There are races that challenge runners, races that inspire runners, and races that remind runners why they fell in love with the sport in the first place. The Badger Trail Races, put on by Ten Junk Miles Racing, manage to do all three. Held on Saturday, August 1 and Sunday, August 2 in Belleville, Wisconsin, this event was an unforgettable weekend of grit, joy, friendship, and pure running community.
With race distances that included the 100 mile, 100K, 50 mile, 50K, marathon, and half marathon, Badger offered something for everyone—from seasoned ultrarunners chasing a huge goal to runners stepping onto the trail for a new adventure. Every distance felt like part of the same larger celebration: runners showing up for themselves, for each other, and for the shared experience of moving forward one mile at a time.
The Badger Trail Races use the Badger State Trail and continue onto the Jane Addams Trail between Belleville, Wisconsin, and Orangeville, Illinois. The course is nearly all rail trail, with less than one percent asphalt, giving runners a smooth, scenic, and welcoming path for big miles and meaningful moments.
What makes this race especially inviting is the way the course combines challenge with charm. Runners pass through supportive trail communities, experience the beauty of southwest Wisconsin, and share the trail with athletes pursuing every kind of goal. Whether someone is chasing a buckle, a finisher’s medal, a personal best, or simply the satisfaction of finishing what they started, Badger gives runners a place to dream big and feel supported while doing it.
One of the true highlights of the Badger Trail Races was the incredible aid station support along the course. For runners tackling long distances, aid stations become more than a place to refill bottles or grab calories; they become emotional checkpoints, sources of encouragement, and moments of connection when the miles start to feel big. Badger’s aid stations delivered exactly that. They were welcoming, organized, energetic, and full of the kind of care that can completely change a runner’s day.
The volunteers and supporters on course made runners feel seen and supported at every stage of the race. Whether someone needed food, fluids, a quick laugh, a practical reset, or simply a reminder that they were doing something amazing, the aid stations provided it. That level of support is part of what makes Badger so special: runners were never just moving through miles alone; they were being carried forward by a community that genuinely wanted every person to succeed.
From start to finish, the Badger Trail Races felt thoughtfully organized and genuinely runner-focused. Every runner received a generous collection of race swag, including a bag, t-shirt, beach towel, bracelet, stickers, and more. Every finisher also received a medal, and 100 milers were awarded a unique belt buckle that honored the magnitude of their accomplishment. Runners who have completed multiple Badger events received a belt concho thoughtfully designed by the Race Director, adding another meaningful layer to the event’s tradition and sense of belonging.
Those details matter because they send a clear message: Ten Junk Miles Racing values the runners who show up, celebrates their effort, and wants them to leave with something that reminds them of the experience long after race weekend is over.
The finish line was just as memorable. Free pizza, beer, and pop created the kind of relaxed, happy, welcoming atmosphere that every runner hopes to find after a hard-earned finish. It was not just a place to collect an award and head home; it was a place to sit down, cheer for others, swap stories, celebrate survival and success, and remember that running is even better when it is shared.
Race Director Scott Kummer’s commitment to runners and to the sport of running is felt throughout the Badger Trail Races. Scott founded the Ten Junk Miles Podcast to build exactly this kind of community—a place where everyday runners could feel like they had running partners, honest conversations, shared stories, and a home in the sport. His leadership is not simply about putting on an event; it is about continuing that mission in person by creating a space where runners feel welcomed, respected, celebrated, and cared for. From the thoughtful race details to the generous finish-line atmosphere, Badger reflects a race director who understands that runners remember how an event made them feel just as much as they remember the miles themselves.
In a sport that can sometimes feel intimidating or exclusive, Scott helps realign running with what makes it so powerful in the first place: inclusion, encouragement, humility, humor, and love. Badger welcomes the front of the pack, the back of the pack, first-time trail runners, veteran ultrarunners, podcast listeners, crew members, volunteers, families, and friends. Everyone has a place, everyone has a story, and everyone is treated as part of the larger running family.
The spirit of Badger is closely tied to the Ten Junk Miles Podcast, a show built around lighthearted conversations by trail, road, and ultra runners about their lives as runners and the issues that matter to them. That same energy showed up throughout race weekend. The podcast has never felt like only a show; it feels like an invitation into a community where runners can laugh, learn, listen, and feel seen.
That community connection is what makes Badger special. Ten Junk Miles brings runners together before race day, during the miles, and long after the finish line. The podcast helps people feel connected even before they arrive, and the race turns that connection into real-life encouragement, aid station conversations, finish-line hugs, and friendships that continue well beyond Belleville. Scott’s vision for the podcast carries directly into the races: runners are not treated as customers moving through an event, but as members of a joyful, messy, determined, deeply supportive running family.
Badger Trail Races are the kind of event that make runners want to come back—and make newcomers wonder why they have not signed up sooner. The distances are ambitious but welcoming. The course is beautiful but approachable. The organization is thoughtful, the awards and swag are meaningful, the finish line is festive, and the community is exactly what running should be: supportive, funny, kind, resilient, inclusive, and full of heart.
The Ten Junk Miles Racing calendar also gives runners another reason to stay connected. The next race is Last Dot Standing, held the weekend of September 18–20 in Belleville, Wisconsin. The event offers a last person standing format, along with 24-hour, 48-hour, and 8-hour options, giving runners another chance to join the Ten Junk Miles community, test themselves, support one another, and experience the same inclusive, energetic race atmosphere that makes Badger so memorable.
If you are looking for a race that offers big goals, small-town charm, excellent runner support, and a community that truly celebrates every mile, put the Badger Trail Races on your calendar for next year. Whether you run the half marathon, marathon, 50K, 50 mile, 100K, or 100 mile, you will leave with more than a finish. You will leave with memories, new friends, and a powerful reminder that the best races are about so much more than the distance.
Registration is open for both the Badger Trail Races and Last Dot Standing at Tenjunkmilesracing.com, making now the perfect time to sign up, set a goal, and become part of the Ten Junk Miles Racing community.