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PACERTRIP CITY EDITIONUS / RACE GUIDE

Fancy Nonsense 25k/50k

The city you want to run becomes your next trip.

USOct 24, 202650km

The Missing Floorboard · CC BY-SA 4.0

Race date in 10 days: Oct 24, 2026 Sat
City · Distance: Palatine · 50km
Entry fee: $80From the 2025 edition
Status: ClosedTBD ~ Mon, October 12, 2026See how to enter ↗

Official website ↗D-day as of Oct 14, 2026

About the race How to enter Course Race Prep Travel

Why you dream of this race

THE DREAM

ABOUT THE RACE

A day you'll remember,
long past the finish line.

Due to construction at Palos Forest Preserve, the race will be held at Deer Grove Forest Preserve for 2026 only.

Run through fall-colored singletrack in course, a race that puts the joy of running ahead of chasing a time.

The road to your own record

Picture the course in advance
and find the pace that fits you.

When the city cheers

Streets lined with cheers, runners all around.
You'll be part of that scene.

The trip that follows the run

Take it slow with the finish still in you,
and meet the city all over again.

Stories from runners who've been there.

From the joy of finishing to the tough moments — read what runners wrote themselves.

No runner reports yet. We'll add them here as they come in.

See it on video,
feel it through their stories.

Preview the course and read what runners who went before you wrote.

We haven't found a video for this race yet. We'll add one when we do.

The way in that fits you

YOUR ENTRY

How to reach the start line —
start with what fits you.

Here are the ways to enter and what each requires.
Check the organizer's page for whether entries are open.

From the 2025 edition

Next edition entry

Entry dates for the next edition haven't been announced yet

Ultra

Entry cost $80

subject to change — verify officially

Organizer's page

25K

Entry cost $50

subject to change — verify officially

Organizer's page

5 Miler

Entry cost $25

subject to change — verify officially

Organizer's page

Official race website Entry options

From the start line to the finish

RACE WEEK

Your 50km

Know the course and time limit, and race day comes into focus.

Runners start · local timeFrom 08:00

Time limit50K·25K by 17:00

Event	Start	Time limit
Ultra50km	08:00	9h
25K25km	09:00	8h
Other8.05km	09:00	—

City center · not the start line

We have not confirmed the start line coordinates yet. The map shows the host city.

START

Deer Grove Forest Preserve, Palatine, IL

A mostly singletrack course that repeats a 5.5-mile (about 8.9 km) loop course as many times as the distance requires.

Course is designed as multiple laps on a 5.5-mile loop.

The course is mainly singletrack, with some doubletrack sections, and markers are posted at every junction.

A pre-race briefing explains the course markers.

The 25K passes two aid stations, while the 50K passes five, with water, soda, snacks, and donuts available;

individual food requests are also accommodated.

Running with a pacer is not allowed, and crews may meet runners only at aid stations.

Typical race-season temperature: around 11°C (51°F): Short sleeves or light long sleeves + arm warmers
Aid stations: 2 aid stations for the 25K and 5 for the 50K

Participant benefits

Aid stations

Event T-shirt

To the start line,
step by step.

Pick up your bib, check your wave.
So on race morning, you can just run.

From the 2025 edition

Pick up your bib at the expo

50K 7:00–7:45 AM, 25K 8:05–8:45 AM, on-site Packet Pickup

Stations & transport near the venue

Getting to the startDeer Grove Forest Preserve (Deer Grove West), Cook County Forest Preserve, IL — NOT the traditional Red…
Transit cardChicago-area visitors use the Ventra card (or a contactless bank card/phone) for CTA trains, CTA buses and…

Source · checked Aug 24, 2026

More details

Getting to the start

Deer Grove Forest Preserve (Deer Grove West), Cook County Forest Preserve, IL — NOT the traditional Red Gate Woods/Palos location

No public transit, car access only — forest preserve location. VENUE CHANGE for 2026: official UltraSignup page states the race moves to Deer Grove Forest Preserve for the 2026 event due to trail renovations at the original Palos/Red Gate Woods location (near Willow Springs, IL).

Deer Grove is in Palatine/Northwest Cook County, a different area from Willow Springs.

Map

Getting to the finish

Deer Grove Forest Preserve (same as start; 5.5-mile repeating loop course)

No public transit, car access only.

Map

Transit card

Chicago-area visitors use the Ventra card (or a contactless bank card/phone) for CTA trains, CTA buses and Pace suburban buses. Metra commuter rail, which serves Willow Springs on the Heritage Corridor Line, does not accept Ventra — buy Metra tickets instead via the Ventra app or a station vending machine, single ride roughly $4-5 depending on zone.

Source · checked Aug 24, 2026

READY TO RUN

From race morning to after the finish.

Your start time, fuel and bag drop.
Know them ahead and the run feels easier.

The 50K starts at 8:00 AM, and Packet Pickup takes place between 7:00 and 7:45 AM.

The 25K starts at 9:00 AM, with pickup from 8:05 to 8:45 AM.

Crew members may meet runners only at aid stations, so it is best to plan a separate spectator route in advance.

Times are local to Palatine. Check the latest official information before the race.

A trip built around the race

STAY A LITTLE

MAKE IT A RUNTRIP

The race is one day,
the trip can be longer.

From a hotel that makes race morning easy,
to the meals and views you'll enjoy with the medal on.

Hampton Inn & Suites Chicago-Burr Ridge

Hotel · 4.7km

8.9/10(184)

View on Booking.com

Chicago｜Private Airport Pickup/Drop-off Service from O'Hare International Airport

$73

Fancy Nonsense 25k/50k

About Fancy Nonsense 25k/50k — what makes it special

A day you'll remember,long past the finish line.

The road to your own record

When the city cheers

The trip that follows the run