Winter Trail Fest Half Marathon and 5 Mile - Eastside

Winter Trail Fest East – Half Marathon & 5 Mile Trail Race in Brighton, Michigan

Some call it the Winter Trail Fest. Others just think, “What the F…?!”

Join us on Saturday, February 13, 2027, at Island Lake Recreation Area in Brighton, MI for one of Michigan’s most unforgettable winter races:  Winter Trail Fest East Half Marathon and 5 Mile trail race. This February event is built to embrace unpredictable winter conditions—snow, ice, slush, or mud. Whatever the trail throws your way, you’ll earn every step of your WTF hoodie, medal, and bragging rights.

The later mid-morning start time gives athletes a chance to sleep in and lets temperatures rise just enough before you take on the course. The Half Marathon winds through rolling singletrack, while the 5 Mile offers a fun, fast, and beginner-friendly way to experience winter trail racing. Both distances include run and ruck divisions, making WTF East one of the few winter races in Michigan to welcome ruckers alongside runners.

One of the best parts about this race? It’s the perfect motivation to keep training through the coldest months of the year. With WTF East on the calendar, you’ll have a reason to lace up, head outside, and keep your running habit strong all winter long.

This race is for athletes who crave challenge, adventure, and a story to tell when it’s all over. The gnarlier the conditions, the cooler the participants. Whether you’re a seasoned trail runner, a winter race first-timer, or someone ready to test their endurance with a ruck, WTF East delivers a true February trail experience.

 
Why Run WTF East?

• Half Marathon & 5 Mile options: Distances that fit both new and experienced trail runners
• Run or ruck divisions: Growing ruck division alongside traditional running categories
• Unpredictable winter trail conditions: Snow, slush, ice, or mud—it’s all part of the adventure
• Late start time: Sleep in and let the temps rise before hitting the trails
• Memorable swag: Earn a WTF hoodie and medal designed to celebrate your grit
• Community atmosphere: Share miles, laughter, and post-race stories with fellow winter warriors
• WTF + STFU Trail Series: Combine Winter Trail Fest East with Summer Trail Fest Ultra (50 Mile, 50K, Half Marathon, 5 Mile) in June to earn connecting medals and save 15% when registering for the bundle
   

This is more than a winter race—it’s a celebration of grit, unpredictability, and Michigan’s wild February trails. Sign up for Winter Trail Fest East Half Marathon or 5 Mile and discover why so many runners and ruckers come back year after year.

The Winter Trail Fest (WTF) 5 Mile course is a great opportunity for runners and walkers alike to get out and enjoy the amazing trails of Island Lake State Park in Brighton, Michigan. Runners will be on hiking trails that are extremely well-maintained and easy to navigate. The course is well-marked, with confidence marker hanging tape every .1 miles and turn signs at every course intersection. 

Course Map

This is a course map on Strava. You can view the course and elevation, as well as download a GPX file from this link to use with your running watch.

5 Mile Schedule

5 Mile Pre Race Meeting: 11:50 AM
5 Mile & 5 Mile Ruck Start: 12:00 PM
Course Time Limit: 3:15 PM

Aid Stations

• Mile 3.5 - water

Athlete Guide

Check out the Athlete Guide for all the details.

 

Course Records

Records updated 2/17/2025

Michigan

Mega Medal Series

Prove It 5K/10K:  April 18, 2026 at the GM Milford Proving Ground in Milford, Michigan

Trenton Summerfest Half Marthon, 8K, & 5K:  June 27, 2026 at Elizabeth Park in Trenton, Michigan

Dearborn Decades 5K:  August 9, 2026 at Ford Field Park in Dearborn, Michigan

Run the 313 5K:  August 22, 2026 at Palmer Park in Detroit, Michigan

Growler Gallop Atwater 10 Mile & 5K:  September 27, 2026 at Atwater Brewery in Detroit, Michigan

Black Toenail Friday Half Marathon & 7.5 Mile:  November 27, 2026 at Proud Lake Rec Area in Commerce Township, Michigan

 

Trail

Winter Trail Fest (WTF) East Half Marathon & 5 Mile:  February 14, 2026 at Island Lake Rec Area in Brighton, Michigan

Winter Trail Fest (WTF) West Half Marathon & 5 Mile:  February 21, 2026 at Yankee Springs Rec Area in Middleville, Michigan

Carpe Diem Carpe Noctem Morning & Evening Half Marathon & 10K:  April 11, 2026 at Proud Lake Rec Area in Commerce Township, Michigan

Summer Trail Fest Ultra (STFU) 50 Mile, 50K, Half Marathon, & 5 Mile:  June 13, 2026 Sleepy Hollow Rec Area in Laingsburg, Michigan

Moonlight Bootlegger 5k:  May 9, 2026 at Maybury State Park in Northville, Michigan

Wolverine State 100 100M, 100K, 100M Relay, & 50K:  October 10-11, 2026 from Petoskey to Alpena in Northern Michigan

 

Road

Thumb Coast Ultra & Relay 50M, 50K, & 50M Relay:  April 25, 2026 from Harbor Beach to Caseville in Michigan's Thumb

Rock CF Thumb Coast Marathon, Half Marathon, & 5K:  November 8, 2026 from Caseville to Port Austin in Michigan's Thumb

 

North Carolina

Road Mega Medal Series

Only Fools Run Half Marathon, 10K, & 5K:  March 28, 2026 at Jaycee Park in Greensboro, North Carolina

Pig Pounder Brewery 5K:  April 12, 2026 at the Pig Pounder Brewery in Greensboro, North Carolina

Elm Street Run Festival:  May 9, 2026 at LeBauer Park in downtown Greensboro, North Carolina

Greensboro Distilling Speakeasy 5k:  June 13, 2026 at Greensboro Distilling Co. and SouthEnd Brewing in Greensboro, North Carolina

Greensboro Half Marathon, 5K, & 1 Mile:  November 21, 2026 starting at Battleground Ave in Greensboro, North Carolina

 

Trail Mega Medal Series

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot Half Marathon & 5 Mile:  January 17, 2026 at Northeast Park in Gibsonville, North Carolina

Northern Trails 17 Mile, 10 Mile & 5 Mile:  March 7, 2026 at Northern Guilford High School in Greensboro, North Carolina

Owls Roost Rumble Half Marathon & 4 Mile:  April 25, 2026 at Bur-Mil Park in Greensboro, North Carolina

Triple Lakes Trail Race 40 Mile, Marathon, & Half Marathon: October 24, 2026 at Bur-Mil Park in Greensboro, North Carolina

Black Toenail Friday Half Marathon and 7.5 Miler: November 27, 2026 at Snow Camp, North Carolina

 

Multisport Mega Medal Series

Belews Lake Sprint Triathlon & Duathlon: April 18, 2026 at Belews Lake Marina in Stokesdale, North Carolina

Big Mack Sprint Triathlon:  June 20th, 2026 at Lake Cammack in Burlington, North Carolina

High Point Sprint Triathlon:  August 8, 2026 at Oak Hollow Marina in High Point, North Carolina

Belews Lake Olympic Triathlon & Duathlon:  September 12, 2026 at Belews Lake Marina in Stokesdale, North Carolina

Nat Greene's Revenge Triathlon & Duathlon: October 3, 2026 at Lake Brandt Marina in Greensboro, North Carolina

 

Multisport

Northeast Park Duathlon:  February 28, 2026 at Northeast Park in Gibsonville, North Carolina

 

Trail

Groundhog’s Lap Race: January 31, 2026 at Haw River State Park, North Carolina

Moonlight Bootlegger 5K:  May 2, 2026 at Hagan Stone Park in Pleasant Garden, North Carolina

Carpe Diem Carpe Noctem Morning & Evening Half Marathon & 10K:  September 12, 2026 at Hagan-Stone Park in Pleasant Garden, North Carolina

Pilot Mountain to Hanging Rock Ultra & Relay:  September 19, 2026 in Danbury, North Carolina

 

Road

Running of the Lights:  January 1st at Tanglewood Park in Clemmons, North Carolina

Blackbeard's Revenge 100 Ultra & Relay 100M, 100K, & 100M Relay:  March 21-22, 2026 in the Outer Banks in Corolla, North Carolina

 

Pennsylvania

End of the Road Half Marathon & One Tunnel 4 Mile:  October 24-25, 2026 on the old Pennsylvania Turnpike in Waterfall, Pennsylvania

 

West Virginia

Highball to Thurmond Ultra & Relay 50M, 50K, & 50M Relay:  May 17, 2026 in New River Gorge National Park, running from Montgomery to Thurmond, West Virginia

Check out the 2027 comprehensive Winter Trail Fest Half Marathon & 5 Mile Athlete Guide to answer any nagging questions you may have about the race. If you can't find an answer here, shoot us a message!  Email the race director at hannah@triviumracing.com.

 

Updated: 04/15/26 HG

If your team has 10+ members registered two weeks before race day, you’ll enjoy:

• A team tent set up by Trivium, featuring a banner with your club's name/logo
• Your registration packets, ready at the tent (skip packet pickup lines)
  •  In order for your race packet (shirt, bib, etc.) to be pulled and available at your club tent, you must be registered as part of the club by the Monday before the race at 11:59 pm EST.
• Dedicated club porta potties!
• Food, drinks, and goodies waiting for your team.

Check the Groups/Teams tab and see how many people your team currently has registered!  Questions about Club Benefits? Reach out to Megan at megan@triviumracing.com.

 

WTF East Club Competition

• All clubs, regardless of size, are part of the club competition.
• Awards go to the winning club
• All finishes count toward the 2026 Trivium Club Cup Competition

How Club Scoring Works at WTF East

• All finishers earn 1 point just for completing the race, so the more runners your team brings, the more you score.
• Age group placement earns additional points, with top finishers scoring up to 20 points (1st place) and down to 2 points (for 16th–20th).
• Overall podium winners (1st, 2nd, 3rd) earn double their age group points—for example, an overall 10K winner scores 41 points!
• Volunteers are a huge part of race day too, earning 5 points each for their club.
• And because WTF has two distances, the Half Marathon is worth double points across the board—making it a huge opportunity to rack up a big score for your team.

 

2026 Trivium Racing Club Competition

• All clubs who compete also earn points toward the Overall, 2026 Trivium Club Competition
• The Overall season winner will be treated to a club party and receive the club cup to proudly display for the next year!
• Points will start at 500 for first place and decrease by 50 points for each placement. (1st = 500, 2nd = 450, 3rd = 400, etc.)
• Clubs placing 11 – 20 will receive 25 points.
• Club placing 21 and up will receive 10 points.

 

Check out the full club cup schedule and how points are earned here:  https://triviumracing.com/southeast-michigan-club-and-corporate-championship/.

 

Club Program

Love racing with your club/team with Trivium Racing?  Check out our Club Program!  Clubs receive a 10% discount code, a free race entry to raffle at run group, and can potentially partner to do more fun stuff!  Complete this form to request to participate.

Sunday, January 25

9:00 am

Island Lake Rec Area

Get to know the course before race day at the Winter Trail Fest East Course Preview Run on January 25 at 9:00 AM at Island Lake. Run the WTF East 5-Mile loop once or twice alongside Trivium Racing, local run clubs, and the winter trail community, with a warm-up, optional Korkers spike demos if it’s icy, and hot chocolate afterward. It’s the perfect low-pressure way to experience Michigan winter trails and feel confident heading into Winter Trail Fest East.

Register & Sign the Waiver:

https://runsignup.com/TicketEvent/Jan25WinterTrailRun

 

Island Lake State Rec Area

6301 Kensington Rd
Island Lake State Recreation Area
Brighton, MI US 48116

 

This event will take place near the large beach access.  This means there are plenty of parking spots near the race start line.  On race day parking attendants and parking signs will help athletes with parking.

 

This is a State park, so a Michigan Recreation Passport is required for entrance or a one day fee will be charged.

 

Race Day: Saturday, February 13, 2027

• Packet Pickup & Ruck Weigh In Opens: 9:45 AM  – 11:45 AM
• Half Marathon Ruck Weigh In Closes: 10:10 AM
• Half Marathon Ruck & Half Marathon Early Start: 10:30 AM
• Half Marathon Pre Race Meeting: 11:20 AM
• Half Marathon Race Start: 11:30 AM
• 5 Mile Ruck Weigh in Closes: 11:40 AM
• 5 Mile Pre Race Meeting: 11:50 AM
• 5 Mile & 5 Mile Ruck Start: 12:00 PM
• Half Marathon Cut off at Mile 5: 12:56 PM
• Course Time Limit: 3:15 PM

The Winter Trail Fest (WTF) Half Marathon at Island Lake course features rolling hills, extremely well-marked trails, frequent aid stations, and beautiful views. Athletes will use a combination of hiking trails and hike/bike trails that will take them all over Island Lake State Park in Brighton, Michigan. Runners and Ruckers will see confidence marker hanging tape every .1 miles and turn signs at every turn on the course. This extremely well-marked course is a great early season event, and even a good first timer's race with generous cut off times. The trails are almost all single track with a small paved section used to connect the two major trails used on the course.

Course Map

This is a course map on Strava for the 2026 route. You can view the course and elevation, as well as download a GPX file from this link to use with your running watch.

Half Marathon Schedule

Half Marathon Ruck & Half Marathon Early Start: 10:30 AM

Half Marathon Pre Race Meeting: 11:20 AM

Half Marathon Race Start: 11:30 AM

Half Marathon Cut off at Mile 5: 12:56 PM

Course Time Limit: 3:15 PM (17:10 pace)

Aid Stations

• Mile 3.5 - Water
• Mile 5.2 - Water, Tailwind
• Mile 8.4 - Water, Hüma Gels
• Mile 10.9 - Water, Tailwind

Athlete Guide

Check out your Athlete Guide for all the details.

 

Course Records

 

Records updated 2/23/2025

 

 

"Thank you for all the hard work it took to organize this event! I had a fantastic experience, and I can’t wait to run it again next year." - Jefferson B., 2026 Participant

"Such a fun race!  10/10 will do it again next year! (And 50 miles in June)" - Tyler K., 2026 Participant

 

"As much as I hate the cold, I love this event! Thank you for putting on a great race!" - Lara F., 2026 Participant

 

Winter Trail Fest Half Marathon and 5 Mile Eastside offers a referral refund program. This is a fun & easy way to get your friends, teammates, family, or coworkers to sign up to race with you.  Bonus:  You get a little money back on your registration fee!

Referral Incentives:

• 5 Mile Participants: Refer 5 people who sign up to race and you get a $10 race registration refund
• Half Marathon Participants: Refer 5 people who sign up to race and you get a $25 race registration refund

How does this work?

Share your specific referral code link that came in your original registration confirmation email.  Once you get the above-mentioned people to register using your code, you'll get your registration refund. Start sharing your link today!

You can also locate your personal referral link by clicking this link for instructions.

Those wishing to race in the ruck category must provide their own pack/vest and weight. Ruckers and their packs/vests will both be pre-weighed 20 minutes prior to the race at the starting line.

• Ruckers Under 150lbs must have a backpack with 20 lbs
• Ruckers Over 150lbs must have a backpack with 30 lbs

 

Additional Rules:

• Ruck weight must be on the athlete at all times.
• No specific pack is required.
• Ruck weight may be a combination of the pack and the weight.
• Ruck weight may not be consumable.

 

*Due to starting ahead of the race there is a chance early aid stations will not be set up when ruckers pass by, depending on their speed.

 

 

If you would like more information about rucking, click here.

 

 

Course Records for the Half Marathon Ruck

 

 

Course Records for the 5 Mile Ruck

 

Records Updated 2/17/2025

• Awards for top three overall males, females and non-binary in each distance.
• Awards for top three male and female age group placers. Age groups: 14 & under; 15-19; 20-24; 25-29; 30-34; 35-39; 40-44; 45-49; 50-54; 55-59; 60-64; 65-69; 70-74; 75-79; 80+
• Top 3 overall male and female Ruckers for the Half Marathon and 5 Mile.
  • Ruckers will be weighed prior to the race.
  • Ruckers under 150lbs must have a backpack with 20lbs, ruckers over 150Lbs must have a backpack with 30lbs
• Virtual participants will not be eligible for awards.
• Awards not picked up on race day will be subject to a $10 shipping fee. Awards will only be mailed 2 weeks from the event date.
• This race is chip timed by Trivium Racing.

 

2027 design coming soon! In the mean time check out the hat award for 2026

Thanks for joining us in spirit for Winter Trail Fest Half Marathon & 5 Miler!

To complete your virtual race and receive your finisher medal and shirt, follow these steps:

• Run your 5 Mile or Half Marathon at a place and time of your choosing.
• Track your time with a watch or fitness app.
• Report your time on our results page by clicking "Submit Virtual Results" at the top of the page. Results can be submitted anytime between January 14th and February 14th. Don't forget to share your virtual race selfies too!

Race Packets

Shirts and finisher medals will be mailed within 10 days of the in-person race day. Please send us an email by February 14th if your mailing address is different than what is listed on your registration. No packets will be available after February 24th.

Virtual participants are not eligible for awards. An extra charge will be applied for international shipping. Contact us if you need a quote for international shipping.

Any changes to virtual on or after race day will be subject a shipping charge.

 

Regular Package

• Custom Winter Trail Fest (WTF) race hoodie
  • Size not guaranteed if you register less than two weeks before the race
• WTF Finisher's Medal
• WTF Bumper Sticker
• Chip Timing by Trivium Racing with live results
• Post race food and drinks
• Free race day photos available for download
• A chance to win awesome Overall and Age Group awards

Economy Package

• Chip Timing with live results
• Post Race food and drinks
• A chance at awesome age group and overall awards
• WTF Bumper Sticker
• Custom race hoodie 
• WTF Finishers Medal 

Virtual Race

• Results included in virtual race leaderboard
• WTF race hoodie
• WTF Finishers Medal
• Packet available for pick up at race site or mailed (international shipping requests will incur additional shipping charges)

 

2027 designs coming soon.

 

2026 Hoodie Size Chart

You can change your hoodie size in your RunSignup account by following these instructions. 

 

2026 Winter Trail Fest Finisher Medal

The 2026 Winter Trail Fest medal is designed to celebrate equal parts grit and fun—because winter trail racing should be tough, memorable, and a little bit ridiculous. Measuring 3.5 inches tall, the medal features raised text, cut-out snowflake tips, and a glittery blue finish that catches the light like the sun glinting off fresh ice.

On the back, a magnetic connection allows the WTF medal to pair with the upcoming Summer Trail Fest Ultra (STFU) medal. When combined, the STFU medal fills in the snowflake cutouts, creating a complete, glitter-filled design that represents racing through both winter and summer.

Finish WTF. Return for STFU. Connect the story.

5 Mile - Virtual: Hooded Sweatshirt

5 Mile Ruck: Hooded Sweatshirt

5 Mile: Hooded Sweatshirt

Half Marathon: Hooded Sweatshirt

Half Marathon Early Start: Hooded Sweatshirt

Half Marathon - Virtual: Hooded Sweatshirt

Half Marathon Ruck: Hooded Sweatshirt