When the first words from the race director are, 'This is going to be a challenging day" you know it's going to be fun! The half-marathon course took us through the rolling hills of Burr Oak State Park where at least a third of the course was covered with deep mud. It was a slow going mud fest, but at least Kelly Baker and I didn't get sweep down the river in the knee high ice cold water crossing. The good news it washed all the mud away, but that only lasted for about a quarter mile, then it was back to the mud. Overall I felt strong even with the 1700+ ft of elevation gain. The final stretch brings you out of the woods and onto some welcoming dry rolling road to the finish line in front of the lodge. Race temp today was 25 degrees, OUCH!! :-)