Spring Is Here. The Trails Are Waiting.

All fueled up and off to the next aid station

There is a moment every April when winter finally loosens its grip, and you realize you have been waiting for this longer than you admitted.

The legs are a little stiff. The fitness is somewhere between where it was in November and where you want it to be. The motivation, though, is back. And the best way to shake off the rust is to sign up for something and let the deadline do its work.

We are lucky. Here in the upper Midwest, early spring hands us some of the finest trail running opportunities in the region. All you have to do is show up.

Zumbro — April 10 and 11, Theilman, Minnesota

If you have spent any time in the trail running community around here, you already know Zumbro. John and Cheri Storkamp have built something genuinely special down in the bluffs along the Zumbro River — a race that draws runners from across the country and keeps bringing them back year after year.

The distances range from 17 miles to 100 miles, which means there is an entry point for almost anyone willing to step into the woods. The 17-miler is a serious undertaking in its own right. The 100 is something else entirely.

If running isn't in the cards, Zumbro is one of the best volunteer experiences you will find. These kinds of events run on people who show up and give their time, and the community that forms around an aid station fire at 2 in the morning is unlike anything else in this sport.

Chippewa Trail Races — April 25, New Auburn, Wisconsin

Two weeks later, Jeff Allen brings the Chippewa Trail Races to the Ice Age Trail at the Chippewa Moraine Ice Age Interpretive Center. Options include a 10K, a 20-miler, a 50K, and a 50K relay — which makes this one of the more accessible early-season events on the calendar.

The course runs primarily on single-track through forests, lakes, and rolling glacial terrain. Views of more than 20 lakes. A stretch through a tall pine swamp. A bridge built by a father in memory of his daughter. The course has character in the way that only trails with real history behind them do.

Willow 10 & 20 miler — May 2, Hudson, Wisconsin

I will be honest with you. I am biased here.

But I also genuinely believe that Willow River State Park is one of the most beautiful places to spend a May morning in this part of the country. The 10-mile and 20-mile courses take you through rolling single-track, open meadows, ridgelines, and views of the falls that stop you in your tracks, no matter how many times you have seen them.

The 20-miler starts at 7:00 am. The 10-miler follows at 8:00. Both courses are the same loop — the 20-mile runners do it twice.

If running is not on the agenda, we need volunteers. Setup and registration begin at 5:45 am. Aid station volunteers head out around 7:45. Course marshals, finish line support, and course sweepers all play a critical role in making the day work. Every position matters, and the people who show up to help make this race what it is.

You can register to run here and sign up to volunteer here.

Pick One. Or Pick All Three.

April and early May give us three genuinely great events within a few hours of each other. Different distances. Different terrain. Different communities. All worth your morning and sometimes evening.

The rust does not shake itself off. But it shakes off fast the moment you commit to something and lace up for the first time with a real race on the calendar.

Spring is here. The trails are waiting.