Badger Challenge
About this race
Badger Challenge is a signature Wisconsin walking, running, and biking event which energizes the community around the mission of raising funds for cancer research and patient treatment at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The UW research environment brings together scientists and clinicians from a wide variety of disciplines to help solve complex problems affecting patient care, and Badger Challenge accelerates the rate at which collaboration and discovery occurs.
Badger Challenge's overall mission is simple - to increase cure rates and reduce the burden of cancer for future generations. 100% of all participant raised funds will go to support this mission. Join us and help write the story that ends cancer.
Pick your distance
Cycling
100 Mile Route
This scenic, day-long ride is the perfect challenge for cycling enthusiasts and those taking up the challenge of their first century ride! Riders will head east and encounter around 4,000 feet of elevation gain and be supported by seven rest stops.
100K Route
A day-long ride that is a perfect challenge for experienced riders and newer riders alike. This route heads east with around 2,500 feet of elevation gain and riders will find support at five rest stops.
50K Route
The mid-distance route – not too long and not too short! Bikers will head east through our local communities and take on around 1,500 feet of elevation gain. Three rest stops are along the route for participant support.
25K Route
A great route for bikers of all experience levels! This route gets bikers out onto our scenic country roads while still keeping them close to our main start/finish site. Bikers on this route experience around 650 feet of elevation gain and will be supported by one rest stop halfway into the route.
5K Route
Perfect for pedalers of all ages! This route stays within the American Family site and is on a closed road for the ultimate in safety.
Running
Half Marathon
This scenic route will take you around Sun Prairie, starting and ending at UW Health Eastpark Medical Center where you'll join up with our walkers and bikers for the post-event party. Runners will be supported by aid stations approximately every mile.
5K Run
The 5k run is for all ages and ability levels! This route starts and finishes at American Family Insurance Headquarters where you'll join up with our bikers and half marathoners for the post-event party. The entire course will be closed to traffic. Runners will be supported by aid stations approximately every mile.
Global Walker
Join Badger Challenge and our community from anywhere! Our mission to find a cure is a global initiative and we want to ensure our walkers can help from anywhere whether you're an alum who lives across the country or can't make it on the event day and will walk your distance another day.
Walking
5K Walk
The 5k walk is for all ages and ability levels! This route starts and finishes at American Family Insurance Headquarters where you'll join up with our bikers and half marathoners for the post-event party. The entire course will be closed to traffic.
Typical race-day weather
Based on 11 years of Open-Meteo archive data for this event's race dates in Madison, plus the 3 days either side.
The sun rises at 6:50 AM and sets at 6:46 PM local time (CDT) in Madison on September 27, 2026 — 11h 55m of daylight.
Course
No course map published yet.
The organizer hasn't released a route for this event, and we don't publish guesses. If you're the organizer, send us a GPX file and we'll draw the profile.
Reviews
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2026 results — Badger Challenge
760 finishers across 2 distances · leading places in the Half Marathon
| Place | Name | Time | Pace |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Karsten Zielinski | 1:18:24 | 5:59 /mi |
| 2 | Samuel Dean | 1:18:50 | 6:01 /mi |
| 3 | Tony Brewer | 1:20:56 | 6:11 /mi |
| 4 | Xinchen Pan | 1:24:27 | 6:27 /mi |
| 5 | Chetan Satish | 1:25:45 | 6:33 /mi |
Every finisher is on the results page, filterable by distance, gender and age group.
All results by year
Other races near Madison
Different organizers, within 40 miles, in the next three months
Minds in Motion
St. James Spartan Stampede
Madison Turkey Trot 5K
Run Santa Run 5K
Where this page comes from. Race details were last updated on . We re-check listings regularly and again in the week before race day.
- Entries, prices, waves and inclusions — the event's official registration page
- Temperature and humidity — Copernicus ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0)
- Elevation and terrain relief — Copernicus DEM GLO-90, ESA (CC BY 4.0)
- Comparisons and counts — Race Discovery calendar, 39 Madison events
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