THE KETTLE MORAINE 100 ENDURANCE TRAIL RUNS: June 4th-5th, 2011
Welcome! Thank you for entering the 16th annual KM100. We look forward to making your ultra-running experience memorable.
Our intent is to make this an enjoyable experience as you attempt the 100 km, 100 mile solo or 100 mile relay runs we have laid out for you. And of course we again have the 38 mile night run. We sincerely hope that everyone finishes, and will do all that we can to insure that the best interests of the runner are at hand.
Complete information is contained in the race bulletin found on the homepage, it supersedes all information in this website.
The course will run entirely on trails (except for a couple hundred feet of road crossings) and will traverse the Ice Age National Scenic Trail (IAT) for about 65 miles. The runners deviate from the IAT when near the Nordic Trails at the start/finish and also near the Scuppernong turn around between miles 27-35. The 100 mile (solo and relay) events follow the entire length of the course, while the 100km event only follows the first 62 miles. All events start and finish at the Nordic parking lot at 6am Saturday morning.
You will find the trail to be about 80% wooded terrain; with the rest meandering through gentle prairie or marsh areas. Part of the course will be a roller coaster of hills, with small rocks and roots scattered about. Other sections will be gently rolling with relatively smooth running surfaces. The pine sections give you that soft bed of pine needles that so many of us like to run on. Though the hills are not long and/or especially steep, they can take a tremendous toll on you if you attempt to run them. They are many and scattered throughout the course. "Silent Killers" is what one local runner calls them.
Early June means some fairly long days, with darkness arriving around 9pm and light returning about 5am. Mosquitoes and other pesky bugs can be an annoyance at times. This is especially true in the more heavily wooded areas. Ticks should also be looked for when you are done. It is not unusual to get some rain or stormy weather during the night on Saturday.
When on the IAT, it is marked with yellow markers on trees and posts. The Nordic Trail start/finish loop is marked with blue markers. We, however, will mark the entire course with ground markings and a few signs at important intersections. These ground markings will be either yellow, white or orange arrows, please listen during the race morning briefing or packet pickup for the color being used. Flashlights will be required to navigate the trail at night.
At some intersections (confusion point particularly-after Bluff going out) you will find yellow tape or flagging across the trail/road. This tape is meant to prevent a runner from taking a wrong turn. When you encounter yellow tape or flagging please take a moment to get your bearings and follow the ground markings accordingly. At other intersections there will be arrows indicating the correct route to take and lines across the path which should not be taken.
It is imperative that you are accounted for at every aid station along the course. Call out your number when you come into an aid station. We will track runners for the duration of the event. If you drop out at any point along the course, you must notify the aid station personnel that you are doing so. Not doing so could result in a time consuming and distracting search for a "lost runner" who is sleeping back in their hotel room. Pacers will be allowed to run with you from the Nordic Parking lot aid station at the 100 km point.
There are 21 staffed aid stations along the course. The longest stretch between staffed stations is 8.3 miles. The shortest distance between aid stations is 2.3 miles. There are also 8 unstaffed aid stations which will have water and limited runner aid (Horseriders, Antique Lane, Wilton Road and Duffin).
If the weather is particularly hot, there may be additional locations along the course where water will be made available. This is especially true going across the meadows between Antique Lane and Hwy 67. Crews are only allowed to assist a runner at specific aid stations along the course, please obey these rules to provide all runners with a fair race.
We have cutoffs at 3 aid stations along the course at 31.4, 62.9 and 81.5 miles respectively. At these points a runner can be pulled from the race for not leaving the aid station by the assigned cutoff times. If you stay on course and pace yourself according to the hills and terrain, you should have a reasonable chance of finishing under the cutoffs.
At packet-pickup, you will receive a number that must be worn and visible at all times during the run. It must be worn on the front portion of your body.
A last minute briefing will be held at 5:40am on Saturday. This will last about 10 minutes after which you may tend to last minute preparations before the start which will go off at precisely 6:00 am.