A long-distance hiking event is coming to Wisconsin's Ice Age Trail in June

"Not your average hike" might be an understatement for the MammothMarch, a long-distance hiking event coming to Wisconsin for the first time this year.

The event on June 3 invites participants to hike 20 or 30 miles primarily on the Ice Age Trail through the Kettle Moraine State Forest's Northern Unit in one day — a challenging hike on any trail, much less the hummocky Ice Age Trail that dips and climbs over the kettles and moraines that give the forest its name.

Of course trail runners in races like the Ice Age Trail 50 run twice that distance every year. But not everyone has the makings of an ultra-runner, and for those who don't, the MammothMarch is a worthy and more attainable goal.

"There are millions of events for runners ... but there is not really anything targeting people who don't want to run or can't run and still love an organized, challenging event," said Michael Mitreuter, who started the event in 2021 with marches in Ohio and New Jersey. Mitreuter, who is from Germany and has a background in sports marketing organizing running events, decided to start the MammothMarch when he realized there weren't any long-distance hiking or walking events in the U.S. There are some in Germany and Austria, he said, but they're different from MammothMarch events because the infrastructure between the countries is so different.

"(MammothMarches) are actually a lot more scenic because everything is within park boundaries, and a lot of the trails we use are single lane trails ... most of them are for hiking only or at least hiking and biking," he said.

MammothMarch is an adventure through the Kettle Moraine State Forest

The event bills itself as a hiking challenge or adventure, not a running event or race. Participants usually finish within a certain time period (8 hours for the 20-mile route, 12 for 30 miles), but they are not timed.

Sure, you could hike 20 or 30 miles on the Ice Age Trail at any time on your own, without the $59 price tag — just like you could run a marathon anytime you want without paying a race entry fee. But there's a reason people participate in organized events. Not only do they provide support in the form of medical personnel and refreshment stations — stocked with bananas, protein bars, sandwiches and other snacks for the MammothMarch — but there's a sense of camaraderie and accomplishment from completing the event. (And finishers get a medal and certificate as proof of that accomplishment.)

"They feel that community holding each other accountable for something — walking 20 miles at a stretch — and most people I can tell you have never done that before and are very surprised of how far they can push each other on a day like event day," Mitreuter said.

And if participants find themselves hitting their limit before they finish, a shuttle is available to take them back to their vehicles from any of the three aid stations.

Plus, the hike does some good. Not only is it a low-waste event — with hikers bringing their own water bottles to refill at aid stations — but organizers also plant one tree for every registered hiker through a partnership with OneTreePlanted. In 2022 that meant 5,441 trees were planted in a reforestation project in Ohio.

Last year the events were held in eight states, and this year they've expanded to 12, including Wisconsin because of its reputation as "an outdoorsy state," Mitreuter said. He added that the Ice Age Trail, a national scenic trail, also has name recognition and therefore attracts people from out-of-state, too.

There are 20-mile and 30-mile options available

The Wisconsin hike is limited to 1,000 participants with staggered start times not only because of parking capacity but also to make sure the trails aren't overcrowded, Mitreuter said.

"You still enjoy a remote hiking experience ... and technically (don't) have to crawl your way through and pass other hikers and other participants," he said.

The trails might have more hikers than usual, though, since the first weekend in June is typically Free Fun Weekend in Wisconsin, when admission is free to all state parks and trail passes and fishing licenses are not required. June 3 is also National Trails Day.

The 20-mile MammothMarch will begin at Mauthe Lake in Campbellsport and follow a loop primarily on the Ice Age Trail through the northern unit of the Kettle Moraine State Forest. The 30-mile route will follow the same loop for the first 20 miles, then an additional 10-mile loop on separate trails. The exact routes will be released two weeks before the event.

More:A backpacking adventure close to Milwaukee: the Ice Age Trail in the Kettle Moraine

MammothMarch almost sold out in Wisconsin, events also planned for other states

As of early March the event was almost sold out for Wisconsin, with all early bird tickets (which started at $59) gone and the remaining ones going for $94 (20 miles) and $99 (30 miles).

Mitreuter said they've returned to each of the previous locations they've had MammothMarch events and would "definitely intend" to do the same in Wisconsin if feedback for the race is good.

For this year, he expects their events to attract 12,000 participants across the country. And if Wisconsin does sell out, three other MammothMarches are being held in the Midwest this year: in Burr Oak State Park in Gloucester, Ohio (80 miles southeast of Columbus) on Aug. 5; at Stony Creek Metropark in Shelby Township, Michigan, (35 miles north of Detroit) on Aug. 26; and at Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Peninsula, Ohio (25 miles south of Cleveland) on Sept. 17.

Dogs are permitted at most MammothMarch events but must be leashed the entire time.

For more on MammothMarch and to register, see mammothmarch.com.

Contact Chelsey Lewis at clewis@journalsentinel.com. Follow her on Twitter at @chelseylew and @TravelMJS and Facebook at Journal Sentinel Travel.

More:5 unusual things to see along the Ice Age Trail, from an airplane wreck to a Stone Elephant

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: MammothMarch coming to Wisconsin's Ice Age Trail in June 2023