Final Wild Duluth Update

Just a few more brief updates before the race on Saturday.

Drop Bags – If you plan on using drop bags for either race, remember drop bags may only be left at the Highland/Getchell Aid Station and the Magney-Snively Aid Station.  You can leave your drop bags at the packet pick-up at Bayfront on Friday night from 5-7 p.m.  100K runners may also leave their drop bags in the morning at the start at Bayfront Park.  50K runners can leave their bags at the start in the morning at Chambers Grove Park.  Please mark your drops bags with your race #, last name and the aid station you’d like it dropped at.

Warm Ups – 50K runners taking the bus can leave their warm-ups at the start at Chambers Grove Park.  You might want to put them in a bag to keep all of your stuff together.  We’ll bring your warm-ups back to the finish line at Bayfront Park.  Don’t leave anything on the bus.

Cups – Please try to minimize the number of cups you use at aid stations.  If you don’t need a cup, just fill your bottle with water or sports drink.  We’d like to minimize waste and litter.  Also, be sure not to litter anywhere on the course.

Trail Between Chambers Grove and Grand Portage Aid Station – Most of the course will be run on the Superior Hiking Trail.  For the most part, the SHT is very well maintained and won’t have any downed trees or logs across the trail.  Be aware however, that the trail connecting the 50K start at chambers grove (middle of 100K) will not be as well maintained.  There may be a few logs across the trail in this section.  Just pay attention and follow the course markings and you will be fine.

Looking forward to seeing you on Saturday!  Hope all of your travels are safe!

Updated Course Photos

Updated the course photos with a few photos of the new start segment for 50K,  middle segment for 100K.

Race Update

The Wild Duluth races are about one week away.  Below are some race updates.

Course Details – The start of the 50K and middle section of the 100K (section between last aid station and turn-around) is different than last years beta run. This year we will be going directly across Hwy 210 upon leaving Chambers Grove Park. This section will start out on very primitive deer trails, climb the hill overlooking Chambers Grove Park through a beautiful forest of white and red pine and then follow a mix of primitive footpath, ATV trail, Mission Creek Trail and part of the powerline trail from the Voyageur 50 Mile race. This section will be marked very clearly with orange flagging.  PLEASE PAY CAREFUL ATTENTION TO THE TRAIL MARKINGS.   If you pay attention, you won’t get lost.   I may also run this section with the 50K runners at the start just to make sure the trail markings haven’t been disturbed and are where they’re supposed to be.   We don’t want anyone getting lost at the start of the 50K.  Once you arrive at the first aid station at Grand Portage, you will then run the remainder of the race on the Superior Hiking Trail (SHT).

The SHT is marked VERY well with small signs, arrows and blue blazes on trees and rocks. For the most part, the portion of the race on the SHT doesn’t even need additional course marking.  You should see blue blazes on trees or rocks almost constantly when you’re on the trail. The blue blazes are confidence markers that are placed at very frequent intervals. If you’re running for a while and don’t see a blue blaze ahead, you might be off the trail. Backtrack until you find a sign or blue blaze. We will have additional orange flagging at trail intersections and we will have reflective tape for the night portions of the race for 100K runners (basically the last 15-18 miles of the course).

There are two out and back sections to aid stations on the course. For 50K runners, the first will be into the Grand Portage Aid Station and back out on the SHT. This is a relatively short out and back. Pay close attention to the turn off to the aid station on HWY 210. The second out and back to an aid station for 50K runners is to the Kingsbury Creek Aid Station near the Zoo. This is a much longer out and back, approximately 1/2 mile each way. You will leave the SHT, go down to the aid station, and then back up to the SHT, continuing to the East for 50K runners and to the West for 100K runners on the way out and then to the East for 100K runners on the way back. We will have this out and back clearly marked. It is up to you to pay attention to the signs at this intersection. The trail down to the aid station at Kingsbury Creek Trailhead should be marked with white blazes. White blazes along the SHT indicate spur trails. You will only take spur trails when you’re going into an aid station that is off the main trail. The Munger Trail Aid Station and Magney Snively Aid Station also involve a short diversion off of the main trail. Here you will get back on the trail going a different direction and these won’t be out and backs. Aid station personnel will point you in the right direction upon leaving the aid station. After leaving the Munger Trail Aid Station, you will run on the paved Munger Trail for approximately 0.4 miles. Don’t miss the rocky trail for the SHT taking off steeply uphill to the LEFT  just before the rocky cut in the paved Munger Trail. Also, after leaving the Magney-Snively Aid Station, you will follow Skyline Parkway approximately 0.2 miles, crossing Stewart Creek on a stone bridge. Don’t miss the SHT where it turns right, off the road and downhill.

Bus Transportation to Start of 50K – There will be bus transportation from the finish at Bayfront Park to the start of the 50K race at Chambers Grove. A bus will arrive at 6:45 a.m. and depart promptly at 7:00 a.m. for the start at Chambers Grove. If you plan on riding the bus, please consider a small donation. The cost of the bus was significant and was not included in the race registration. We will have a donation can at the packet pick-up on Friday night, on the bus, at the packet pick-up Saturday morning at Chambers Grove Park and at the finish line. Thanks!

Road Crossings – Please remember that traffic will not yield to runners. Runners MUST yield to traffic at all times. Please pay careful attention at the road crossings, slow down, look both ways and proceed with caution. We will not have road crossing officials at all road crossings. The future of our race is contingent upon runners being careful at road crossings. For your well being and for the future of our race, please ensure that there are no accidents at road crossings.

Packet Pick-up – Packet pick up will be available on Friday night from 5 to 7 p.m. in the enclosed shelter at Bayfront Park. Packet pick-up for 100K runners will also be available at the start/finish at Bayfront Park on Saturday morning. For 50K runners, you may also pick up your packet on Saturday morning at the starting line at Chambers Grove Park. Runners please check-in in the morning. Shirts/hooded sweatshirts will be in your packet before the race. You will not have to finish to receive your shirt/hooded sweatshirt.

Trail Hazards – The Superior Hiking Trail through Duluth is a very rugged, narrow trail. There are many rocks and roots as well as sharp uphills and downhills. Please be careful and pay attention to each footfall. A trip or a fall could be hazardous and the rocks and roots may make a sprained or broken ankle a real possibility if you aren’t paying attention. Please be careful. Toilets – There will be two bathrooms available indoors in the shelter at the Bayfront Park Start/Finish. The shelter is also heated so runners can stay warm after finishing their race. There will be chili (meat and vegetarian) and other food in the shelter for runners after the race. We will try to have 3 portable toilets available at the Chambers Grove start before the 50K race. Please plan accordingly.

That’s all the updates for now. Stay tuned for more updates if necessary. We look forward to seeing you all at the starting line next Saturday!

Ultima Sports Drink Served at Aid Stations

We will be serving Ultima sports drink at our aid stations along with water.  This is the same drink served at Grandma’s Marathon.

Course Maps Updated

The course maps detailing the first section of the 50K and middle of the 100K have been updated.  Please note that there is not an aid station at Spirit Mtn. as shown on the Spirit Mtn. topo map.  The aerial map for Spirit Mtn. shows this correctly.  The aid station in located near the Lake Superior Zoo.

The course description for the first section of the 50K has also been updated.  The remainder of the course description will be updated soon.

Slight Change Made to First Segment of 50K Course

We’ve made a slight change to the first segment of the 50K course (middle part of the 100K course).  Instead of following Highway 23 from Chambers Grove Park and then turning left and following 131st Ave. W, we will proceed directly across Hwy 23 upon leaving Chambers Grove Park and up the hill.  This will relieve us of the longest stretch of pavement on the course (good!).  It will add a bit steeper but shorter climb to the course.  It will also make the first section about 3/10 of a mile shorter.  The 50K course will be slightly less than 31 miles and the 100K slightly less than 100K.  Believe me, you’ll all still get your moneys worth!

The new segment climbs steeply up the hill to the top of the ridge where you will run below towering White Pines with views out over the St. Louis River and Chambers Grove Park.  It’s a beautiful little section.  We’ll start out for a bit on deer trails and then onto a well-defined footpath that will eventually lead us to the Mission Creek Trail.  It will be marked clearly.

Runners should be aware that the first segment of the 50K (middle segment of the 100K) is run mostly on undesignated footpaths and ATV trails.  We will mark it well, but please pay careful attention to the markings and watch your footing.  There are a few ruts where we run on an old ATV path for a bit.

I’ll update the maps and course description within the next day or two.

Transportation to the Start Will be Provided for the 50K

We will have bus transportation to the start for the 50K.  You may park at Bayfront and leave your vehicle at the finish line.  We will have transportation available to the 50K start at Chambers Grove Park at 7:00 a.m. and will leave promptly at that time.  We will most likely have a donation can at the runner check-in to help offset the cost of bus transportation, but we didn’t want to add the additional cost of the bus to race registration.  So, if you’d like to take the bus to the start of the 50K, please consider a small donation at the time you pick up your race packet on Friday night or Saturday morning.

Volunteers Still Needed and Participant List Updated

We’re still in need of volunteers for our Wild Duluth races on October 17.  We need to cover a couple more aid stations and also really need 5 road crossing officials.  The road crossing officials might be the most important people at the Wild Duluth races.  You’ll get a fancy brightly colored vest and orange flag, you can sit in your car or on a camp chair and read a good book, listen to the radio or football game or even watch a movie on your iPod while waiting for runners to approach the road crossings.  Then you have the most important job – making sure the runners cross the road safely!  What a humanitarian, compassionate thing to do!  Looking out for the safety and well-being of your fellow man/woman!

Our registrations are rolling in now and we have updated participant lists:

50K

100K

Volunteer Opportunities Listed

For those interested in volunteering at the Wild Duluth races on October 17, we’ve identified all of the volunteer opportunities available.  Check out our Volunteer page with updated information about our volunteer opportunities, the approximate number of volunteers needed for each area and the approximate time we’ll need volunteers for.  Remember these times are approximate.  For the longer aid stations, we can have volunteers work in shifts if they’d like to as well.  As we plug volunteers into each area, we’ll update the number of volunteers needed.  Please check out our Volunteer page for more info.

Duluth P.D. Have Given Their Official Blessing!

It’s now official.  The Duluth P.D. have given us the go-ahead to use volunteers for the 5 busiest road crossings on the course!  We’ve speculated that this would be the case for the last month, but now it’s official.  We would like to have experienced volunteers on the course at these intersections:

Michigan Street

24th Av. West (there is an aid station here so pretty easy)

Haines Road

Cody Street

Becks Road (also close to an aid station)

The Duluth P.D. would like the volunteer to remain at the intersection until all runners have gone through.

This is great news.  If you’re running, please be sure to listen to the race volunteer and be very cautious crossing all roads and streets along the course.  Any incidents this year could potentially jeapordize the future of the Wild Duluth races, and we are concerned about your safety.  Thanks!