Editor’s note: This is the second article in a three-part series focusing on some of the oldest ultra races in the country and how they endure as the landscape of the sport changes. The first article on the American River 50-Mile Endurance Run can be found here.
In 1981, the running boom was in full swing. Though most serious runners focused on marathons and road running, small enclaves of the American running culture were undertaking a much more fringe version of the sport: trail ultra running. Tucked away in Maryland, the JFK 50 Mile had quietly reached nearly 20 editions. The Western States Endurance Run 100 miler and the American River 50 mile were relatively new, but gaining popularity near Auburn, Calif.
Wisconsinite Tom Ulik thought it would be nice to have a trail ultra marathon closer to home. Following a Badgerland Striders running club meeting in Milwaukee, he and Glenn Wargolet headed to a local tavern to “rehydrate,” as Wargolet puts it. Ulik suggested that the Badgerland Striders organize a 50-mile race, and the two friends began to brainstorm over their beers.
Wargolet had the idea for a 1-mile route in a local park, to be run 50 times. This would allow for spectating and easily managed aid stations. But Ulik imagined a route through the southern Kettle Moraine State Forest, about a 45-minute drive southwest of Milwaukee. Wargolet was unfamiliar with the area, but Ulik insisted on taking him for a running tour of the proposed course. Wargolet fell in love with the trails. Together, they convinced the rest of the Badgerland Striders to manage the new race with Ulik serving as race director. Less than a year later, in the spring of 1982, the inaugural Ice Age Trail 50 mile took place in the southern Kettle Moraine.
A Showcase of Southern Wisconsin
The course showcases the best of Wisconsin trail running, beginning with 10 miles of wide, rolling Nordic ski trails. The last 40 miles follow the rolling single-track of the Ice Age Trail through pine forests and open prairies. Runners pass vistas of the glacial geological features that are the forest’s namesake: kettles and moraines, along with kames and eskers.
Veteran volunteers from the Badgerland Striders, many of whom are past competitors, operate the aid stations and cheer on the runners. Some of the volunteers have been helping for more than 20 years.
Unlike many races that have a single race director for several decades, Ice Age has now seen seven directors at the helm in its 33 years. Ulik directed the first five years, while Wargolet took the reins from 2005-2009, having served in other capacities for all of the prior years. Most of the past directors are still deeply involved with the race. This model has allowed the race organization to acquire a high level of expertise and varied skill sets.
Jeff Mallach, an eight-time racer who took over as race director in 2010, brings his day-job skills in the marketing field to bear with Ice Age. Working with shoe company Montrail, he helped to establish Ice Age as part of the Montrail Ultra Cup (MUC). Via this race series, top competitors can qualify for the Western States 100, which many people see as the pinnacle of ultra running in the U.S. Ice Age’s inclusion in the MUC guarantees a highly competitive field. The race’s popularity has increased as a result, and Mallach says, “the challenge now is to manage the growth in a measured way, to make sure that the experience is not diluted for any of the runners.”
Speedsters Past and Present
Ultra marathons were sparse when Ice Age began but it didn’t take long for a number of top runners to leave their mark on the Midwestern race. On a warm spring day in 1988, Canadian Andy Jones—just 25 years old but sporting a 2:17 marathon personal best—set a men’s course record that stood until this year’s race. His time of 5:53:21 is one of just nine sub-6 hour finishes on the course. Jones would go on to set multiple Canadian national records at ultra distances, including a stunning 4:54:59 for 50 miles. The 1-hour difference between Jones’s 50 mile best and his Ice Age time shows how difficult the course can be. “All the hills seem very manageable, but if you try to run them all, they grind you down,” Mallach says.
Jones figured that the current resurgence in ultra talent would result in a new men’s record. In fact, he effectively sent last year’s race winner David Riddle to do just that. Jones and Riddle live in Cincinnati and occasionally train with the same club. When Jones saw the success Riddle was having in ultra marathons, he encouraged the younger runner to tackle his mark. Riddle came up 3 minutes shy with a 5:56:46 victory in 2013, at the time the fifth-ever sub-6 hour finish.
On the women’s side, the legendary Ann Trason ran a then course record 7:04:07 in 1993, while in her prime amid her long stretch of Western States 100 mile victories. But unlike Jones, Trason’s record was fleeting. Local Wisconsin firefighter Donna Perkins shaved 7 seconds off it with a 7:04:00 two years later. That record stood for 18 years until Cassie Scallon smashed it with a 6:46:38 victory last year. Remarkably, Scallon’s record fell at this year’s race.
Scallon, a Wisconsin native, was drawn to Ice Age by the Lapham Peak Trail Runners, a running club that trains near the Ice Age course. Post-run, the group would tell tales about their ultra marathon exploits. “They were so far-fetched that it was hard to tell what really happened,” Scallon says. “That's how I got inspired, wanting to create some good stories of my own.”
By 2013, in her fourth attempt at the race, Scallon was quietly confident in her ability to run under 7 hours, but she says, “it felt like shooting my mouth off to say that I was going for it.” Instead, she let her feet do the talking. Scallon’s performance last year punctuated a return to the high level of competition the race cultivated in the ’80s and ’90s.
Bringing It All Back Home
In addition to unique cross-generational comparisons of top runners, Ice Age’s longevity has yielded a number of local runners who run nearly every year. The race has created 500, 1000, and 1250 Mile Clubs for finishers of 10, 20, and 25 races, respectively. The 1250 Mile Club now boasts three members, with Jim Blanchard joining most recently after the 2013 race.
Tom and Lorraine Bunk are two more long-time local runners. Between them, they hold seven age group records, and Lorraine was the first 70-year-old woman to finish. The couple has been involved for years, including Tom’s role of measuring and marking the course. “Tom has been involved with Ice Age as a runner, an organizer, a cheerleader, a promoter, and a great lover of the southern Kettle Moraine forest for decades,” Mallach says. “He is a guiding spirit for the entire race.”
The 2014 Race
The 2014 edition drew a highly competitive field. Despite temperatures that rose into the 70s—much warmer than ideal—the women’s and men’s races turned out to be the fastest in history. In the women’s field, six runners led at a fairly relaxed pace in the early miles. At the third aid station, when some stopped to refuel, Kaci Lickteig and Kate Pallardy moved ahead. Over the next 10 miles, Lickteig gradually pulled away. She ran the last two thirds of the race solo, blazing to a new course record of 6:41:39. Pallardy followed in second place with a time of 7:04:16, the fifth fastest ever at Ice Age. Rounding out the top three was Larisa Dannis in 7:15:39.
Hailing from Omaha, Nebraska, Lickteig has only been running ultra marathons for a year. However, she entered the sport with a 2:44 marathon best and she has already notched some impressive ultra results. She secured entry into the Western States 100 via her second place finish at this year’s U.S. 100 mile trail championships at the Rocky Raccoon 100 Mile. She also finished third at last month’s competitive Lake Sonoma 50 mile. On Saturday, she was primarily competing for Montrail Ultra Cup points and looking to garner more experience before she competes in Western States next month. When asked about breaking Scallon’s one-year-old record, Lickteig says, “I’m still trying to wrap my brain around it. I thought about the course record as a possible goal, but I didn’t know if that was attainable, because Cassie is amazing.” Looking ahead to Western States, Lickteig says, “I want to run my own race; to be a contender, but not pummel myself to a DNF.”
In the men’s race, the lead pack took the race out quickly, averaging 6:15 per mile over the first 10.5 miles of rolling Nordic ski trails. As a breakaway pack of four moved onto the single-track Ice Age Trail, eventual third placer Brian Condon continued to push the pace until the turnaround point at mile 21.7. From there, Max King took the lead and applied some pressure, eventually breaking away and running the last 19 miles alone in front.
King, who holds a 2:14 marathon personal best and was 6th place at the 2012 Olympic trials steeplechase, finished in an incredible time of 5:41:07. He broke Andy Jones’s course record of 26 years by a full 12 minutes. Your author followed in King’s wake to a 5:49:13 final time, also under Jones’s course record. Condon rounded out the top three in 5:58:24, securing the final Western States entry slot in the process. Fourth place finisher Michael Owen also dipped under the 6 hour mark with a 5:59:56. Before this year’s race, only 5 men had run under 6 hours. Remarkably, that number now stands at 9, another testament to the rapidly increasing depth in ultra running.
“I think this was definitely the best 50 miler I’ve ever run,” King says.. “I started to hurt around mile 42, but I was still able to push mentally and physically.”
King raced Ice Age primarily to secure a Western States entry, and his mind was not on the course record. His expectations were low after a disappointing 7th place at last month’s Lake Sonoma 50 mile, but everything clicked for King on Saturday. Riding this boost of confidence, he is excited to race his debut 100 miler at next month’s Western States.
Full results for the 2014 Ice Age Trail 50 mile can be found here.
