100 Mile Course Records Fall

Sep 8, 2012 | Race Recaps, Uncategorized

Cool weather and clear skies led to new course records in both the men’s and women’s Superior 100 Trail Races Sept. 7-8. Steven Moore (Austin, Texas) knocked off nearly 40 minutes off the previous course record finishing in 21:02. Kristina Folcik (Goffstown, N.H.) lowered the women’s course record by an astounding two hours with a finish time of 24:49. Overall 89 racers finished the 100 mile trail run through remote wilderness on the Superior Hiking Trail.

Men’s Race
Steven Moore would take the lead early on in the race and held it to the end to win the race in his first attempt. Moore, a resident of Austin, Texas who grew up in Colorado, came through the 50 mile mark in Finland in a time of 9:27. Only two other runners, Adam St. Pierre (9:36) and Ben Hian (9:59), ran under 10 hours over the first half of the race.

Moore’s pace slowed slightly through the night but was able to pull away from his fellow competitors for the win. St. Pierre, a resident of Minneapolis, used his knowledge and experience of the course to recorded his second straight runner-up finish in 22:41. Ryan Welts (Goffstown, N.H.), the fiance of women’s race winner Kristina Folcik, finished third in 22:58.

Women’s Race
Kristina Folcik experienced a range of emotions during her first 100-mile race. The New Hampshire, native started her first 100-mile race with a head ache that persisted during much of the race. She thought about dropping at the Tettegouche Aid Station at mile 35 but she was convinced to push on by her coach and pacers. Christi Nowak was the first to reach the half way point in 10:52 more than an hour ahead of the next woman Sheryl Wheeler. Folcik came in five minutes later.

With her headache behind her and her gastrointestinal issues under control she went to work over the final 50 miles. She took the lead for the first at the 77 mile mark. She held on to the lead and crossed the line in a time of 24:54, two hours under the course record. She finished seventh overall.

Christi Nowak finished second and 10th overall in 25:52, and Rebecca George was one spot back in 26:05.

Superior Fall Trail Race
100MI, 50MI, 26.2MI Trail Race(s)
Lutsen, Minnesota
(approx 4hrs North of Minneapolis, MN)
September 11 & 12, 2020
• 100MI Friday 8:00AM
• 50MI Saturday 5:15AM
• 26.2MI Saturday 8:00AM

Registration / Lottery:
Registration via 15 day lottery registration period.
Opens Wednesday January 1st, 2020 – 12:01AM CST
Closes Wednesday January 15th, 2020 – 11:59PM CST
Complete Lottery / Registration Details HERE

Directions:
100MI Start: Gooseberry Falls State Park, MN HERE
50MI Start: Finland Rec Center – Finland, MN HERE
26.2MI Start: Cramer Road – Schroder, MN HERE
Races Finish: Carbibou Highlands – Lutsen, MN HERE

Terrain:
The Superior Fall Trail Races 100MI, 50MI & 26.2MI are run on rugged, rooty, rocky, 95% single-track trail with near constant climbs and descents.  The race is held on the Superior Hiking Trail in the Sawtooth Mountains paralleling Lake Superior in Northern Minnesota / not far from the Canadian border.  The race located approximately 4 hours North of Minneapolis, Minnesota.   The Superior Fall Trail Races are very difficult / challenging races and are probably not a good choice for your first trail or ultra race (see Registration Info for qualifying requirements).

100 Mile:
Point to Point 103.3 Miles
Elevation Gain 21,000 FT
Elevation Loss 21,000 FT
NET Elevation Change 42,000 FT
13 Aid Stations
38 hour time limit
Complete 100MI Info HERE

50 Mile:
Point to Point 52.1 Miles
Elevation Gain 12,500 FT
Elevation Loss 12,500 FT
NET Elevation Change 25,000 FT
7 Aid Stations
16.75 hour time limit
Complete 50MI Info HERE

26.2 Mile:
Point to point 26.2 Miles
Elevation Gain 5,500 FT
Elevation Loss 5,500 FT
NET Elevation Change 11,000 FT
3 Aid Stations
14 hour cutoff
Complete 26.2MI Info HERE

More About the Race:
The Superior Trail 100 was founded in 1991 when there was no more than a dozen or so 100 mile trail races in the USA, back then if you wanted to run a 100, you had choices like Western States, Hardrock, Leadville, Wasatch, Cascade Crest, Umstead, Massanutten and Superior . Superior quickly earned it’s reputation of its namesake today – Rugged, Relentless and Remote and is known as one of the tougher 100 mile trail races.  Superior lives on now as one of the “legacy 100 milers” and is considered by many to be one of the most challenging, prestigious and beautiful 100 mile trail races in the country. Shortly after the inception of the 100, the Superior 50 was started and in the early 2000’s the Moose Mountain Marathon was added. None of the history or tradition of this race has been lost and is a great event for those looking for a world-class event with a low-key, old-school 100 miler feel.  The Superior Trail Race is put on by ultrarunners for ultrarunners.

More About the Area:
The North Shore of Lake Superior runs from Duluth, Minnesota at the Southwestern end of the lake, to Thunder Bay and Nipigon, Ontario, Canada, in the North to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, in the east. The shore is characterized by alternating rocky cliffs and cobblestone beaches, with rolling hills and ridges covered in boreal forest inland from the lake, through which scenic rivers and waterfalls descend as they flow to Lake Superior. The shoreline between the city of Duluth to the international border at Grand Portage as the North Shore.  Lake Superior is considered the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface area. It is the world’s third-largest freshwater lake by volume and the largest by volume in North America.  The Superior Hiking Trail, also known as the SHT, is a 310-mile long distance hiking single-track hiking trail in Northeastern Minnesota that follows the ridgeline overlooking Lake Superior for most of its length. The trail travels through forests of birch, aspen, pine, fir, and cedar. Hikers and runners enjoy views of boreal forests, the Sawtooth Mountains, babbling brooks, rushing waterfalls, and abundant wildlife. The lowest point on the trail is 602 feet above sea level and the highest point is 1,829 feet above sea level.