Thank You Letter to Volunteers – 2018

Sep 12, 2018 | Uncategorized, Volunteer Thank You's


Doug Kleemeier and Pacer Edward Sandor at the Finish of the 2018 Superior 100 – Photo Credit Mike Wheeler

 

When we tell our children, our spouse or our parents that we “love” them I think we all realize that we are stringing together words that are wholly inadequate of conveying the depth of our emotion and years of shared experience.  When I write my annual thank you letter, I feel much the same – “thank you” in my estimation, does not quite cut it.  I have even started to question whether it is my place to thank you at all, wondering that if saying as much creates a distinction between me and you, volunteers and the race, volunteers and runners that simply does not need to be made.  The way I have always seen it is that we are all one in the same; coming together, sharing in and making possible a meaningful, collective, human and spiritual experience that just so happens to be centered around the act of running.  To be honest I kind of cringe when a volunteer (and I kind of dislike that word too) says to me “you guys do such a great job”, it is kind of embarrassing really, for the truth is that WE do a great job, WE make this happen and together WE have created something special here over the past three decades!  In the future I challenge you to try saying “WE did a great job!”  It is not “others” who distribute the supplies, operate the radios, track the runners, captain the aid stations, fill the water bottles, attended to injured runners, mark and sweep the course, etc., you do! So this year, rather than saying “thank you for volunteering” I will just say wow, we were all part of something really special and I am honored to get play my part in it all.

I will leave you with a single line that one of our runners posted on Facebook in regards to his experience at the race that I think speaks so concisely to what our collective efforts make possible.  Obviously the stated goal is to create an event for our runners challenge themselves over 26.2, 50 or a 100 miles on the Superior Hiking Trail – but more importantly we are creating meaningful and impactful experiences that touch so many people in so many ways…

“Something changed in me out there. Something ancient and communal. Something beautiful.”

At the end of our aid station shifts, at the finish line on Saturday night, we have not only gone without sleep but we have spent hours engaging in something very emotional and very energy intensive and we are quite frankly, shot.  After some hours of restorative sleep we awake on Sunday morning with a feeling that we were once again lucky to be part of something truly unique, a grand project, a spiritual experience that we rarely get in our day to day lives – it dawns on us how lucky we truly are to have this in our lives and we are ready to do it again.

I encourage you, as always, to join us next year – again on the team that makes this all possible, as a runner or in any other capacity, we want you with us one way or another.  In the interim, should you have any questions, comments, compliments, suggestions or complaints or just want to chat, I am always available – don’t be a stranger.

Gratefully,

John Storkamp
Race Director
Superior Trail Race

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.