Lodge Aid Station Captain- Evan Wetzel
Lodge Aid Station- Ice Age Trail Alliance
Meet Your Lodge Aid Station Captain: Evan Wetzel
Evan Wetzel has been part of the ultrarunning community since 2014, with a special connection to the trails we love here in Wisconsin. His first 100-mile finish was the 2015 Kettle Moraine 100, and over the years he has logged countless miles exploring the Ice Age Trail throughout the state.
Originally from Waukesha, Evan now calls Spooner, Wisconsin, home, where he lives with his wife, Lauren, and daughter, Nancy.
With his history on the Ice Age Trail and his own experience at Kettle Moraine 100, Evan is a perfect fit to lead The Lodge Aid Station, a place that celebrates both our runners and the trail community that makes these adventures possible.
The Lodge: Celebrating the Ice Age Trail Alliance
There are aid stations along an ultramarathon course, and then there are places that become part of the story of the race.
The Lodge at Midwest States 100 is one of those places.
For our 100-mile runners, arriving at Mondeaux Esker Lodge means reaching the 100K point of their race. They come through the Lodge, receive care from volunteers, and then head back out into the Chequamegon National Forest for the final miles of their journey.
But as the day unfolds, the Lodge begins to transform.
It becomes the finish line for our 50K runners, then our 100K runners, and eventually our 100-mile runners. One by one, runners return to the Lodge after experiencing some of the wild, beautiful terrain that makes Midwest States 100 so special.
And that is exactly why this station is dedicated to the Ice Age Trail Alliance.
The Ice Age National Scenic Trail stretches roughly 1,200 miles across Wisconsin and is one of only 11 National Scenic Trails in the country. The Ice Age Trail Alliance works alongside the National Park Service and Wisconsin DNR to protect, build, maintain and promote this extraordinary trail. Much of that work is powered by volunteers.
As trail runners, we get to experience the finished product: the winding singletrack, forests, glacial terrain and those miles that become part of our race-day memories. Behind those miles are people who give their time and energy to make sure the trail is there for all of us.
Ornery Mule Racing has a special connection to the Ice Age Trail. Midwest States 100 utilizes portions of the trail in northern Wisconsin, while our Kettle Moraine 100 takes runners onto the Ice Age Trail in Wisconsin's Southern Kettle Moraine.
These trails aren't simply where we hold races. They are part of who we are.
That's why dedicating The Lodge to the Ice Age Trail Alliance feels right. It's a place to celebrate the runners who travel these trails, but also the people who make those miles possible.
Meet the volunteers behind The Lodge Aid Station and learn a little more about the Ice Age Trail Alliance and the people who care for one of Wisconsin's greatest treasures.
Learn more about the Ice Age Trail Alliance
