When I first started thinking about doing this 50 state thing on trails in 2014 and looking for races in each state, I found Superior fall trail races. Distances include 100 miles, 50 miles, and the Moose Mountain Marathon. The marathon starts at 8am and has a 10pm cutoff – plenty of time! As I was planning the years ahead back in 2017, I saw that Superior used a lottery for all races. Registration for the lottery opened on January 1 and closed January 15. This seems to have been the timeline for many years now. I was happy to find out on January 18 that I had been picked in the lottery, but as this was right after Bandera, I was a little nervous about the intense looking elevation chart that was previously on the race website:
The marathon distance was added to the Superior Fall menu in the early 2000s; the 100 mile is one of the oldest in the US and was founded in 1991. The fall races take place in early September the weekend after Labor Day on the Superior Hiking Trail along Lake Superior. Rocksteady Running’s marathon website has the answer to every question you might have, but the important points to us for planning were that the race finish is in Lutsen, MN and runners can take a shuttle to their start line from the finish line and headquarters at Caribou Highlands Lodge. The start line for the marathon is close to the Cramer Rd trailhead near Schroeder, MN. There are 3 aid stations between the start and finish, at about 8, 13, and 19 miles. Marathon crew are not allowed at the first aid station. The start line and all of the aid stations have bathrooms. The race website has detailed course maps, the marathon is on pages 5 and 6.
We initially booked a room at the Mountain Inn in Lutsen, next door to the race finish and HQ at Caribou Highlands Lodge. After looking more closely at the Superior Hiking Trail maps, knowing my crew/fiance would want to drive to the start and go to the aid stations, we looked for other options. We ended up at Bluefin Bay in Tofte. It was about 10 minutes from both the start line in Schroeder and from the finish line in Lutsen. Staying in Tofte also meant he could hang out in the room between meeting me at aid stations. Although marathon crew are not allowed at the Temperance aid station, the course crossed the Temperance River along the Gitchi Gami bridge that was an easy walk from the Gitchi Gami Trailhead and allowed for a wave 8 miles into the race.
We decided to fly into Minneapolis and stay a night there before a slow and scenic drive up to the North Shore. We had some errands to run in Duluth and had heard the drive along the Voyageur Hwy could be slow sometimes due to construction. The drive was beautiful and we made stops to check out the trail. Packet pickup was very well organized and had a party atmosphere. The lodge was clearly full with racers and their families and everyone was out enjoying the sunny day. It’s been a while since I’ve seen so many race branded things available at packet pickup and we bought stickers, shirts, and buffs. We then headed to our room for an early night. The view of the lake from our room was a great start to race day:
We arrived at the start line around 7:45am after several bus loads and car loads had already been dropped off. Parking at the start line is very limited and on the side of the road, so the shuttles are the best choice if you’re driving yourself. We waited for the start in an area near the trail with plenty of portapotties. RD John Storkamp made a few announcements including a reminder that those in the 100 and 50 mile races were wearing ribbons to identify their distance and that we were to yield to them on the trail. Then he sent us off, playing the Beastie Boys. We ran a short dirt road section to get us to the trailhead where marathoners yielded to those in the 100 and 50 mile races to join the run. As we passed back by the marathon starting line on the SHT, we heard the Doors playing – an eclectic mix to start the day.
It was a sunny, clear day and the trail was beautiful! We had views of Lake Superior peeking though and often groups of runners stopping to take pictures of the view. Much of it was runnable, with the usual roots and rocks. I remember being very concerned after reading about ground hornets in the area but didn’t see any. I also had worries about the “scrambling” on rocks in the Oberg Mountain section. I briefly used hands and knees to scramble, but it was not difficult. (Many years later while climbing Pinnacle Muontain at the Ouachita 50k, I laughed about this scramble.)
Fall colors were peeking though in places and Rex Orange County’s Loving is Easy was stuck in my head on repeat while I made my way north. I don’t know how those in the longer races who started the day before felt about encountering the newly started marathoners but it was inspiring to see them pass along the trail.
Aid stations were very well stocked and there were supporters and day hikers at many places along the trail. After seeing so many people at packet pickup the day before, I should not have been surprised by the party still going at the finish but I was. Being at the back of the pack usually means most people have gone home, but there were still plenty of people finishing, families hanging out, and so much food! I was happy to see my crew/fiance and his daughter waiting at the finish. My best friend and her family had also come up to meet us, they enjoyed a day hiking along less crowded parts of the trail.
This is an incredibly well designed and supported race. My general lack of details here are a reflection of the wealth of information provided by the RD and Rocksteady Running. The course is amazing and it was a nice change to run with a larger group than has been usual for me.
Off trail
I was not aware when I entered the lottery in January, but race weekend overlapped the two year anniversary of meeting the friendly stranger on a flight on my way to the Mellow Marathon at Woodstock Running Festival. We decided to celebrate. We had a fantastic dinner with my BFF and her family and my fiance’s daughter and boyfriend at the Angry Trout in Grand Marais after the race on Saturday. Then we had a little celebration the next day on the shores of Lake Superior followed by dinner at Bluefin Grille where all of us had stayed. We all made our way back to Minneapolis the next day, with stops for waterfalls, agates, and for my husband and I, pies at Betty’s.
tl;dr
- Time limit: 14 hours for the marathon
- Total elevation: 3,300′ on my watch
- Course type: point to point
- Trails: mostly singletrack, short section of road to start and finish, mostly runnable if you’re one of those fast types, only a couple of sections that were quite rocky
- Aid stations: 3. Longest stretch without aid is 8 miles.
- Weather: It was sunny and high 50s at the start, moderate humidity. Great day for running.
- Parking: plenty at the finish line, shuttles to the start
- Runners: typically over 300 just for the marathon
- Nearest airport: Duluth is about 2 hours from the race start, Minneapolis is about 4. Allow plenty of time for the drive along the North Shore, it’s scenic and often has some construction.
Worst Pace Scenario 