2021 Superior Fall Trail Race [Early / Initial] Welcome

Aug 3, 2021 | Race Updates

[ This is a copy of an email sent to all registered runners on August 3, 2021 after the initial “lottery” registration period. ]

Hi All,

You are receiving this email because your payment card was charged yesterday and you are officially entered into the 2021 Superior Fall Trail Race, Friday Sept 10 and Sat Sept 11, 2021. Welcome! A list with your name on it (!), and your fellow registered runners can be found HERE https://ultrasignup.com/entrants_event.aspx?did=86696

We are just under six weeks from the race(s), so plenty of time to complete your training. There is also plenty of time for more ebbs and flows with Covid. From early on, the experts warned that there would likely be ups and downs with the virus as the months (and years) wore on. As you learned from your 100MI, 50MI or 26.2MI reading assignment, our eyes are wide open and our 2021 event is set up to be resilient, flexible and safe in light of this. We will be monitoring things over the coming weeks, and as we get closer we will make some final decisions on the items that we highlighted as being subject to change / modification. The good news is that even if we had to enact some/many/all of these modifications, the experience on the trail should be pretty much identical to years past – the Superior Hiking Trail is still stunning, the climbs are still steep, the roots and rocks are still plentiful, and the opportunity for an inner journey of trail-induced transcendence remains undiminished.

Over the coming weeks some things that you can proactively do to prep for this year’s race are as follows: Make sure you have drop bags that meet the published requirements, make sure that you have a reusable cup should you want to enjoy a soda at the aid stations (we are a cupless race) and make sure you have procured the gels, sports drink packets and electrolyte supplements you prefer as we will be cutting down on or eliminating these items going forward as we spend more time looking at expiration dates and throwing these items out than you do ingesting them, I suspect this is the case due to there being so many products on the market now and everyone has their own preferred mix of these items.

On par with most other trail / ultra races in our area this year, the Superior Fall Trail Race is currently sitting at just over half of its normal capacity. While we are not looking to fill it to 100% of normal capacity, and are totally fine with having a smaller race, we are going to reopen registration until August 15 to allow a few more folks the opportunity to run. If you have friends or family looking to run, feel free to pass this info along.

On a similar note, we are still accepting volunteers. We would like to have the majority of our volunteers committed by August 15 as well. If you know anyone looking to volunteer please pass THIS along https://www.superiorfalltrailrace.com/read-first/

I am excited for Superior; those last sun soaked days of Summer, those subtle hints of Fall and the longstanding tradition, dating back to 1991, of gathering on the North Shore with like-minded individuals, spiritual seekers, endurance mystics and ultra goofballs. It is going to be really great.

Please reach out if you have any questions or need anything at all.

Thank You,

John Storkamp
Race Director
[email protected]

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.