Runners start · local time — 8:00 AM all distances
Moorehead Park Trail Marathon, held at Moorehead Park in Ida Grove, Iowa,
is a 26.2-mile marathon organized by "Trail of the Dragon Races." Course consists of three laps of an 8.8-mile loop that alternates between single-track dirt path and short mowed prairie trail,
and beyond the full 26.2-mile full marathon, finishers can also choose to run just one lap (1/3, 8.8 miles) or two laps (2/3, 17.6 miles).
The appeal of this race goes beyond simple trail running,
into something closer to a "history tour." Course follows an old stagecoach route, passing in sequence the site of the first log cabin —
used by early settlers as a waystation, church, and clinic all at once —
a pioneer-era settlers' cemetery, a field with abandoned old farm equipment, a defunct train station, and a one-room schoolhouse.
With roughly 1,000 feet of elevation gain accumulated per lap over the gentle rolling hills of western Iowa, it demands different strength than a flat marathon.
The race has the character of a small-scale local trail festival held every year in late summer.
Moorehead Park has primitive camping with no electricity, while Cove Park across the road has a campground with electricity and hot showers,
making it easy for traveling participants to stay a day or two.
