Lost In The Woods
About the race
Lost In The Woods is an off trail race in the style of The Barkley Marathons. Since we don’t have mountains in Southern Minnesota, this is a much easier run than that one. We’ve tried our best to make it difficult, but don’t complain if it’s too easy.
This is a revival of sorts of the “lost in the woods 50K” that Scott Rassbach created in 2015, which used to take place at 7 Mile Creek Park. That iteration is no longer happening, so we created a similar race to take its place. If you like adventure and are looking for a different kind of trail race, this is for you.
You will be sent off into the woods on a prescribed route to find hidden books. You will tear a page out of each book that corresponds to the bib number you get at the start of the race. Five loops and you’re done.
Don’t be fooled into thinking this is an easy 25 mile race with the long cutoff times. No one got done with the first loop under 4 hours the first year, but they did find all the books.
Age requirement
If you are under 18, contact the race at [email protected] for permission before registering. We want to go over a couple of things with the guardian first. This is not a kids race, but some experienced teenagers might like the challenge, and one teenager did it last year.
You will be out in the woods alone with no course markings or trails. We reserve the right to refuse registration of a minor.
Cancellation policy
Athletes can cancel their registration, but no refund is given.
No refunds.
The course
The course is completely within the bounds of the Swan Lake Wildlife Management Area - North Star Unit. The vast majority of the course is off trail or on deer trails. There is a creek to cross twice each loop. There are lots of downed trees, grass, rocks, underbrush and nettles. The course will not be marked, so a compass is needed.
Course conditions and what to wear
The vast majority of the course is off trail or on deer trails, expect ticks. There is a creek you will cross twice each loop, expect to get wet. There are lots of downed trees, grass, rocks, underbrush, burning nettle and thorny things that will try to slow you down, expect to wear long pants and a shirt if you don’t like scratch marks or burning nettle.
Seriously, you will want to have your flesh covered. Goggles aren’t a necessity but we won’t judge you for bringing them. There are some hills but none of them are as big or steep as we want them to be, you might have a different opinion.
Map, compass and loop rules
We will send the map and course description the day before the race. We likely won’t have copies to give you at the start so we strongly suggest you print them off and study them. The course will NOT be marked so bring a compass.
You should also know how to use it at a basic level. The total distance of each loop is exactly 5.00 miles no matter what your fancy watch tells you. There is a net elevation gain of 0 feet on each loop.
If you run fast enough to stay under the time cutoffs with all your pages, you can continue on to another loop. 5 loops under the time cutoff are required for an official finish. Of course if you want to quit after 1 loop that's OK.
Location
City insight: Nicollet
Nicollet is a city in Nicollet County, Minnesota, part of the Mankato metropolitan area, with a 2020 population of 1,143. Nearby Swan Lake Wildlife Management Area is one of the most significant waterfowl breeding areas in the upper Midwest. Winters are long and cold and summers are warm, so late spring and early autumn are the best seasons to race.
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