A new company is hosting a race to raise funds for the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education later this month. And it’s not the running kind.

Ultratrax, an endurance company that hosts trail-based endurance walks, is challenging people to walk, hike or ruck (walk or hike with a weighted backpack) specific distances through the Schuylkill Center’s hardwood forest on Sept. 26 from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Registered participants will take on 7, 14, 21 or 28 miles within 10 hours.

Michael Ragozzino co-founded Ultratrax with Chestnut Hill’s Nora Pickens to encourage people of all athletic levels to get outdoors. Ragozzino also helped launched the running club RUNegades and has organized a number of running races, he said. He noticed many people were attracted by the outdoor adventure component of the events, but not the running portion.

“There is a hunger here. There is a desire here for people who want to be outside and who want to be part of something that is just bigger than a typical weekend hike — and there really wasn’t anything for them,” he said.

The Schuylkill Center event will have marked trails, as well as aid and water stations throughout the center’s 365-acre nature preserve. There will be a shuttle to transport people to the center at 161 Washington St. in Conshohocken and food trucks and a DJ at the finish line.

People will have “the adventure of a long hike” and “a nice celebration at the end,” Ragozzino said. He wants people of all abilities to feel welcome at the race.

“We have a lot of beginners who come who do the one 7-mile loop, and don’t carry any weight with them. And then we have experts who come and do the four loops, the 28 miles, and some of them carry up to 35 pounds on their backs. So, it’s a really nice mix” he said. “Our youngest competitor this year was five years old and our oldest was 82.”

Ragozzino said Ultratrax partnered with the Schuylkill Center because of its vast network of trails and its mission aligns with that Ultratrax in that both organizations aim to expose people to nature.

As of Friday, 760 people have registered for the event and the number is expected to climb to more than 1,000, Ragozzino said. Ultratrax has pledged to donate $8,000 to the center, while registered participants have donated $5,000.

The funds will be allocated to the center’s environmental educational programs, wildlife rehabilitation and facility upgrades, said Mae Axelrod, director of communications for the Schuylkill Center. The center recently made headlines for receiving a $500,000 grant from the state to renovate its visitor center.

“We’re incredibly grateful to Ultratrax for thinking of the Schuylkill Center and bringing this great event to Philadelphia,” she said.

Ultratrax, which began in 2025 with two fundraisers, plans to organize 20 events in 15 states across the eastern United States in 2027. The Schuylkill Center will be the company’s first Philadelphia-based event. Each race has its own charitable partner, and the company often raises money for the organization that maintains the trails, Raggozino said.

The Schuylkill Center event costs $76 to pre-register for one full 7-mile loop, $106 for 14 miles, $116 for 21 and $136 for four full loops, which amounts to 28 miles. Raggozino said registration fees go towards event fees, such as permitting, insurance, merchandise and the staff.

Ragozzino is hoping to make Ultratrax a nationwide initiative. He said their races have already motivated people to get outdoors and build their endurance.

“We get emails and talk to people at the finish line all the time, who say they didn’t think they could do even the seven miles, but decided to give it a shot. And then they finish the seven miles, and they say ‘Next time I’m coming back,’” he said. “We really see people be inspired to train for it, get themselves in shape for it and better their lives. Because they just love being outside and are amazed at what they are capable of when they cross that finish line.”