Voyaguer 50 Miler

After the second time through the powerlines, about 15 miles to go.

The swinging bridge at Jay Cooke. 5K left.

The river through Jay Cook State. If you want to know about the Geology of the area, just talk to Meg.

This year was the 30th anniversary of the Voyaguer 50 miler. The race that started as a small challenge between the runners in the UMTR club has now become one of the oldest ultras in the nation, and one of the most competitive in the region.

The race starts and ends in Carlton MN near Jay Cooke State Park

Coming into the Voyaguer 50 Miler I knew that my training was right where it should be. I had been putting in good volume and some quality ANT workouts and after the Half Voyaguer I was even able to put in some time at altitude, so I was ready to go. The part that made me a bit nervous was the this would be my first ultra sans-crew. For those of you who race ultras, you know how much of a benefit a crew can be in keeping you feed, hydrated, and moving. Meg was in Utah finish the last bits of field camp and racing herself at the Speedgoat 50K in Alta, UT; and my parents were out of town on a trip. The positive thing would be that, as a hometown runner, I would know a lot people along the course, and the frequent well staffed aid stations on the Voyaguer course would be a big help for me too.

The race came early (though not as early as the Half Voyaguer!) on the July 30th at Carlton High school. We lined up in front of the school and with a few shouts, including on from me, we were off to Duluth - and then coming back.

I breezed though the swinging bridge at Jay Cooke and then I settled into a good rhythm in 5th place. I was comfortable through to the top of Spirit Mt. at about 23 miles, but in retrospect was not eating or drinking enough - which would come back to haunt me later. The temps were cool in the early stages of the race, but soon climbed into the upper 80's with full sun and some humidity to boot!

As I ran down the face of Spirit Mt. to the turn around, the miles without enough calories caught up to me. With as many ultras as I have done you would think I would learn! I came into the aid station in 3:35, and hesitated picking up plenty of food, water, and Mountain Dew. After about 2 minutes of refueling I was off and running back towards Carlton. Fellow racer John Storkamp caught me just after we left the turn around, as did one other racer. I was now in 7th place and feeling spent. The heat was climbing as I started up Spirit Mt.

I gave myself until the top of Spirit Mt. to hike/run and recover, and the strategy payed off. By the top of the 2 mile climb the food and Mountain Dew kicked in and I felt 100% better. I cruised down to Becks rd, and on to Fon du Lac. On the descent I caught back up with John Storkamp, and we were running in 4th and 5th place. We ran together through the climb up to the power lines pushing each other. At the Grand Portage aid station I was still feeling good and running a good pace, so I took off and used the tough climbs of the section to make up some time on the runners ahead of me.



At 4 Bay and closing fast!

At the coming aid stations I kept hearing that I was getting closer and closer to the runners ahead of me. I was flying and reeling them in. At Peterson I was 8 minutes back from the 3rd place runner. At 4 Bay I was 4 minutes back, and at Jay Cooke I was less than 3 minutes from 3rd and 2 minutes from second! The race was on!

I was pressing hard through the technical section from the swinging bridge at Jay Cooke to Carlton. But my closing effort was just not quite enough and I finished in 4th place. I raced very strong, recovering from a real slump at half way and from mile 35 to the finish gained nearly 25 minutes on 2nd and 3rd. It was one of the best run and mentally strongest races I have ever had, and I also showed myself that (with great aid stations and volunteers) a 50 miler with out a crew is no problem for me.

Thank you to the great race directors Andy and Kim Holak, all of the volunteers, and my coach Jason Kask at Superior Performance. Congratulations to all of the other racers and finishers.

See you out on the trails!

Half Voyaguer 26 Miler

In the middle of July, just before my trip to Salt Lake City, I raced the Half Voyaguer marathon. Though the name can be confusing, it is a full marathon - half of the 50 Mile race which it shares a course with. The race runs along much of the Superior Hiking trail from the Zoo in West Duluth through Jay Cooke State Park and on to Carlton.

This year was the 20th and final year for race director Gene Curnow, so before the race there was a presentation of a poster and other tokens of our appreciation for the years of work Gene, his family, and the UMTR (Upper Midwest Trail Runners series) has done for the race. Though the race started mostly as a fundraiser for the Voyagure 50 Miler, today it has become a destination race in its own right.

Presenting Gene Curnow with the race poster and shirt. Thanks Gene!

After the presentation, the racers lined up along the "starting line" - a.k.a a crack in the parking
lot at the Lake Superior Zoo. Then, off we went. I started off near the front of the pack, but did not want to expend too much energy on the long climb up spirit mountain that we have right away.

Start of the race

At the top of spirit mountain is an aid station and then we turn of onto the Superior Hiking trail. I had some shoe issues here, my laces kept coming un-tied, but I finally got them secured and began working my way through the pack. I was running the Half Voyaguer as a last supported long run and course preview before the full Voyaguer.

Running towards Beck's Rd and the Fon du lac aid station

I was running with friend and occasional training partner Eric Esher in 5th and 6th place until after the power lines section near 14 miles. The next section is much more hilly than many people expect, and I was able to drop into another gear in this section and us the up hills to my advantage. The rest of the race flew by and before I knew it I was crossing the swinging bridge into Jay Cooke State Park. After that it was a quick, but slow and technical, 5K to the finish line on the Munger trail in Carlton.

On to the finish line on Carlton

I finished in 5th place in 3:35:00, a personal course best by almost 10 minutes! My heart rate stayed nice and low for the entire race, showing that I stayed under my ANT zone for almost the entire race. It was a great race that showed my strengths, bolstered my confidence for the Voyaguer 50 Miler, and was a lot of fun too!

After a quick shower in my solar shower I got in the car and drove straight to the airport in the Twin Cities to fly out the Park City to visit Meg and do some mountain running. Thanks to all of the volunteers and especially Gene Curnow and congratulations to all of the racers!