is reserved for the most brutal ascents. Short climbs below the Cat. 4 threshold stay unrated.
How to pace Earth Day Trail Races.
Start under control
Plan the 50K in laps, not kilometres. The first two should feel almost too easy, with the rises jogged very gently or walked, and the lap time that produces becomes your reference. Measure every later lap against it, because on an identical loop the watch shows a fade at once and leaves no room for excuses.
Hold your rhythm
The biggest trap comes in the opening minutes. All distances start together at 8:00, so you share the field with 5-mile runners who are done after one lap. Get pulled along by their pace on the single-track and you will not pay for it on lap one, you will pay for it on lap five.
Spend what is left
That is also where the race is decided, when the rise out of the low point at kilometres 39.5 and 48 meets tired legs. Further back in the field, two limits matter: you must leave for the last loop by 3 pm, and the overall cutoff is eight hours. Reach the first limit only just and you have about an hour left for the final lap, so aim to be well ahead of it.
Training plan for Earth Day Trail Races: 12-week build
Build the base
Expect roughly five to seven hours as an age-group runner. The effort stays almost entirely aerobic but is never even: the trail rises, falls and twists with no long respite, and the small changes of pace add up over the day. There is no long climb here to recover on or to make a move on, only a constant low-level restlessness in the legs.
Train race pace
So what counts most is what is left of you on laps five and six. Build your long runs around the race format: a rolling woodland loop of five to eight kilometres, repeated several times, with your car or front door as the aid point. That also trains the hardest thing about this course, which is setting off again after an aid stop when the finish is only steps away.
Rehearse the course
Between those runs, short hills help, run cleanly up and back down after an easy hour. The loop goes downhill at least as often as it goes up, and over 50 kilometres your quads will eventually report it. Time on narrow, winding paths belongs in the plan as well, so that footwork and attention still hold up after five hours.
Arrive fresh
With race day in mid-April, most of your long runs fall in winter and early spring. Use them to rehearse fuelling: a lap takes about an hour on the day, and what you eat and drink at the line has to last until you next come through it.
Courses
Download the Earth Day Trail Races course as a GPX file for your watch or bike computer.
Let YOUB adapt your plan for Earth Day Trail Races dynamically
Ben connects your goal, the course, current load, recovery, and calendar. Your plan stays pointed at race day even when real life is not perfectly plannable.
Everything about Earth Day Trail Races.
How long is Earth Day Trail Races?
Earth Day Trail Races is 50 km long. That distance shapes how much aerobic endurance, pace durability, and race-specific work belong in the training plan.
How much elevation gain does Earth Day Trail Races have?
Earth Day Trail Races has around 879 m of elevation gain over 50 km. That affects pacing, muscular load, and preparation for late-race sections.
What is the route profile of Earth Day Trail Races?
Earth Day Trail Races is classified as Rolling, averaging 17.3 vertical metres per kilometre. 21% of the route is flat, 34% climbs moderately (2 to 6%) and 5% is steeper than 6%.
What climbs does Earth Day Trail Races have?
The hardest climb of Earth Day Trail Races starts at kilometre 14.1, runs for 0.7 km at an average of 3.8% and gains 28 metres. 8 climbs are mapped in total.
Is Earth Day Trail Races a loop course?
Yes, Earth Day Trail Races is laid out as a loop: start and finish are in the same place.
Is there a GPX file for the Earth Day Trail Races course?
Yes. The Earth Day Trail Races course is on this page as a free GPX download — ready to import into Garmin, Wahoo, Komoot, Strava or any other app that reads GPX.
How should I prepare for Earth Day Trail Races?
Preparation for Earth Day Trail Races should account for 50 km, 879 m of elevation gain, current training load, and available training time. An adaptive plan helps place key sessions without ignoring recovery and real life.
What pacing strategy works for Earth Day Trail Races?
The pacing strategy for Earth Day Trail Races should reflect 50 km, 879 m of elevation gain, and your current fitness. Start controlled and keep margin for sections where the profile or fatigue makes target pace harder.
When does Earth Day Trail Races 2027 take place?
Earth Day Trail Races 2027 takes place on April 17, 2027.
Where does Earth Day Trail Races 2027 take place?
Earth Day Trail Races 2027 takes place in Crystal Lake, United States.
Which distances does Earth Day Trail Races offer?
Earth Day Trail Races offers 3 distances — 50K: 50 km; 15 Mile: 24.14 km; 5 Mile: 8.05 km.
How do I register for Earth Day Trail Races?
Registration runs through the organiser: earthdaytrailrace.com. YOUB shows you the course, elevation profile and training plan for your preparation.
