The suspension bridge over the High Falls of the Baptism River within Tettegouche State Park was damaged during historic flooding in May of 2022. The bridge has been closed indefinitely until it can be replaced.
As a result of the bridge closure the Superior 100 Mile Trail Race race course will be rerouted through Tettegouche State Park. We will make use of a series of non-SHT trails within the park. Runners will come off of the Superior Hiking Trail in order to cross the Baptism River via the parks auto and pedestrian bridge adjacent to the Highway 61 bridge, both of which are just above Lake Superior. This will add approximately 1.8 miles to the race – which can be viewed as more of a “gaining back” of distance lost since 2015 (more info on this towards the end).
HERE is a map illustrating the change, the reroute will be clearly marked. PDF format | JPG format
The non-SHT trails being used, cross the main park road three times. There will be course marshals at each crossing. Course marshals will stop runners, not cars – runners crossing once it is safe to do so.
The new aid station location will be in the cart-in campsite parking lot / trailhead off of the park road. There will be no crew access allowed at Tettegouche this year. Drop bags will be allowed (they usually are not). There will be a portable toilet at the aid station.
As a result of these late changes, for the 2022 race [remains in effect for 2023] we will make the following adjustments: Start the 100 mile race at 7:50AM, 10 minutes earlier than normal [this is reverting back to 8:00AM for 2023]. Extend the cutoffs at Tettegouche, County Road 6 and Finland each by 10 minutes. No other cutoffs will be extended. Additionally, pacers will be allowed for all runners at County Road 6, not just after 6:00PM as is the rule currently. If this reroute continues for the 2023 race we will go back to an 8:00AM start time and the cutoffs at Tettegouche, County Road 6 and Finland will revert to their normal times / no additional time will be given.
The total distance of the 2022 [and 2023] race will be about 102 miles, still 1.3 miles short of the “historic” (2005-2014) overall race distance. It is also important to note that in 2015 due to an SHT trail closure, the first segment of the race (Gooseberry to Split Rock) was shortened and the first 4.5 miles were moved off of technical single-track and onto a much quicker running paved bike trail. In 2017 that segment was further shortened due to the loss of the Split Rock River bridge and the wet crossing that happens short of the old bridge site.
A final note about documentation and signage. As you can see the race route changes slightly over time. Due to the fact that there are so many documents, printed assets, signage, etc. you may notice slight discrepancies in places – that said we have updated the Aid Station Chart, Course Maps and Crew Directions found HERE https://www.superiorfalltrailrace.com/maps-and-data/ The information contained above should align with most information you come across, but probably not all. The specific information above overrides other documentation as it pertains to the 2022 race.