Pigeon River Classic Results Now Available

The results from the 2013 Pigeon River Classic Results are now available for viewing.

Iola Trail Run Results and Photos now Available

Results and photos of the recent Iola Trail Run are now available.  Please read the recap article also appearing on the main page.

Spring Snow Takes Iola Runners on Wild Ride

Setting up the course on the Saturday before the race (April 13) I greeted a crew of four skiers who returned from a morning ski on “some of the best conditions of the year”. There was an inch of fresh glistening snow on a firm base, bluebird skies, and beams of sunlight filtering through the towering white pines. The trail was great to run on, too. The fresh snow provided a little softness, like running on pine needles, but a decent pair of trail shoes managed adequate purchase into the firm base below. The next morning over 200 runners from six states arrived at the Iola Winter Sports Club to race on snow in full on alpine conditions. We could have held a snowshoe race if needed. Photos of all the joy are now available for viewing as are full race results. Mark Beversdorf of Wausau, no stranger to snow, took it out fast and held on, climbing the endless rolling terrain with perfect calmness, winning the 15K by over 4 minutes in 1:06:22. Nick Robertson of West Bend enjoyed the hills as well, crossing the line 2nd in 1:10:58. Great Lakes Endurance veteran, and school teacher Scott Pryzstas made the 6+ hour trip from Grand Haven, Michigan to race in the snow. It was worth the trip as Pryzstas finished third in the once in a lifetime spring snow conditions (1:12:45). Not more than 16 seconds back was Lawrence University Biophysics professor Doug Martin (1:13:01). Like Beversdorf, women’s winner Andrea Mueller dominated the women’s 15K with superb hill climbing on IWSC’s rolling glaciated terrain. Racing with Zen like focus, Mueller cruised to victory in 1:17:33. Jennifer Chaudoir, one of the top road racers in Northeast Wisconsin, finished a strong second in 1:22:19, despite recovery from a recent illness. Traveling all the way from Wayzata, Minnesota, third place finisher Kelly Johnson crossed the line in 1:25:40. Johnson may have been fatigued from running the course the day before after she and her husband arrived after the long road trip.
Masters runner and Great Lakes Endurance veteran Cheryl Corbeille competed amiably with a younger generation of trail runners, finishing 4th in 1:31:46, just about the time lightly falling snow transitioned into full on, eyelash coating, horizontal snow.

The 5K, really about 3.8 miles, due to necessary course changes, provided runners in the shorter event full return on their investment. The course normally would include ample amounts of single track, but that was buried in knee deep snow in the woods.
Nevertheless, Clintonville’s Ken Kosakowski used his strength to power through the course in less than 30 minutes, the only runner to do so the whole day. Less than a minute back David Slette of Harshaw, Wisconsin crossed in 2nd (30:39) while Manawa dairy farmer Bruce Scheller, third in 30:55. Traveling up from the Fox Valley, Neenah’s Michelle Wilson covered the course in 33:15. Sturgeon Bay’s Paula Kastenson was the first master’s runner and second overall (34:24) while Hortonville’s Joann Sutton finished third (35:58).

Clintonville’s Madison Hohn flew confidently off the start line of the Kid’s 2K with Wausau’s Ashley Straub in tow, but by 1K Hohn had built up a significant margin. Both girls raced aggressively through tough near blizzard conditions to finish 1-2, in 11:04 and 12:46 respectively. Owen Martin won the boys 2K race, followed by Ian Featherstone, both of Appleton.
The top three in each age group won 1lb. blocks of Oak Grove Dairy cheese. Oak Grove Dairy, a small family cheese house, sources its milk from only three nearby dairy farms.
Purchasing awards from local farmers is part of Great Lakes Endurance’s commitment to small scale, local sustainable agriculture. Overall winners received new trail running shoes from environmentally conscious footwear maker
Patagonia.

Great Lakes Marathon Series Opens

Great Lakes Endurance has worked with the race directors at Grandma’s Marathon, Chicago Marathon, Detroit Free Press Marathon, and the Toledo’s Glass City Marathon to organize the Great Lakes Marathon Series.

Abundant snow attracts record numbers at Tahquamenon Falls

A classic lake effect band dropped five - six inches of fresh snow on an already healthy 2-3 foot base in the Tahquamenon region the night before the 3rd Annual Tahquamenon Falls Snowshoe race. 

GLE Snowshoe Races are Part of the Braveheart Series

Both the Iola Twilight and Tahquamenon Falls snowshoe races organized by Great Lakes Endurance are part of the midwest’s premier snowshoe series:  The Braveheart.  2013 is the fourth year for the Braveheart Series.

Iola Twilight Snowshoe Race 2013 Photos Online

Photos from the 2013 Iola Twilight Snowshoe Race are now online. Click here to go to the Flickr album.

Iola Twilight Snowshoe Race 2013 Results Now Available

Results for the 2013 Iola Twilight Snowshoe Race are available.  Click here to download a PDF of the results.

Frosty and Beautiful at Iola Twilight

The brave snowshoers who ventured out into the cold at the 2013 Iola Twilight Snowshoe Race were rewarded with remarkable beauty.  Ten inches of fresh powder had fallen on the Wednesday before the race.  Two days of single digit cold and the expert grooming of IWSP’s Phil Jonsrud set up a luxuriously fast racing surface.  Race night brought a start temperature of 9℉ and still conditions.  Snow frosted the red and white pines that lined the course.  Stars filled the sky, with Orion hovering above the start line.  Some athletes shy away from tough conditions and others live for it - those were the snowshoe racers who arrived to race Saturday night in the glaciated hills of Iola Winter Sports Club, five miles north of the small central Wisconsin town.  Mark Beversdorf of Wausau cruised the hilly 10K course in 42:57 to take overall honors in the men’s race.  His time set a new course record.   “The hills were challenging, but the groomed surface made it fast,” noted Beversdorf.  He was followed by 2012’s winner and former course record holder Jason Ruesch of Medford (50:40).  Andrea Mueller repeated as the women’s 10K champ, crossing the line in 54:55.  Black Creek’s Cheryl Corbeille, celebrating her 50th birthday with a snowshoe race (what could be better?) was the second woman overall with a time of 59:05.  Mueller and Beversdorf were each awarded new Atlas Snowshoes for their victories.    In the 5K race, Kris Borchardt of Kroneawetter, WI kept pace with Beversdorf on the first of half of his 10K race, before splitting off to the finish. and setting a new course record with a time of 20:59.  Borchardt was followed by Jim Graupner of Lake Elmo, MN (24:14) and Jody Sukow of Merrill (29:15).  In the women’s 5K Kelley Koller of Sobieski repeated as the overall winner, running hard on the hills to win in 30:36, breaking her own course record of 32:09.  Mary Lucas of Rhinelander followed in second place (31:39) while Deb Hoover of Stevens Point finished 3rd (34:53).  Complete results are now available.  Race photos are also available for viewing.

Patagonia Footwear to Sponsor 2013 Trail Series

Known for its line of environmentally conscious footwear, Patagonia Footwear produces an exceptional line up of trail running shoes.  Great Lakes Endurance is pleased that Patagonia Footwear will be the official footwear sponsor for the 2013 Trail Series. 

Registration Now Open for All 2013 Events

Great Lakes Endurance is pleased to announce the opening of registration for its 2013 season.  We open up the season on February 2 with the Iola Twilight Snowshoe Race, a one of a kind nighttime snowshoe race under the lights.  The Tahquamenon Snowshoe Race follows on February 16.  The area already has 10” of snow on the ground as this is being written.  This year the race will feature a 15K with abundant packed single track .  Atlas Snowshoes and Petzl proudly sponsor our 2013 snowshoe races.  

The trail running calendar opens with the much loved Iola Trail Run on April 14.  The event features a 5K & 10K course that follow the XC ski trails and single track through this beautifully glaciated terrain in central Wisconsin.  The Waugoshance Trail Marathon & Half Marathon returns again this year on July 13.  The first edition of this event filled early in 2012.  The course features point to point single track on the North Country Trail from Wycamp Lake, just north of Cross Village, to the west end of the village of Mackinaw City.  The award winning Grand Island Trail Marathon & Half Marathon returns for its 9th year on July 27, preserving its much loved course around the island’s perimeter with a jaunt into the Tombolo and Thumb and return course along the shores of Trout Bay.  Trail runners will again enjoy the demanding yet beautiful single tract at the Tahqua Trail Run on August 10.  Like the Waugoshance, the 25K at Tahqua is point to point along the North Country Trail, through highly varied forest types.  The Tahqua also features the most popular kid’s race among all GLE youth events.  Tahqua reaches capacity earlier every year (early June in 2012) so we encourage early registration.  Some of the most varied terrain among all GLE events can be found at the Hartman Creek Trail Run, held on September 8 this year.  Runners will enjoy a classic section of the Ice Trail that flows through pine forest, tall grass prairie, and oak savannah.  The 2013 season will finish with one of our most anticipated event debuts ever:  the inaugural Porcupine Mountains Trail Marathon and Half Marathon.  The course is a beautiful loop of single tract featuring waterfalls, Mirror Lake, Lake of the Clouds and the stunning views along the Escarpment Trail.  The event will occur on October 5, typically the peak of color season in this small mountain range along the Lake Superior coast.  All races start and finish at the Porcupine Mountain Ski Lodge.  Patagonia Footwear is the proud sponsor of our trail series for 2013.

Grand Island Native Plant Program wins National Conservation Award

Great Lakes Endurance, as part of its mission to support environmental education and restoration efforts near its race venues, has supported the Grand Island Native Plant Restoration Program with financial donations since 2008. 

Great Lakes Endurance Environmental Committment

Jeff Crumbaugh, Race Director for Great Lakes Endurance explains a few of the efforts that are put into races and events to promote environmental sustainability, protection and awareness.

Great Lakes Endurance is now on Facebook

You can now keep updated on Great Lakes Endurance News by becoming a fan of our page on Facebook.  You will be able to receive Race Updates in your news feed and stay connected with important updates on all of our races.

Great Lakes Endurance Gets Greener

As of January 1, 2010, the Great Lakes Endurance website has been moved to a new hosting provider that is entirely powered by wind energy.