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PACERTRIP CITY EDITIONUS / RACE GUIDE

IronHorse - USATF Certified & Sanctioned

The city you want to run becomes your next trip.

USMay 1, 202742.195km · 21.1km · 10km +1 more events

Jon Roanhaus · CC BY-SA 4.0

Race date in 197 days: May 1, 2027 Sat
City · Distance: Riceville · 42.195km · 21.1km · 10km +1 more events
Entry fee: $65Varies by event and entry period
Status: OpenTBD ~ Sun, April 25, 2027See how to enter ↗

Official website ↗D-day as of Oct 16, 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.

The events are full marathon, half marathon, 10K, and 5K.

Full marathon is recognized as a qualifying time for the Boston Marathon.

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.

Full recap

GumbelAxel · Full recap

View on YouTube

This may be from a past edition. Check the organizer for this year's course and operations.

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.

Marathon

Entry cost $65

IronHorse Full Marathon (Half in MN and Half in IA) IA21004MF · until Dec 27, 2026 · subject to change — verify officially

Organizer's page

Half

Entry cost $55

IronHorse Half Marathon IA21003MF · until Dec 27, 2026 · subject to change — verify officially

Organizer's page

10K

Entry cost $25

IronHorse 10K · until Jan 27, 2027 · subject to change — verify officially

Organizer's page

5K

Entry cost $15

IronHorse 5K IA18005MF · until Jan 27, 2027 · subject to change — verify officially

Organizer's page

Official race website Entry options

From the start line to the finish

RACE WEEK

Your 42.195km

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

Runners start · local timeFrom 06:30

Event	Start	Time limit
Marathon42.195km	06:30	6h
Half21.0975km	07:15	3h 15m
10K10km	07:30	1h 15m
5K5km	07:45	45m

City center · not the start line

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

START

Shooting Star Trailhead, LeRoy, MN

FINISH

WGWL Trailhead Welcome Center, 110 Main Street, Riceville, IA

풀은 미네소타 르로이의 Shooting Star 트레일헤드, 하프는 미네소타·아이오와 주 경계에서 출발해 모두 리스빌 웰컴센터로 들어와요. 10K·5K는 리스빌 왕복 코스예요.

The events are IronHorse Half Marathon IA21003MF, IronHorse 10K, and IronHorse 5K IA18005MF.

The start is at the Wapsi-Great Western Line Welcome Center, Riceville, IA, at 6:30 a.m. local time.

Typical race-season temperature: around 14°C (57°F): Short sleeves or light long sleeves + arm warmers
Terrain: Paved and concrete rail trail
Certification: USATF-certified; full marathon is a BQ course

Participant benefits

Not yet confirmed in the official race guide

To the start line,
step by step.

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

From the 2026 edition

Stations & transport near the venue

Getting to the startNo train/subway/bus service in Riceville, IA or LeRoy, MN
Getting to the finishNo train · subway

Source · checked Aug 23, 2026

More details

Getting to the start

No train/subway/bus service in Riceville, IA or LeRoy, MN

Marathon starts at the Shooting Star Trailhead in LeRoy, MN; Half Marathon starts at the MN/IA state line; 10K/5K start at the WGWL Trailhead in Riceville, IA. Small rural trailheads with no public transit.

Genuinely rural rail-trail venue with no public transit infrastructure.

Map

Getting to the finish

No train/subway/bus service in Riceville, IA

All races finish at the WGWL Trailhead Welcome Center, 110 Main Street, Riceville, IA — no nearby transit station.

Map

Source · checked Aug 23, 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 Wapsi-Great Western Line (WGWL) Trail where the race is held is a rail-trail built on a former railway right-of-way;

the Riceville, Iowa section is paved with concrete, giving it a stable running surface.

Full marathon continues past this section to connect with the Shooting Star Trail in Minnesota,

while the half marathon, 10km, and 5km stay entirely within the Riceville section.

Full marathon, half marathon, and the 5km are USATF-certified course s, and every event is registered as a USATF-sanctioned race;

full marathon is also known as a Boston Marathon qualifier (BQ) course.

Based on the previous year, registration for the full marathon and half marathon closed about a week before the race,

while the 10km and 5km also allowed on-site, race-day registration.

It's also worth noting that finishers receive a distinct finisher memento in place of the usual finisher medal.

Times are local to Riceville. 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.

Hotels that make race morning easyDistances are straight-line from the start.View on map Eating well is part of the tripA meal before the race, a dinner to celebrate the finish.View on map Seeing Riceville with the medal onThe city you ran — this time, a little slower.View on map

TRAVEL ESSENTIALS

Trip prep too,
light and in one place.

Checklist Local eSIM · Trip.com Flight delay or cancellation compensation · AirHelp Pace calculator

Once saved, you can open this page without an internet connection

RUN TOGETHER

With runners who dream of
the same start line.

Be the first runner
Leave this room's first post

Riceville runners' room

FAQ

When does IronHorse - USATF Certified & Sanctioned 2027 take place?

It takes place on Sat, May 1, 2027 in Riceville, IA, United States.

How much is the IronHorse - USATF Certified & Sanctioned 2027 entry fee?

The main event costs $65.

What distances does IronHorse - USATF Certified & Sanctioned 2027 offer?

Marathon · Half · 10K · 5K.

What time does IronHorse - USATF Certified & Sanctioned 2027 start?

The race starts at 06:30.

Where does IronHorse - USATF Certified & Sanctioned 2027 start?

Shooting Star Trailhead, LeRoy, MN.

What is the IronHorse - USATF Certified & Sanctioned 2027 course like?

The events are IronHorse Half Marathon IA21003MF, IronHorse 10K, and IronHorse 5K IA18005MF.

The start is at the Wapsi-Great Western Line Welcome Center, Riceville, IA, at 6:30 a.m. local time.

Where does IronHorse - USATF Certified & Sanctioned 2027 finish?

WGWL Trailhead Welcome Center, 110 Main Street, Riceville, IA.

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IronHorse - USATF Certified & Sanctioned

About IronHorse - USATF Certified & Sanctioned — 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