Yankee Springs Winter Challenge
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Event details
The Yankee Springs Winter Challenge is scheduled for Saturday, January 3, 2026, at the Long Lake Outdoor Center in Middleville, Michigan (10370 Gun Lake Rd). Distances offered are 50k, 25k, 10k, and 5k. Registration closes January 1; entrants who register by December 8 are guaranteed a crew neck sweatshirt. The race fee includes either a crew neck sweatshirt or a buff, and finisher awards for the winter event are snow globes. Cabins at the Long Lake Outdoor Center are not available for this winter race; several nearby hotels are mentioned for lodging.
Course, aid, and logistics
Courses run on rolling, mostly wooded single-track trails with lake views. The 5k, 10k, and 25k are single loops. The 50k is two laps of the 25k loop.
- 50k - two laps of the 25k course
- 25k - single loop
- 10k - single loop
- 5k - single loop
Aid stations are spaced about 2 to 4 miles apart. There is one aid station on the 10k, three on the 25k (one visited twice by 25k runners), and a start/finish aid station used by 50k runners. Aid stations provide water, Gatorade, Coke, oranges, bananas, and a variety of sweet and salty snacks. Pacers are allowed for 50k runners on the second 25k loop; pacers must sign a waiver at the start/finish and are asked to step off the course before the finish line. Visit the organization's website for the most recent information.