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Race Updates |
KTRF Only 12 Days Away Less than twelve days remain until the start of the 9th Annual Keweenaw Trail Running Festival. We will be in Copper Harbor this week reviewing the courses. The courses will remain similiar to 07 with one major exception in the 25K: the return to the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge from Lake Manganese will take a newly developed, super scenic, and less steep route. Currently 166 runners have registered from 16 states. This number will likely increase to around 250 by next week. Early registration is encouraged. Great Lakes Endurance Introduces New Half Marathon on Grand Island in Fall 08 If you did not gain a spot in the 2008 Grand Island Trail Marathon there is still a chance to race on this magical wilderness island in Lake Superior. Great Lakes Endurance is introducing La Demi Grand Half Marathon & 5K on Grand Island. The event date is October 4 - during peak color season on the south coast of Lake Superior. Online registration is available now. Downloadable entry forms are also available. Grand Island Trail Marathon and 10K are Full for 2008 The Grand Island Trail Marathon reached capacity on February 29. The list of registrants is now available. Runners from 31 states and provinces will be particpating this year. The 10K filled on June 30. If you missed out on the marathon or 10K, we will be holding a half marathon & 5K on the island on October 4. The event is called La Demi Grand. Race information, online registration, and downloadable entry forms are now available. Cold, Wind, & Snow at 2nd Navarino Trail Run Despite cold, wind, and light snow 131 runners from four states raced the trails at the Navarino Wildlife Refuge on April 26. "Conditions were actually quite nice back in the woods," commented 15K finisher Shawn Howe of nearby Clintonville. Complete results are now posted (15K Results, 6K Results, 1 Mile Results, 6K Walk Results). Andy Nesheim of Meqon, Wisconsin won the 15K in 1:01:06 while Laura Ankrum of Crivitz, Wisconsin captured the women's title in 1:08:07. Bruce Scheller, a dairy farmer from Manawa, Wisconsin, cruised the 6K course in 25:39 for first overall. Bruce was pleased that the event supported local dairy farmers by awarding one pound blocks of Oak Grove Dairy Colby, Cheddar, and Colby Jack cheeses to participants. Fourteen year old Taylor McDowell of Hartland, Wisconsin raced to victory in the women's 6K with a time of 30:54. Taylor's sister Rachelle won the Youth One Mile race outright with an excellent time of 8:10 on the hilly forest loop. Colin Ewing of nearby Bonduel, Wisconsin won the boy's one mile in 9:29. Female and male event winners each took home a new pair of Vasque trail running shoes. The Navarino Trail Run is the first of six events in the innagural Vasque Great Lakes Endurance Trail Series. Epic Conditions at Inaugural Navarino Snowshoe Adventure Thirty one snowshoers from Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan were greeted with epic conditions at the Navarino Wildlife Refuge on Saturday, March 1. Two inches of fresh powder fell the night before on a base of 29". Participants enjoyed a packed single track trail through tall grass prairie, oak savannah, old growth white pines, hardwoods, and a winding section through a bog. Complete results are now available. Tim Zbikowski of Maple Grove Minnesota won the 5 Mile event in 41:00 while Aime Eubanks of Appleton, Wisconsin was first across the line for the women in 52:09. Richard Dodge, also of Appleton, covered the 2.5 mile course in 25:40 for first among the men while Amy Giesen of Niagara, Wisconsin, a long time veteran of Great Lakes Endurance events, won the women's race in 27:20. Elena Maderas of nearby Clintonville cruised to victory in the Kid's 800 meter race (7:27)held on the prairie loop while Anna Skenadore of Shawano was second (8:33). She was followed by Hannah Wendorf and Colin Ewing. Awards included Dagoba Organic Free Trade Chocolate, Luke Mehlberg's local maple syrup, and Holbrook's local honey. Vasque sponsors Great Lakes Endurance Trail Series The Vasque footwear company has announced sponsorship of the newly created Great Lakes Endurance Trail Series. The Series will include the Navarino Trail Run (4.26), Keweenaw Trail Running Festival (7.12-13), Grand Island Trail Marathon (7.26), Tahqua Trail Run (8.23), La Demi Grand (10.04) and the Aldo Leopold Half Marathon (10.25). All events are part of the Vasque North American Trail Series. Runners who complete five of six events in the Vasque Great Lakes Endurance Trail Series will receive special awards to be announced at a later date. Trail Runner Magazine names KTRF and Tahqua Events to National Trophy Series Trail Runner Magazine released its list of events selected to the 2008 National Trophy Series. The Keweenaw Trail Running Festival and the Tahqua Trail Run were named to the Series for the second year. Runners gain points for participation and placement (overall and age group) in events. Runners in Great Lakes Endurance Trail events dominated the 2007 standings (see story below), including National Women's Champ Janice McKay (Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario). Grand Island 10K Race Named to 2008 Michigan Runner Race Series Michigan Runner Magazine editor Scott Sullivan announced the events selected to the 2008 Michigan Runner Race Series. The Grand Island 10K is the only race in the Upper Peninsula named to the list of select Michigan running events. Results from the race series determine the Michigan Runners of the Year. Points are awarded for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places in open, masters, and senior divisions. The senior results are age-graded. "... winners of the Michigan Runner of the Year awards are both talented and tenacious. Each year we try to choose competitive events, at various distances and with an eye to the geography of Michigan," noted Sullivan. The events in the Michigan Runner Race Series are as follows: St. Patrick’s Corktown Races 4 Mile, Detroit - March 16 2007 National Trophy Series Dominated by Great Lakes Endurance Event Participants While our primary goal here at Great Lakes Endurance is to promote an environmental ethic via endurance sport we have always set out to promote the upper Great Lakes as one of the premier trail running regions in North America. If the 2007 Trail Runner Magazaine Trophy Series Competition is any indication, we have achieved that goal - thanks to the outstanding achievements of trail runners at Great Lakes Endurance (GLE) Events. Five of the top ten runners in the 2007 Trophy Series were runners who competed in GLE events. Three of those athletes were from Michigan - which had more runners in the top ten than any other state or province. GLE participants who finished in the top ten include: Hugh Davis (2nd, Tell City, Indiana), Janice McKay (4th Overall, 1st Woman, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario), Dan Dehlin (6th, Marquette, Michigan), Rick Cahoon (8th, Blanchard, Michigan), and Donna Gerring (9th, 3rd Woman, Ironwood, Michigan). The complete results are now available on the Trail Runner Magazine website. The official press release is also available. GLE runner information is highlighted in the press release. Registration now open for 2008 Events! Runners may now register for 2008 Season Trail Running Events. Plan your calendar now and register early. April 26 Navarino 15K & 6K July 12-13 Keweenaw Trail Running Festival (10K, 6K Hill Climb, 25K) July 26 Grand Island Trail Marathon & 10K August 23 Tahqua Trail Run 25K & 10K October 4 La Demi Grand Half Marathon & 5K October 25 Aldo Leopold Half Marathon & 5K Runner's World Magazine Features Grand Island Marathon The January issue of Runner's World featured the Grand Island Trail Marathon in a review of the top 10 marathons in North America introduced since 2003. The article highlights the marathon's epic course, environmental focus, hand crafted glass medallions, and the opportunity for a post race swim in Lake Superior, 50 yards from the finish line. Copper Harbor named one of the top 21 North American Trail Towns Trail Runner Magazine (Issue 47, September 2007) featured an article by Laura Snider and Pete Rognli on the top trail towns in the U.S. Duluth was named the top town in the midwest, with Copper Harbor, MI , Fayetteville, AR, and Rapid City, SD listed as honorable mention. Copper Harbor is home to the Keweenaw Trail Running Festival, now in its 9th Year. Great Lakes Endurance introduces the Aldo Leopold Half Marathon & 6K We are pleased to announce the introduction of a new trail running event: The Aldo Leopold Half Marathon & 6K. The tentative date is set for October 25, 2008. Devil's Lake State Park in Baraboo, Wisconsin, with its radically beautiful terrain will provide the venue. Great Lakes Endurance is working in conjunction with the Aldo Leopold Foundation in Baraboo to coordinate the event. The Aldo Leopold Foundation's new headquarters was just awarded the Greenest Building on the Planet Award by the U.S. Green Building Council. The new trail run will raise money for environmental education efforts at the Aldo Leopold Foundation. We are also planning a local foods cookout, similar to the Navarino event, but with food supplied by farmers in the Baraboo area. The event will also feature tours of the Foundation's new green building. It is truly an extraordinary place. Registration for the event will open soon. Pozole Films releases new film of 2007 Grand Island Marathon Film director Rich Sosa has released a new film on the 2007 Grand Island Trail Marathon. You may order a copy by visiting Pozole Films' website. You may also watch a trailer of the film. Sosa will be entering the film in several national film festivals as well presenting it to PBS for broadcast. |
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Last Updated 07/01/2008 |