Allerton Park Trail Run

Description:

The run (that we fondly just call “Allerton”) is a 5.7 mile Trail Run and 2 mile Nature Walk held on the estate of Robert Allerton Park in Monticello, IL. It is always the last Sunday in October, which obviously occasionally falls on Halloween. The time of year at Allerton is beautiful as the trail is through fall-colored forests and past the unique gardens and statuary of Allerton Park.

This trail race presented by the Second Wind Running Club, a 501(c)3 organization. This means that runners may find hidden roots, ruts, sharp turns, and other obstacles. The race course follows the river which has proven quite challenging over the years. When the river is high we have to re-route lest we change the race to a duathalon. Still, no matter the rainfall, the trail on the river side is often quite muddy. It can be slippery and certainly splattery. We look at this as a positive feature. Afterall, it IS a trail run. We take great care with preparing the trail to prevent injuries. The day before the race, we have a crew walk the course, clearing it of the large (3 inch!) green walnut balls, branches and marking roots with orange powder. The race ends in the meadow. ALL finishing times based on a chip start time, with computerized chip tracking across the finish!

In addition to paying the park for its use, we donate proceeds back. They are quite gracious in support and ask how we would like our donations used. They have used our donation towards a railing at a dangerous spot, trail erosion control, recycle bins, water fountain bottle filling station, and more. We feel quite lucky and blessed that the park allows us to bring 1,200+(?) people into it with 600 pounding the trails.

Duration: 2 hours based on a chip time!