Wild Goose Trail Festival.
The 10K is the shortest way into the Wild Goose Trail Festival: a single lap of Wawayanda State Park, on a loop the long distances run again and again. There is no big climb, so your footing on rocks and roots decides the race, and that is what your preparation should target.
Wild Goose Trail Festival 2027: Course, Elevation & Route Profile
The course matches the middle of the festival's three loops and takes you once through the park and back to where you began. The first kilometre gains a little over 20 metres, then the trail swings in small waves around 370 metres to halfway, none of them lasting long.
From kilometre 5 it gets more serious. The trail rises to just under 400 metres by kilometre 6.5, the high point of the race, drops briefly and regains almost the same height by kilometre 7.5. This double crest is the core of the race. After it the course sheds about 50 metres in one go by kilometre 9, and the remainder rolls out gently.
The ground gives the race its character. Wide hard-packed trails alternate with technical singletrack where rocks and roots dictate your stride. A little over 150 metres of ascent would barely register on a fire road, but here your rhythm breaks every time the surface changes.
| Start | Length | Ø | Max. | Gain | Cat. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| km 2.2 | 0.4 km | 3.1 % | 5.2 % | +12 m | — |
| km 6.2 | 0.3 km | 3.4 % | 4.6 % | +11 m | — |
| km 7 | 0.6 km | 3.5 % | 4.6 % | +21 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 Wild Goose Trail Festival.
Start under control
The first five kilometres are a run-up. Take the short rise right after the start calmly and use the wide sections to run evenly, instead of accelerating on every wave. On the singletrack a clean step counts for more than your watch: push there and you stumble, paying in energy without gaining time.
Hold your rhythm
The race is decided at the double crest between kilometres 5 and 7.5. It is not steep, but it arrives when your legs have long since felt the pace. Reach the top with breath to spare and you can really let go on the 50 metres of downhill that follow, the biggest reserve of time all day.
Spend what is left
The trap is road pace. Ten kilometres sounds like a distance you know, yet on this ground your tarmac pace is no yardstick. Run by effort, or you will be at your limit by the first crest.
Training plan for Wild Goose Trail Festival: 12-week build
Build the base
Expect roughly 55 to 80 minutes. That is a hard, mostly aerobic effort with many small spikes, because the waves rarely let your heart rate settle and every rock on the trail interrupts your stride.
Train race pace
Your key session happens on technical ground. Once a week, run over roots and rocks with brisk stretches of one to two minutes, so that quick steps become a habit there. Train only on tarmac and the singletrack takes back whatever your intervals gained. Strength work for feet and ankles belongs here too, since that is where every uneven step gets absorbed.
Rehearse the course
For the double crest, use a tempo run that turns hilly late on: two short climbs after about 30 brisk minutes, then a deliberately relaxed, fast downhill. It teaches you to pick the pace up again right at the top. Hill repeats of two to three minutes on a moderate slope give you enough strength, because this loop asks for no long ramps.
Arrive fresh
With the race in mid-September, the build falls in summer. In the final weeks, run your full race duration at least twice on a rolling trail, so that the constant changes of rhythm hold no surprises on the day.
Courses
Download the Wild Goose Trail Festival course as a GPX file for your watch or bike computer.
Let YOUB adapt your plan for Wild Goose Trail Festival 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 Wild Goose Trail Festival.
How long is Wild Goose Trail Festival?
Wild Goose Trail Festival is 10 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 Wild Goose Trail Festival have?
Wild Goose Trail Festival has around 156 m of elevation gain over 10 km. That affects pacing, muscular load, and preparation for late-race sections.
What is the route profile of Wild Goose Trail Festival?
Wild Goose Trail Festival is classified as Rolling, averaging 15.5 vertical metres per kilometre. 21% of the route is flat, 40% climbs moderately (2 to 6%) and 1% is steeper than 6%.
What climbs does Wild Goose Trail Festival have?
The hardest climb of Wild Goose Trail Festival starts at kilometre 7, runs for 0.6 km at an average of 3.5% and gains 21 metres. 3 climbs are mapped in total.
Is Wild Goose Trail Festival a loop course?
Yes, Wild Goose Trail Festival is laid out as a loop: start and finish are in the same place.
Is there a GPX file for the Wild Goose Trail Festival course?
Yes. The Wild Goose Trail Festival 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 Wild Goose Trail Festival?
Preparation for Wild Goose Trail Festival should account for 10 km, 156 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 Wild Goose Trail Festival?
The pacing strategy for Wild Goose Trail Festival should reflect 10 km, 156 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 Wild Goose Trail Festival take place?
Wild Goose Trail Festival takes place on September 17, 2027.
Where does Wild Goose Trail Festival take place?
Wild Goose Trail Festival takes place in Ringwood, United States.
Which distances does Wild Goose Trail Festival offer?
Wild Goose Trail Festival offers 7 distances — 10K: 10 km; Half Marathon: 21.1 km; 30K: 30 km; 50K: 50 km; 50 Mile: 80.47 km; 100K: 100 km and 1 more.
How do I register for Wild Goose Trail Festival?
Registration runs through the organiser: sassquadtrailrunning.com. YOUB shows you the course, elevation profile and training plan for your preparation.
