One of the reasons we moved to Southern Illinois was the wonderful trail system. Much of it is covered with trees and is a wonderful experience for any runner to enjoy.
Recently, Madison County has added art installations along the trails. There are twelve “Trail Critters,” and just like Pokémon, I want to catch them all.
I’m not trying to run all 138 miles, but I am curious if there is a way for someone to capture them all in one journey.
The first major issue is that not all the critters may be accessible at any one time. There are closures, but we’ll pretend everything is open. I also want to stay on the trails as much as possible, but if we need to run on some streets to save distance, we will.
The second major issue is not knowing exactly where all these critters are. They are large and on the trail, so they shouldn’t be hard to spot while running, but I don’t want to cut a corner before actually seeing the art piece. Madison County offers a map, but the critters are not on it.
The final issue is doing a loop. If I’m going to be seeing every critter, I want INTVL credit. An out-and-back starting in Hamel or East Alton would be a shorter trip, but not a closed loop. Excluding Hamel would be the second-best option, but then you don’t get to see Harry!
Option 1
I tried my best to create limited out-and-backs and a full loop, and got this beautiful 74-mile plan.
If we assume I can run 12-minute miles, we would be looking at a 15-hour trip. I have never gone farther than 49 miles in a day, so this would be a true test of endurance. Also, this route has 17+ miles on roads, which not only defeats the spirit of the challenge but is not a great way to spend the day.
Option 2
We keep the loop, but we exclude Harry in Hamel.
Option 3
We keep Harry and do a one-way trip.
I’m really torn between Options 2 and 3. They both stay on the trails for the whole trip, except for Granite City. Do I want to make my life a little easier and get INTVL credit, or do I want to say I saw all twelve critters?
I would like to make a statement on INTVL, but I can also get these areas in separate journeys in the future. I think following the trails as closely as possible and seeing all twelve critters is the true challenge.
But can I make it a food challenge?!
