An Early Welcome to the Superior 100, Share Your Superior Story with the Pickle Juice Project, and More!

Mar 9, 2023 | Race Updates

 

Greetings Runners!

Congratulations again on being accepted into the 2023 Superior 100 Mile Trail Race, we look forward to being with you this Fall. Train well in the months to come, brush up on race logistics and details via our website, chat with fellow Superior 100 runners in our forum, buy some Superior swag to get inspired, check out this year’s giveaway (it’s a beanie!) and please reach out if you have any questions as the year progresses. In the meantime here is some information regarding a couple of new partnerships and opportunities in the year ahead.

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Midwest Trail Running Documentary – The Pickle Juice Project:

MN trail running friends Jeff and Lucy are working on a fun and creative documentary about Midwest Trail Running, and are looking to hear from runners who are doing Superior 100 for the first time, or better yet Superior as their very first 100 mile race. They are looking to interview and keep tabs on a few runners’ progress throughout the season. Check out the official film trailer and learn more about the project at thepicklejuiceproject.com then contact Jeff and Lucy at [email protected] if you are interested in sharing your journey.

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Bigger than the Trail:

After many years of selfless service, longtime aid station captains Jan and Joe O. have retired from the Sugarloaf Aid Station and Bigger Than the Trail is taking over! Learn more about Jan and Joe’s tenure and more about Bigger Than the Trail stepping up to lead Sugarloaf into the future HERE https://www.superiorfalltrailrace.com/bigger-than-the-trail-to-head-up-the-sugarloaf-road-aid-station-at-the-superior-fall-trail-race/

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Mile in My Shoes (MiMS)

The Superior Fall Trail Race and Rocksteady Running is proud to introduce Mile in My Shoes as an official charity partner for our 2023 events! Mile in My Shoes (MiMS) is a Twin Cities Minnesota based nonprofit that uses the power of running to bring together people from diverse backgrounds to build connections, boost wellness, spark social change, and center people traditionally excluded from running spaces. Based in homeless shelters, addiction recovery programs and re-entry centers for people exiting incarceration, MiMS views running as a tool for both personal and collective transformation. Learn more HERE https://www.superiorfalltrailrace.com/mile-in-my-shoes/

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Superior Hiking Trail Association

The Superior Trail Races (both Spring and Fall) take place on the Superior Hiking Trail. The Superior Hiking Trail Association is the non-profit organization that builds and maintains the Superior Hiking Trail. The Superior Trail Races / Rocksteady Running make an annual donation to the trail association, organize volunteer efforts, promote membership and generally advocate for the trail. If you are not already a Superior Hiking Trail Association member, we encourage you to join, you can do so HERE https://superiorhiking.org/joinsuperior/ – if you are already a member and would like to make an additional donation, you can do so HERE https://superiorhiking.org/donatesuperior/ – If you are ever so inclined, drop them a line and tell them how meaningful it is to you to have the opportunity to train and race on the Superior Hiking Trail. We thank you for your support of the SHT!

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Please Support all of our Sponsors and Partners!

If you get a minute please check out and support all of our sponsors and partners – they all do so much for our event! https://www.superiorfalltrailrace.com/sponsors/

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Volunteers.

Each year about 350 volunteers come together to make Superior a success. If you have friends and family at the race and they don’t want to chase you around the entire time, or if you know anyone else that would be interested in helping, send them our way, info HERE! If you are interested in volunteering at any of our other races, Zumbro, Superior (Spring), Afton, ESTRS, please let us know, we would love to have you!

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Thanks so much for your time today. Please reach out if you need anything.

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.