Tough Trail Challenge 2024

Lindsay-Parsons

I’d made very tentative plans to have a July 4th go at the Tough Trail Challenge. My body felt pretty awful running a Lakefront Loop yesterday afternoon, so I wasn’t sure I’d even feel like running at all today despite having the day off for July 4th. I packed my gear and clothes the night before anyhow, just to be ready.

Turns out I woke up wired at 3 a.m. chomping at the bit to get running. I made it down to the Lindsay Parsons Preserve to scan the sign at 4:01. Dry trails made the headlamp run a lot easier this time compared to my run here for the Ultra Challenge 100k in April the same time of day.

I’ve run the route enough to navigate it without RunGo but didn’t trust myself to spot all those sneaky turns in the dark. Everything was smooth sailing and I finished the 4.5 miles in a reasonable time given the lack of sunlight. I don’t recall spotting any wildlife in the glow on this normally critter-dense course. The bullfrogs though were out in full force for an all night party in the pond.

100 Dreadmill Miles

​I’ve run numerous ultras over the past 10 years, but nothing quite like the Dreadmill 48 Hour Endurance Challenge. Yep, it’s exactly what it sounds like — muster as many miles as possible on a treadmill within 48 hours. Most participants went for a minimum of 100 miles, myself included. The milestone gets you a sweet new belt buckle and the accomplishment of reaching a nice round number. 

The event is a virtual race in which you register on UltraSignup and complete the run anytime in the month of December during a continuous 48-hour period. All miles need to be documented, as there are top 3 and finisher awards at stake. Those who complete 50 miles get a finishers coin. 100 miles earns a traditional pewter belt buckle. 150 miles or more gets you a gold plated version of the buckle and copious bragging rights. There’s also a 100-mile division, where runners complete exactly 100 miles as fast as they can while adhering to the 48-hour time limit. For this race less than a 100 miles is a DNF. 

It works like this. Email race director Benn Griffin telling him the day and time to start your 48-hour clock. Run as much as you can, exclusively on a treadmill. Whenever the treadmill stops, take a time-stamped photo of the treadmill’s display. When you’re done running, email all photos to Benn to verify what you’ve accomplished. Following the event, mileage is tallied up and posted