6/23/25 -  Early Registration opens

We have began to set the official courses and are excited with the

layout for this summer.

Distances:

Bike - 4-5 Miles all on paved trails

Run/Hike - 8ish

No boats but you will not stay dry

6/30 - This years course for the 4 hour race is a bit more adventurous in the past with multiple

river crossings, if racers decide to take certain routes. There are options for racers that might play 

it a little safer. Early registration closes.

7/1 - Regular registration opens for racers. Teams are starting to sign up and maps are taking shape. 

7/5 - Courses are both complete, and we are ready to set CP's and finalize maps. The 4-Hour race has nearly

30 CP's to collect while the 8-Hour while have over 60 CP's. Our 8-hour race is looking at approximately 30 miles of total binking, but tht will be broken up and some of that will include single track. Both courses have plenty of water, which depending on where you cross will determine how wet you get. There are plenty of "razor" weeds out there so we suggest long pants, especially for the 8-hour racers. We would also suggest ot wearing new shoes since areas of the river are muddy and you will be in it a lot.

7/12 - Passports are complete and maps are in the process for being finalized and vetted. We are ahead of schedule and have a great course planned for both races. Today is the last day to use the discount code: ADVENTURE to save 10%.

7/13 - Teams are taking shape, and we are over the halfway mark for our race goals. The river has risen 2 feet with the recent storm activity, so we will monitor it as the weeks progress, leading up to the race. I imagine a number of the ribbons we set out have been lost, but we will be heading out next weekend just to check on things. Please check out our race HQ tab on the home page if you have any questions on where the race will be. I have had a few teams ask about a bike drop, and good news, there is no bike drop for this year's race!

Race Director John Paddock out setting the course.

Race Director Mike LaScola out in the Kishwaukee setting the course.

Sticker - Right Side

Patch - Left Side

7/18 - We have started to put together registration bags. Check out the cool sticker and patch each racer will receive. The first 68 racers receive a bigger swag item that might be valuable during the race. The river did manage to lower over the last few days, just in time for the storm we received this morning. This race will happen regardless of conditions, just expect to be wet and if the race was today, there would be a few areas in the 8-hour race that might have racers swimming. For the 4-hour race we will provide a location on the map with the safest crossing, as an option for any team concerned. If things go back to normal, this won't be an issue, but we want to ensure the safety of the racers. The 8 hour teams, we will let you figure it all out. However, I will say that when we set the course we could be chest deep crossing the river, but if we walked down a 10 feet it was significantly lower.  

7/19 - Racers can expect a pre-race video highlighting the course layout and what the race will entail. We will send this out mid-week (initial plan is the 30th). Once we have that sent out, we plan to send maps/clue sheets/race itinerary on August 1st. Please check out the tabs on our homepage (Race HQ Location, Mandatory Gear List, Schedule). We have an excellent area for the Race Headquarters, but bathrooms are limited. There is one bathroom at HQ, and another is located right across the river. You will pass several during the race, but please take note of this. 

Mosquitoes are a nuisance, especially when you're stopped on the trail. I didn't spray my clothes with Permethrin when scouting the course and had a few tics, but Mike sprayed his and had no issues.  I highly suggest pants for the 8-hour race. I had shorts and gaiters on while scouting and regretted not having pants (that razor grass gets old fast). 

7/22 - Race Director appears on Good Day Stateline FOX 39 News and talks about the sport of adventure racing and the upcoming race, Get it Under Control.

 Good Day Stateline news covering the race with Race Director, Mike LaScola.

7/25 - We are finishing up the final sections of the maps and will then create our pre-race video this weekend. We plan to send out the video on Wednesday and maps on Thursday, so racers have time to strategize and start planning. Just a reminder to the 8-hour racers, there will be one large foot section map that you will receive during the actual race. We will cover all the logistics during the race videos. We are going to set up the courses on Sunday, so once we do that, we will send out a message to inform racers to stay out of the parks we will be using. 4-hour racers stay in the Kishwaukee/Blackhawk Forest Preserve areas, but 8-hour racers will be in a bunch of different forest preserves that we have never used in any of our races. It's been great for us to visit these parks and discover new trails to explore.

Bike distances for each race: 4-Hr. approximately 5 miles on paved recreational path.

8-Hr. - 32 miles with a few miles of single track. Racers are only allowed to ride on pavement during the race, except when at Atwood on the actual mountain bike trails. Racers will want to bring a bike lock since we will only have staff at HQ and the official bike transition area. Outside of those two areas, we advise racers to lock their bikes.

7/28 - We have begun setting the control punches; however, it is still fine to be in the parks since the ones we have set are off-trail. I must warn racers that mosquitoes are brutal in a few areas. You will want a ton of bug spray. I want to emphasize this point, especially for the 8-hour racers.

8-Hour Racers - We will cover this in the pre-race video, but please note that Route 251 is off-limits during the race. You will cross it, but you are not permitted to ride on it (for safety reasons). You will want to keep this in mind when planning your route to and from the "Devil's Triangle" area.