Two Weeks Out or Less. Here’s What I Want You to Know.

Dew filled morning

Fourteen days (or less) from today, someone is going to cross the finish line at Willow River State Park, and it's going to mean something to them.

Maybe it’s their first trail race. Maybe they've been chasing a longer distance, and this is the day they finally run it. Maybe they just needed a reason to get outside in May, and this gave them one. Whatever brought them to the start line, I can almost guarantee they didn’t get there by having a perfect training cycle.

I say that because I’ve watched a lot of runners finish a lot of races, and the ones who make it to the start line are rarely the people who had everything go right. They’re the ones who showed up anyway.

If you’re still on the fence

There’s a tab open somewhere on your phone or your laptop. You’ve looked at it more than once. You keep telling yourself you'll decide soon, and soon keeps getting pushed back.

I know that feeling. It's not laziness. It's the quiet voice that asks whether you're really ready, whether this is really the right time, whether something might come up in the next two weeks that makes you glad you didn't commit.

That voice is almost always wrong.

The course at Willow River is 10 or 20 miles of honest trail — rolling, wooded, and genuinely beautiful this time of year. It will ask something of you. It will also give you something back that's hard to find anywhere else.

You don't have to be fast. You don't have to have trained perfectly. You have to show up and be willing to work through what the trail gives you.

If that sounds like something you want, don't wait much longer. Registration is still open, and there's something about having a start time on your calendar that changes the next two weeks.

Register at ultrasignup.com.

If you want to be part of it in a different way

Not everyone wants to run 10 or 20 miles through the woods. Some people want to be part of the day.

Volunteers are the reason events like this work. Aid station coverage, course support, finish line operations — none of it happens without people who show up early, stand in the woods for hours, and cheer for strangers as they know them.

If you've volunteered at a trail race before, you know what I mean. There's a particular kind of energy at an aid station in the middle of nowhere when a runner comes through tired, and a familiar face hands them exactly what they need. That matters more than most people realize.

If you've never volunteered before, Willow is a good place to start. The park is stunning in early May. The runners are genuinely grateful. And it's one of the better ways I know to spend a Saturday morning outside.

If you're interested, sign up here or send me a message directly. I'd love to have you out there.

The race is on May 2nd at Willow River State Park.

Fourteen days (or less). Whether you're running it or helping make it happen, I hope to see you there.