2027 Wabash Trace Nature Trail Marathon

The Wabash Trace Nature Trail Half Marathon is a point-to-point run through the countryside of southwest Iowa, starting in Imogene and finishing in Shenandoah — two small towns bookending a quiet stretch of nature trail.

Fifteen editions in, this is a race with a deliberately modest scale: roughly 100 finishers in recent years, up from a median nearer 80, so the field is small enough to find your own rhythm and still have someone to chase to the line. The organizers bill the course as a scenic one where runners commonly set personal records and out-of-state visitors cross Iowa off their 50 States list; recent winning times around 86 minutes suggest the front end is honest despite the modest depth.

What brings people back — about 20 percent of them, by the numbers — is the small-town Iowa character of the day: a start in Imogene, a finish in Shenandoah, and a friendly, low-key atmosphere rather than big-city production. For anyone filling in a 50-states résumé or hunting a quiet personal best, it is an appealing piece of the Midwest race calendar.