PACERTRIP CITY EDITIONUS / RACE GUIDE

The Forge Trail Run Festival

Name: Forge Trail Run Fest Preview
Uploaded: 2023-10-14
Description: Held on trails in the American Midwest in late autumn. The events are the 10K, 20K, 30K, and 60K.

The city you want to run becomes your next trip.

USNov 14, 202637.2M · 21.1km · 10km

Race date in 39 days: Nov 14, 2026 Sat
City · Distance: Lemont · 37.2M · 21.1km · 10km
Entry fee: $82.50Varies by event and entry period
Status: OpenTBD ~ Sat, November 14, 2026See how to enter ↗

Official website ↗D-day as of Oct 6, 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.

Held on trails in the American Midwest in late autumn.

The events are the 10K, 20K, 30K, and 60K.

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 those who ran it first.

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.

Forge Trail Run Fest Preview

dave fako

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.

Half

Entry cost $82.50

20K (Half Marathon) · until Oct 25, 2026 · subject to change — verify officially

Organizer's page

Ultra

Entry cost $100

until Oct 25, 2026 · subject to change — verify officially

Organizer's page

Trail

Entry cost $82.50

until Oct 25, 2026 · subject to change — verify officially

Organizer's page

10K

Entry cost $62.50

until Oct 25, 2026 · subject to change — verify officially

Organizer's page

Registration platform RunSignup

Official race website Entry options

From the start line to the finish

RACE WEEK

The 37.2M I'll run

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

From the 2025 edition

Runners start · local timeFrom 08:45

Event	Start
Ultra60km	07:15
10K10km	08:45
Other30km	08:45
Other30km	08:45

not the start line

We have not confirmed the start line coordinates yet.

START

227 Heritage Quarries Dr., Lemont, IL

Start · Google Maps

FINISH

The Forge Quarry, Lemont

Finish · Google Maps

The events are the 10K, 20K (Half Marathon), 30K, and 60K.

The start is at 227 Heritage Quarries Dr., Lemont, IL, at 8:45 AM local time.

Typical race-season temperature: around 4°C (40°F): Long sleeves + a throwaway layer for the start

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 2025 edition

Pick up your bib at the expo

On-site Packet Pickup 07:00-08:30

Stations & transport near the venue

Getting to the start

Lemont Metra Station (Heritage Corridor Line), 101 Main St, Lemont, IL

Start/finish is at The Forge: Lemont Quarries, 227 Heritage Quarries Dr.,

roughly a half-mile (10-15 min) walk east of the Lemont Metra station via downtown Lemont.

Race-day parking is in Lots 1/2 north of the I&M Canal.

Unusual for this project: an actual nearby Metra commuter rail station exists, but the linked shuttle is confirmed off on race day.

Getting to the finish

Lemont Metra Station (Heritage Corridor Line)

Same venue for finish, same walking distance back to the Metra station.

More details

The race page explicitly notes the regular Metra shuttle system will NOT operate on race day — organizers encourage carpooling instead.

Stations & transport near the venue

Lemont, IL is served by Metra's SouthWest Service commuter rail line (zone 3) into downtown Chicago.

There is no vending machine at Lemont station and the physical Ventra card is not used on Metra,

so visitors should buy tickets onboard from the conductor or purchase mobile tickets in advance via the Ventra app.

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.

Race-day bib pickup is available on site from 7:00 to 8:30 a.m. The 60K ultra starts at 7:45 a.m.,

while the 10K, 20K, and 30K events start at 8:45 a.m. Entry fee ranges from $62.50 to $100 depending on the event.

The race venue, The Forge,

is an outdoor park converted from a former limestone quarry and is known as a course that preserves the rugged trail terrain characteristic of the Midwest in late autumn.

Times are local to Lemont. 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 easy

1 places

Distances are straight-line from the start/finish area.
Check real travel times and booking terms with each hotel.

The start and finish are in the same place
We picked stays around that one spot.

D-Lux Budget Inn Lemont

Motel · 2.5km

7.5/10(110)

View on Booking.com

Swipe sideways to see more hotels.

View on map →

Time for you, before and after the finish

30 experiences

Rest a little, wander a little.
Pick what suits you and whoever you're with.

SIT-DOWN TOURS7CARB LOADING2LOCAL TRANSIT2FAMILY PASS7TRAIL & OUTDOOR3CITY TOURS7EASY WALKING2

Chicago Big Bus City Tour (Open-Top)

$51

The Forge Trail Run Festival

About The Forge Trail Run Festival — 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