Trailbreaker 2027

Trailbreaker is Waukesha’s running event, held annually in Wisconsin since 1993. It offers a marathon, half marathon, 10K, and 5K run/walk, accommodating marathoners, shorter-distance runners, walkers, and local families. The event began with a marathon, half marathon, and 5K, later adding the 10K. Since 2009, the Park Foundation of Waukesha, a volunteer-led nonprofit, has managed the event, with proceeds supporting city parks, trails, recreation programs, and the urban forest. The marathon begins in a downtown park, follows the Fox River Corridor through Waukesha, and connects with the paved Glacial Drumlin Trail. On the Lapham Peak route, runners leave the pavement around mile 11.3 for a rugged 2.36-mile section of the Ice Age National Trail, ascend to the 40-foot Lapham Peak Tower, ring the bell, and return toward Waukesha. This route gains 438 feet from the start to the tower's summit. If snow, ice, or wet trail conditions affect the rough section, the race can use an alternate certified marathon route that stays on the Glacial Drumlin Trail toward Waterville Lake, providing a flatter option.