North Country Trail Marathon

I had originally planned on running the 50 mile when I registered for the North Country Trail Run back in early January, figuring it would be a good way to combine an ultra run on a new (for me) trail with a family visit in Michigan. Unfortunately, my winter taper led to a spring taper and a tweaked achilles, which led to a summer long taper while struggling with endless heat and humidity. Before I knew it, we were in the middle of August and I had managed only one 20+ mile run since running the 50 mile at Surf the Murph last October. Not enough for pulling off a 50. I emailed the RD and asked to switch to the marathon, but never heard anything back. As I was packing and getting ready to leave for the 2 day drive to Manistee, a message went up on the North Country facebook page stating that there would be no further changing of races. Crap. Quickly threw my "ultra stuff" into the car just in case and starting driving south east to get to North Country (that's not a typo).

Got to Manistee late Friday afternoon and headed over to the Big M trail head in the Manistee National Forest for packet pick up. Was able to confirm that I could just run the marathon after all (whew!) and picked up lots of swag: coffee mug, race shirt, polar fleece vest. This would also be the start and finish area for the race, so at least now I knew how to get there.

Woke up to an already warm (low 70's) and very humid morning and got to the start area just before sunrise. Trail and ultra runners are typically a pretty tight bunch, so it seemed very odd to be at a race and not know a single person. But, trail and ultra runners are also a very welcoming bunch, so it was no problem finding people to hang out and chat with. Everyone kept mentioning how difficult the hills are on this 25 mile loop course. It is also a popular mountain bike and cross country ski trail, all single track (my favorite).

The 50 milers took off, and we would be right behind them only 30 minutes later. This didn't make much sense to me: sending a herd of turtles down a narrow single track only 30 minutes before unleashing the hares on the same course probably got a little messy once the faster marathoners caught up to the slower ultra runners. Oh well, another good reason to run the marathon instead.

Before long, we were lined up and ready to go. We did a short little lap around the parking area to spread out a little before heading down the trail. My strategy was to treat this race as if it was a 50 miler: walk the ups, jog the flats and downs. Basically, a nice training run with no expectations of time or pace - just a fun day in the woods. With about 200 of us, we were like a freight train rolling through the woods for awhile. No sense trying to pass anyone - just relax until people get more spread out. I kept waiting for the huge, steep hills that people had warned me about, but they weren't showing up. Just a nice, smooth, somewhat twisty trail with gently rolling hills - kind of like Ice Age without the rocks.

Coming in to Aid Station 1

Since I was running with my Nathan, I cruised through the first 3 aid stations without stopping. Shortly after leaving aid station 3, we encountered the only somewhat steep hill that I remember on the entire course. I had to power walk this one, then realized that I had pretty much been running most of the hills rather than sticking to my plan. This is one of those "trail runners dream" type of trails - just flat out fun to run - and I found myself grinning like a village idiot cruising through the woods.

Shortly afterward, I took my first digger when my calf cramped up and I caught my toe on one of the few roots on the trail. I figured that I'd better pay more attention to fluid intake and S caps, even though I thought I was on target in that regard. Cramping after only 10 or so miles isn't a good thing, even in the shorter marathon race. The hills were neither big nor steep, but they were there and they were starting to catch up to me. Kind of like "death by a thousand razor blades" type of hills.

Aid Station 4

Made it to aid station 4 at the 13.4 mile mark when I realized that my Garmin had decided to take the rest of the weekend off. Oh well, I probably rely on it too much anyway. Now I could just forget about time, pace, distance, etc and enjoy my run. This was where I decided to refill my Nathan, and the aid station volunteers had funny looks on their faces as I pulled out a small baggie filled with white powder (Heed) and another small baggie with capsules containing an off white powder (S caps). Thankfully, I didn't have to explain to law enforcement that I was only going for a long run through the woods ;)

Back on down the trail in the beautiful forest, I noticed occasional thumps as acorns were hitting the ground. Started wondering if I was going to need a helmet - I think the squirrels were having a little game of their own to see how many runners they could hit....LOL. Time seemed to pass quickly and soon I was standing in aid station 5. Another runner was there too, warning about the upcoming monster hills. We headed out about the same time and chatted for a bit before she dropped off. I found the entire trail very runnable, but was still getting twinges in both calves and needed to slow down a bit just to prevent full blown cramping. Passed through aid station 6 and shortly afterward came upon more volunteers lugging coolers of food to aid station 7 located more than 3 miles away. That seemed very inefficient since the aid station they would be staffing was only a mile from the start/finish parking area, but that's what they were directed to do. Things that make ya go, "Hmmmm."

Caught up to a pair of women who had gotten off course and done some bonus miles, but they were still enjoying their day in the woods. We started talking about muscle cramping and one recommended trying coconut water as a remedy. Not coconut milk, but coconut water. I've never heard of it, but it might be worth a try.

Got through the last aid station and let the lone volunteer know that his relief was on the way, then headed down the trail for the short run to the finish. There was a nice, long, gentle downhill that seemed to go on forever (probably closer to 0.75 miles), then we eventually ended up on a two track. I took one last hard digger and left some blood in the forest - still not really sure what the heck tripped me up - but both calves locked up and it took a minute or two before I could continue. Was able to walk the cramps off, but decided to hold off on running until I could smell the finish line. I'm really gonna have to check out coconut water ;)

Finally made the trot across the finish line where we were given finishers medals and a bottle of water, then headed over to the barbecue for a freshly grilled burger and potato salad. I skipped the beer and desserts, but hung out for a little bit on what turned out to be a hotter than expected day (mid-80's and very humid). I'm glad I was able to drop down to the marathon because there's no way I would have pulled off a 50 miler on this day.

Thanks to first year RD Chris and his crew for taking over an established classic race so that the rest of us could have some fun in the woods! North Country is a good size race for a trail event (actually, 3 races: a 50 mile, marathon, and half marathon with a total of 600 runners on single track) and I don't think many people realize the time and energy it takes to pull these things off. The race organizers have already sent out a survey seeking feedback so that they can continue to improve the event in future years. The small army of volunteers were AWESOME! If you're looking for a non-technical trail with twists, turns, and roller coaster hills in a beautiful forest that are a pure joy to run, I highly recommend heading to Big M and running one of the North Country Trail races.

Grand Island Marathon

One of the things that I enjoy about trail running is that each course is so different, even when they are on opposite sides of the same lake! Moose Mountain Marathon on the North Shore of Lake Superior comes to mind ;)

Back to Grand Island Marathon...

Made the 8+ hour drive to Munising on Friday - it was my first pilgrimage back to the U.P. since graduating from Michigan Tech 26 years ago. Yeah, I'm old. Where did the time go? I've driven the stretch of M-28 right past Grand Island I don't know how many times when I was in college, but never took the time to explore it or the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. I'm so glad I went back to run this beautiful race!

Grand Island is part of the Hiawatha National Forest and is located about a half mile off shore from the mainland. Because of the remote nature of the course, just getting to the start line is part of the charm. I'd been warned by someone who'd run this race a few years ago to make sure to get to the boat dock early - some runners were late to the start that year because they didn't catch the ferry early enough. Because there wasn't room for all of the runners to park at the dock, shuttle buses started making the rounds to all of the local hotels at 5 am Eastern time to pick us up and drop us off at the boat landing (the bus shuttle and ferry ride were included in the race fee). Considering the hour time change, I had to get up at 3:30 am Central time to eat, get dressed, and catch the bus.

Got to the boat dock while it was still dark, but the pre-dawn light was showing rather ominous looking clouds (the forecast was for rain and scattered T-storms all weekend long). The winds were calm and Lake Superior was like glass. Fish were jumping out of the water. While we were waiting at the ferry landing, I started chatting with one of the dock workers only to find out that we graduated the same year from MTU. Small world.


View of mainland from Grand Island boat landing
(couldn't get AutoStitch to work).

Finally got over to the island where we picked up our timing chips and found the spot to leave our drop bags. Everything was well organized and was running smoothly. The rain was holding off, but the mosquitos were fierce. Glad I put some DEET on beforehand! It was getting light out and the smell of the pines after the night rain was refreshing. I love the smell of the north woods after a light rain :)

Finally, it was time to toe the line and get this party started. The course basically circumnavigates the island on a 23 mile long trail with one short little out and back section to make the run a full marathon distance. With Lean Horse looming just 4 weeks away, my goal for this race was to treat it like a 50 miler by brisk walking all of the uphills (even the gentle ones) and trying to maintain a steady 13 min/mile pace. I was hoping to feel fresh as a daisy at the finish, and I figured that this would be a good test to see if I had the mental discipline to do what I needed to do (power walk) when everyone else would be doing something different (running). Having a strategy is useless if you can't execute it!

We started out on a flat sandy road that eventually turned into a two-track. A little bit of mud would be present all day long, but nothing too bad. The first 4 miles were pretty flat and I was taking it at a slow and easy jogging pace. Felt very comfortable. Temps were nice - probably close to 60 degrees, but very humid. Shortly past the 4 mile aid station, we started what was probably the longest and most noteworthy climb of the course. We were in a tunnel of mostly maple trees - it must be stunning in the fall with the autumn colors. This was the short out and back leg, and the only time I saw Tom the entire weekend (never did see Nancy). I was near the back of the pack, which is exactly where I expected to be. Power walking this section was going well. Got to the turn around and had a fun downhill run back to the aid station - right about the 7 mile mark.

Shortly after the 7 mile aid station, we came out of the woods and onto a long white sand beach. Everyone was trying to run on the wet sand right at the water's edge - it was like playing cat and mouse with the waves of Lake Superior lapping at your feet. The beach run is about a mile long with sandstone cliffs at either end and you can see the Pictured Rocks across the water. Awesome. The skies were actually showing some clearing and the weather would turn out to be beautiful!

Trout Bay Beach

At the end of the beach, we began mile 8 by heading back into the woods for a short uphill climb on single track to the top of the 200 foot tall cliffs. We ran for several miles in the woods along the cliff tops on wide, flat, roads that provided occasional views of the Pictured Rocks off to the east.

Hidden Beach

This was where it got tough to execute my power walking plan, because it was pretty flat for several miles and was very runnable. I just stuck to walking even the smallest of inclines, and by now I was pretty much alone on the trail. Had a Clif Shot just before the 11 mile aid station and continued on along the cliff tops for more spectacular scenery. Peering down from the top, the water of Lake Superior is so clear that you can see all the way to the bottom. Very interesting patterns in the sand, and strange looking perfectly straight lines under water as a result of the local geology.

At about mile 14, I started passing people even at my slow pace. We had another short beach run, then another single track climb back up to the cliff tops once more.

North Beach

Made my only aid station stop at mile 16 to refill my Nathan - still sticking to the power-walking-anything-remotely-uphill plan. Very easy running the rest of the way, which made the walking plan more challenging, especially since I was starting to pass more people. Several people. Heard some twigs snapping in the woods off to my right, but never did see the bear that was most likely creating the noise.

Went through the last aid station at mile 22 and was jogging the gentle downhills and flats. At about the 24 mile mark, the course comes near another beach (we didn't run in the sand at water's edge this time - just on a trail near the beach). You could see 2 smaller nearby islands off to the west and the mainland once again came in to view. I'm still passing people. Nobody's passing me.

Finally got to the dirt road that led back to the start/finish area near the boat landing. Crossed the line feeling pretty good - like I could go for another 10 miles or so - but not like I could do another lap. My pace was 12:14, so even though I was doing lots of walking, I still need to slow down a little more to conserve energy if I'm going to pull off a 50 miler in 4 weeks. I'm feeling very nervous about Lean Horse!

A huge thanks and congrats to the RD and the small army of volunteers who supported all of the runners for this spectacular event! This was one of those races where the number of volunteers may have exceeded the number of runners when you consider all of the aid station volunteers, folks patrolling the trail on mountain bikes, radio support, medical, transport, etc. I'd love to run this one again, especially since dense fog and rain rolled in the next morning and I didn't get to spend as much time as I would have liked exploring the island or other hiking trails in the area.

Grand Island Marathon is run on a relatively flat, non-technical trail that would be a perfect introduction to trail running (there is also a 10K for those not feeling up to a marathon distance). Unlike running Moose Mountain where you don't dare take your eyes off the ground if your feet are moving, this course provides plenty of opportunity to soak in spectacular scenery while still making forward progress. Highly recommended!