The Next Loop - Half Day Forest Preserve
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The Next Loop Endurance Series at Half Day Forest Preserve
The event is a loop based trail endurance format held at Half Day Forest Preserve in Vernon Hills, Illinois. Participants run a 3.1 mile (5K) trail loop and a new loop begins each hour. After completing a loop, each participant may stop or run another loop; there are no penalties for stopping and only completed loops are counted.
Each loop is timed individually and the overall score is the combined time of all completed loops. Results and rankings list athletes by loops completed and by combined time. The course is clearly marked and the start and finish share a central base area. An aid station is available each hour.
The format maps loops to common distances so participants can gauge total distance:
- 1 Loop = 5K
- 2 Loops = 10K
- 4 Loops = Half Marathon
- 9 Loops = Marathon
- 10 Loops = 50K
The event presents a structure for repeated efforts with recorded loop by loop performance, allowing athletes to evaluate pacing, recovery, and consistency over multiple hours. The atmosphere is described as family and crew friendly and the setup supports timing, rankings, and post event data review. Visit the organization's website for the most recent information.
