Name: 16 days and more than 700 miles in, Ice Age Trail record is still within grasp of ultrarunner
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16 days and more than 700 miles in, Ice Age Trail record is still within grasp of ultrarunner

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Milwaukee Journal SentinelView CommentsAt the beginning of May,&nbsp;Coree&nbsp;Woltering&nbsp;of Ottawa, Illinois, posted on social media that he was going to attempt to break the fastest known time record&nbsp;for the Ice Age Trail.&nbsp;On June 1, the professional ultrarunner set out from the trail’s western terminus&nbsp;in St. Croix Falls with the goal of doing that&nbsp;while raising money for and the Ice Age Trail Alliance. It was&nbsp;a goal that would require him to run nearly 1,200 miles in less than 21 days, 18 hours and 7 minutes — .&nbsp;&nbsp;On June 16, the 30-year-old&nbsp;Woltering&nbsp;started the&nbsp;day&nbsp;north of Cross Plains,&nbsp;more than 700 miles of the trail behind him but about&nbsp;24 miles behind&nbsp;where Weiss was on the same day during her run.But&nbsp;he was&nbsp;still in good spirits as he crossed through Cross Plains,&nbsp;saying over the phone that he would need to make&nbsp;up an extra five miles every day over the next five to beat the record.“With five days to go, it’s getting to be&nbsp;crunch&nbsp;time,” he said, noting that his days were starting earlier and ending later — he didn’t stop running until around 11:15 the night before.&nbsp;&nbsp;“It’s OK, because I can sleep for a week after this,” he said.&nbsp;He said his body was feeling “pretty good,” despite a rolled ankle that had bothered him and slowed his pace since Day 6.&nbsp;&nbsp;“I don’t really know how I’m supposed to feel on Day 16,” he said.&nbsp;“It feels as good as it could for Day 16.”&nbsp;Woltering, who is a , had watched Weiss’ attempts to break the FKT&nbsp;record in 2017 and 2018 and “thought it was pretty cool.”&nbsp;He said&nbsp;he regularly trains on the Ice Age Trail in the southern Kettle Moraine State Forest and had always wanted to see more of it.&nbsp; &nbsp;At the beginning of the year, he was training for&nbsp;a&nbsp;“golden ticket” ultramarathon, which would earn him a spot in the 100-mile Western States Endurance Run&nbsp;that was scheduled for June 27-28 in California.&nbsp;Then the coronavirus&nbsp;led to that race&nbsp;— and almost every other one&nbsp;in the near future&nbsp;—&nbsp;being canceled.&nbsp;“With all of the races&nbsp;canceled&nbsp;for the rest of this year, it became the perfect opportunity to get out and do something crazy,” he said.&nbsp;&nbsp;“This kind of became the logical choice — which is horrible logic and reasoning,” he said, laughing.&nbsp;Beating the.Ice Age Trail record&nbsp;requires running (or walking) more than 50 miles a day for three weeks straight, sometimes on rough or flooded terrain&nbsp;— which can take its toll even on the most fit athletes.&nbsp;Because&nbsp;Woltering&nbsp;had less than a month to plan his attempt, he didn’t change his training regime from what he had been doing to train for his 100-mile races.&nbsp;&nbsp;He did go to northern Wisconsin to scout the trail and began assembling the crew that would help him with logistics, including food and lodging&nbsp;— an added challenge with coronavirus having shut down campgrounds and other facilities.&nbsp;Woltering’s&nbsp;husband, Tom&nbsp;Aussem, heads the&nbsp;support&nbsp;crew that also includes a photographer and another&nbsp;runner&nbsp;he coaches in Ottawa.&nbsp;&nbsp;But not even the most extensive planning can prevent injuries, which struck&nbsp;Woltering&nbsp;on day six when he rolled an ankle.&nbsp;The injury slowed his pace as he “made the turn”&nbsp;on the trail near Antigo — where the Ice Age Trail bends&nbsp;from its east-heading trajectory and begins to head south toward central Wisconsin.&nbsp;&nbsp;Most hikers consider the turn as a literal turning point, where the trail leaves the wild, sometimes overgrown Northwoods and&nbsp;begins following unofficial connecting routes (usually county roads) and then more developed trail in central and southern Wisconsin. The southern and eastern half of the trail is generally considered easier — good news for&nbsp;Woltering, who would need to put in long days to beat the record.&nbsp;&nbsp;The people of northern Wisconsin helped pushed him forward,&nbsp;he said,&nbsp;providing food, places to stay and cheering him on.&nbsp;&nbsp;“Northern Wisconsin has been amazing,” he said,&nbsp;noting&nbsp;that everybody&nbsp;he’s encountered has been&nbsp;“extremely friendly.”&nbsp;“In&nbsp;Wisconsin,&nbsp;I swear to&nbsp;God, everybody waves,”&nbsp;he said over the phone.&nbsp;Less than five minutes before, a woman could be heard in the background honking and shouting, “Hey! Way to go!”&nbsp;Woltering, who is Black, said he’s felt “super comfortable taking on this project” the whole time, while protests erupted&nbsp;across the country following the death of&nbsp;another&nbsp;Black runner,&nbsp;Ahmaud&nbsp;Arbery,&nbsp;on Feb. 23, and&nbsp;the death of&nbsp;George Floyd&nbsp;on&nbsp;May&nbsp;25.&nbsp;&nbsp;While&nbsp;Woltering&nbsp;participated in #IRunWithMaud on May 8 — when people across the country documented their 2.23-mile runs on&nbsp;social media on&nbsp;Arbery’s&nbsp;birthday in his honor —&nbsp;he said he didn’t have much time to think about&nbsp;what happened with&nbsp;Floyd since he was getting ready for&nbsp;this trip.&nbsp;&nbsp;“By the time I really had time to really think of it, all of this is going on and I'm getting ready to start this big outdoor adventure.&nbsp;…&nbsp;That made things a little difficult,”&nbsp;he said, noting that he plans to&nbsp;post something on social media about it when he’s finished with the attempt.&nbsp;&nbsp;His other plans for when he’s&nbsp;done?&nbsp;A glass of red wine.&nbsp;More information:&nbsp;Woltering&nbsp;finished his 16th day close to 1 a.m. (on Day 17) northeast of Belleville in Dane County.&nbsp;Find a link to&nbsp;his live&nbsp;tracker and&nbsp;updates of his journey on his&nbsp;website,&nbsp;, and professional Facebook page,&nbsp;.&nbsp;Find a link to donate to Feeding America on his fundraising Facebook page,&nbsp;.&nbsp;&nbsp;For more on the Ice Age Trail, see&nbsp;.&nbsp;Contact Chelsey Lewis at&nbsp;. Follow her on Twitter at and&nbsp; and Facebook at .Related:Related:View Comments

Milwaukee Journal SentinelView CommentsAt the beginning of May,&nbsp;Coree&nbsp;Woltering&nbsp;of Ottawa, Illinois, posted on social media that he was going to attempt to break the fastest known time record&nbsp;for the Ice Age Trail.&nbsp;On June 1, the professional ultrarunner set out from the trail’s western terminus&nbsp;in St. Croix Falls with the goal of doing that&nbsp;while raising money for and the Ice Age Trail Alliance. It was&nbsp;a goal that would require him to run nearly 1,200 miles in less than 21 days, 18 hours and 7 minutes — .&nbsp;&nbsp;On June 16, the...

16 days and more than 700 miles in, Ice Age Trail record is still within grasp of ultrarunner

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