Stampede road and prairie run before the first ascension to get the heart pumping. The plunge has something for everyone, minimalist trail, ridge running, scenic vistas, skid turns, and moderate descents. Perhaps your preference is for uphill climbing and shin shaking plunges. Well, you will not be disappointed. Or if you define plunge as an entrance method into a cold water. Yes, that too is provided.

"Hell, I’m tired just trying to describing it.”

Why did the duck go in the river? To get to the other side of the road. Be the duck. Go jump in the river. Then crawl under the highway. No road-kill this way. Climb up onto the gravel road and play hooky from the graveyard. Up and down the hills, this way and that, here and there, but only near not far. Eventually back jumping in the river again, crawling under the highway and presto back to Mike’s.

3A:  I’ve Been Slimed! – 1.9 miles – Mike’s Barn to Slime Ridge Hilltop.

“Can’t stop the slime, people, lookit me go” Frank Zappa.

South down the road to Shipley’s Cut-Thru. Watch out for dogs. Please, no beef jerky in your shorts.
Super soupy slime climb to ridge at the top. RIGHT-WEST on the wide trail. Relay is the only course that goes right. Ignore all the other colors to the left.

 3B: Quivering Quads  – 2.3 miles New – Slime Ridge Hilltop to Crooked Creek

Full recovery as steady downhill from the top of the slime. Easy run on nice wide trail for 0.5 and gravel 2- track for another 0.9 mile. Then let it rip until the quads quiver. Scorch down the mountain bike trail for 0.9 miles to Crooked Creek. A magnificent downhill run.

Baby Goat Note: “Fast blast. Let the legs loose, baby.”

A masterpiece of a trail. The entire team should go run it on Friday for a warm up. Awesome single track climb thru beautiful woods for 1 mile. Solid running on 1.8 miles of gravel 2-track. Screaming hard rock, single track for 0.9 miles. Nothing to make you sad, depressed or blue.

Dog Drool: “The shape of the Topo map evokes the image of the masterpiece “The Blue Nude”, 1902, by Pablo Picasso. Go ahead and compare. Ok, maybe we had one too many Quaff On Busted Knuckle ales.

By the way, Busted Knuckle was created to be Quaffed. It is the everyday, all occasion beer of choice ... Busted Knuckle has been called a smooth porter, but it is really in a category of its own with a rich complex flavor.  “Not so subliminal, huh.”

I’m out here living in a fantasy. I can’t enjoy a goddamn thing. Anxiety. Why am I never where I am supposed to be?” Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit, the Nashville Sound

1 mile of single track through nature’s beauty and 1.3 miles of gravel 2-Track to warm up the legs and sharpen the mind. Then this fantasy is where you are supposed to be. 2.25 miles of hand-cut, technical mountain bike trail laced with anxiety. Doses of switchback reactivity, oh crap mentality, slippery relativity, and WTF reality. Relax, soothe the soul, and let the anxiety detoxify away. You’re welcome.

Team: Long drive from Crooked Creek into Brown County Park down to Ogle Lake, so get moving!

6A:  Human  – 4.8 miles - New – Crooked Creek to Playground Aid (Please, Grab a Drink)

“Don’t ask my opinion, don’t ask me to lie. Then beg for forgiveness for making you cry. Making you cry. ‘Cause, I'm only human after all.” Rag’n’Bone Man (seems necessary to have that name represented).

Exit Crooked Creek east, awesome single track climb thru beautiful woods for 1 mile. In our opinion, no lying, this uphill may make you cry. Hey, we’re only human.

Gravel 2-track for 1.3 miles onto wide trail. In 0.5 miles pass the Top of the Slime. STAY STRAIGHT; ignore all other color ribbons and solo runners exiting down the Slime. Continue straight on 10 O’clock Line (horse trail G). At Y, stay left on 2-track to Playground Aid Station. (Please, Grab a Drink)

6B:  Goin’ Down - 1.4 miles - Revised – Playground to Ogle Lake

“Well I'm going down - Down, down, down, down, down. I'm going down - Down, down, down, down, down. I've got my head out the window, and my big feet on the ground” Freddie King remix Jeff Beck

From aid, Right-East (relay only), GREEN, on campground road. May have solo runners in opposition. Hard left at the Dogwood camp area, through the gate and onto the 2-Track. A couple of hard rights onto Trail 9 at the big sign pointing to Ogle Lake. Get ready to fly. Ignore Pink, Blue and White Ribbons.

A great downhill run on perfect trail descending to a small river crossing. A couple of wicked hills and more goin down, down to the Ogle Lake dam.  Across the dam to the exchange 6-7, Green to White.

A fast and furious leg for the fresh and fabulous. A beautiful loop around Ogle lake with mild hills and scenic vistas. Keep the ogling to a minimum and your eyes on the trail. Lots of ankle biter roots.

Dog drool: “Beauty may be skin deep but ugly goes clean to the bone.” Redd Foxx.”

"If we blow a hole in the escarpment, the wild ones won't have anywhere to go."  Sarah Harmer - Escarpment Blues

The Knobstone Escarpment is the most prominent topographic landform or rugged geologic terrain in Indiana. The rocky ridge is compromised of slippery siltstone, jagged ravines and steep hills called knobs.

Rocky, the science guy sure got that correct! Up, up, up, up Trail 8. After the stairs, head west towards the West Tower but watch for the turnoff. If you get to West Tower, you missed it.

What goes up must come down. Down, down, down, down to Ogle Lake.

Dog drool: “Short opposition running at the start/finish of this leg in the restroom and playground area. No head on collisions, please!

“Going’ to run all night, goin’ to run all day, Oh de do-dah day.” Stephen Foster

Exit on North side of dam onto Trail 7. Pleasant hiking trails with substantial but gradual climbs. Stairs, slippery flat rocks and roots to keep you on your toes. A bit tricky to follow in the middle. Gradual but significant climbs up to Hoosier’s Nest.

Head Goat: “Good leg for the Billie Goat on the team to run as lots of uphill, side hill, no side hill.”

Dog Drool: “Nearby Indiana University study reported that runners who drank beer had higher bone density. You’ll need it based on the number of times you will fall on this leg.”

“I wanna be yours pretty baby, yours and yours alone. I'm here to tell ya honey, that I'm bad to the bone. B-B-B-B-Bad, B-B-B-B-Bad, B-B-B-B-Bad, Bad to the bone.” George Thorogood & the Destroyers

DWD Gnaw Bone Signature leg? Is it seductive or salacious? Is it beautiful or brutal? Is it daunting or dangerous? It is B-B-B-Bad to the Bone!
This sucker is not for the faint of heart. Back & forth, side-angle-side, pop & drop, whip & dip. It commands your full attention. A portion of the “trail” is about a half-shoe wide on the side of mountain.

Leg #11 runner starts across the road by the Fire Tower.

Dog Drool: “Lean into the ridge in the narrows, as there is nothing on the other side. It’s not the fall that will break your bones but the sudden stop at the bottom, which is B-B-B-B-Bad to the Bone. “

Across the road from Leg #10 Bad to the Bone at Hoosier’s Nest.

A loop from the Fire Tower/Park HQ that will leave your legs feeling like lunch meat!  Keep your eyes open as plenty of conflicting corners. Do not disturb the romantics in the dugout as the Head Goat did a few years ago. Sure hope the park cut out that huge tree fall from last year.

Dog Drool: “Good tempo run with nice opportunity to go fast.”

“There’s a feeling I get when I look to the west and my spirit is crying for leaving.  In my thoughts I have seen, rings of smoke through the trees and the voices of those who stand looking.” Led Zeppelin

Extreme focus when leaving the aid station, staying along shoulder on this side of the road for a short period. Lots of quick turns off one trail onto another. Serious descents, horse pucky, poor footing, bushwhacking, and creek crossings. Wait we forgot something. Oh yeah, quad quivering, stumble down, resistance trails. This bitch is not nice.

“Don’t know where you’re goin', only know where you’ve been.” Led Zeppelin.

Counter-clockwise loop out of and back to Heaven / Nature Center.
North over to Buffalo Ridge campground for a full interactive experience A zig-zag sashay through kids on bikes, street chalkers, cornholers, and beer can throwers. Ouch, sure wish Indiana had a can deposit law!

Enter the Buffalo Ridge trail for smooth downhill run. Hard right-south onto Trail 9 following white ribbon. Ignore other colors. Now the fun begins. Nice downhill plunge and river crossing will be rewarded with one wicked climb. Watch out for the 50 milers running in opposition on the trails. They might be hungry.
Hard left-south exit off Trail 9 to Dogwood camp and left-east on the campground road back to Heaven.

14A:  Recovery – 1.3 miles – Nature Center to Playground
“I'm about to lose my mind, you’ve been gone for so long. I’m running out of time. I need a doctor. Call me a doctor. I need a doctor, doctor to bring me back to life,” Eminem

Easy 1.3 miles on paved campground road that provides an excellent opportunity to recover from earlier legs. At Playground Ultra Aid station turn hard Left-South onto 2-Track.

“At the crack of doom, Evil vision fills my mind, chills you to the bone. Take the life force from your soul, Satan claims his throne.” Warbringer

Creek, steep climbs, bear crawl, bushwhack, more creek, crack of doom, log piles, cliff climbs, more creek. Is it really satanic? Will it really tug at your soul? Will See

Smell the barn? Or maybe that's the hog and beer!

Dog Drool:” Crack of Doom may piss you off. Especially since your teammates are already partaking in the feast and quaffing a brew.”