Superior Fall Trail Race 2017 Volunteer Email 1

Greetings ​Friends!

Founded in 1991, the Superior 100 Mile Trail Race is the 10th oldest 100 mile trail race in the country (there are over 150 now) – The 20​17 Superior Fall Trail Races (100MI, 50MI and ​26.2MI) are just under two months away and we need your help to keep Superior at the forefront as one of the best reputed 100 mile races in the entire country!  This years races will take place Friday September ​8th and Saturday September ​9th, 2017.  We have a record field registered and a lot of people already committed to volunteering!  If you are receiving this email it is because 1.) You have volunteered in the past 2.) You have volunteered at other RSR races or 3.) You have previously expressed interest in volunteering – please forgive us if you have already signed up to volunteer and are still receiving this email.  Due to the logistics of putting on a point to point 100 mile trail race, we need ​275+ volunteers to make this event happen, not just on the race days themselves (Friday through Saturday) but also on Thursday for trail marking and the pre-race meeting and for Monday cleanup in the Twin Cities.

Volunteer Sign Up:
We ask that anyone who would like to volunteer at this years race please signup online – by doing so, you really help us to manage the amount of information we have to manually enter and you help keep us organized – so thank you in advance! https://www.superiorfalltrailrace.com/volunteer-signup/
If you are planning on volunteering, it would be very helpful to us if you could register as soon as possible so we can see what spots we still have to fill – the online signup process should only take about 5 minutes! After signing up, your name will show up on the ‘Volunteer List’ https://www.superiorfalltrailrace.com/volunteer-assignments/​ this is how you can confirm you are signed up, as the weeks progress we will start making the volunteer assignments and your name will then show up with your assignment​(s) next to it but keep in mind the majority of the volunteer assignments will not be made until about 3 weeks prior.

A Few Additional Notes:

1.) If you volunteered last year, in the “notes” section of the online signup form please tell us where and if you would like to be back in the same position, this can be very helpful since you know that position already.

2.) Please consider finding / inviting one friend that has not volunteered at Superior in the past or does not do a lot of race volunteering – it is so common for the “usual suspects” to be the ones stepping up year in and year out, and while we need that leadership, we need new blood too!

Some Special Needs:

1.) We are looking for someone with a truck and small enclosed trailer (10′ minimum) to haul some stuff for us after the 100 mile packet pickup in Two Harbors (at about 9:00PM) on Thursday night to Caribou Highlands, we would be happy to pay gas expenses / mileage for this since we realize this is a big ask.

2.) If you are a skilled photographer or Social Media guru we will always take additional volunteer photographers and Social Media pros, so please let us know!

3.) If you would be OK with a more stationary, indoor volunteer assignment and are fairly computer savy we are looking for folks to help with data entry for runner tracking.  This consists of hanging out with our HAM Radio / communications team at Caribou Highlands / the race finish.  We need coverage for this the entire 38 hours of the race.

4.) If you happen to have Monday Sept 11th off of work and would like to help us with post-race cleanup at our home in the Twin Cities we would love to have you!

In Closing:
Please be sure to review all of the race information on the website and under the volunteer section, this will help you be the best resource possible for the runners and for your fellow volunteers!  As always should you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.  If you cannot make it or are already signed up to run the race, no need to respond, you can disregard this message.  We are looking forward to spending another awesome weekend with all of you putting on one of the biggest, baddest and most historic 100 mile trail races in the country!

Thank You,

John Storkamp
Race Director
racedirector@superiortrailrace.com

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.