From the starting line at the Moquah Town Park on County Highway G, runners follow the paved highway for a brief stretch until they hit the intersection with Johanik Road, where they turn left and then enter the Tri-County Corridor, where they’ll spend the entire remainder of the race route all the way to the finish line.
Along the way, as the course takes runners from west to east, participants will run within a couple miles of the nearby Iron River and watch the local scenery unfold including views of the area’s railroad trestles, wetlands, trout streams, the Chequamegon National Forest, and both farmland and residential neighborhoods.
The course will follow the path of the former Burlington Northern railroad toward Ashland, veering slightly left and right along the way, passing water stops and aid stations at Karaba Road and Torkko Road.
As runners are entering Ashland, they should look for the road signs they pass along the trail, as Vaughn Avenue is the sign that lets you know you’re about to hit the home stretch of the race and enter the Railyard Park for the finish.
Upon entering the park, runners follow the trail as it winds around the park’s edges, and cross the finish line at 3rd Avenue and 3rd Street just as they are about to exit the park’s north entrance.
Because of the time of year in which the race takes place, runners should also see plenty of fall colors changing as they run the corridor from Moquah to Ashland, including beautiful shades of red, orange, gold, yellow and brown. There’s also live music at both the start and the finish lines, for runners as well as friends, family and spectators.
Participants will have a course time limit of 6 hours for the half marathon, so walkers as well as runners are encouraged to sign up for the 13.1-mile race. For runners in the full marathon, the WhistleStop race is a Boston Marathon qualifying race.
