2022 Split Rock Volunteers – Photo Credit Scott Rokis

 

The day before, the day(s) of, and the days after this year’s Superior Fall Trail Race I was heartened, dumbfounded, maybe even slightly horrified to hear so much ‘next year’ talk (that last part was probably just the sleep deprivation working on me). “Next year we should do this”, or “next year I can improve on that”. Friends, once you have been here and done this, you know how much work it is to make Superior happen – as awesome as it all is, it is a monumental amount of work, if not a grizzly affair come those wee hours – if only everyone could see how the sausage is made right?! The fact that you choose to come back year after year and do it with as much joy and enthusiasm as you do is heartening, humbling and energizing. I absolutely love these races, the friends, volunteers and runners we get to do this with and for – the memories we get to make. Thank you for making yourselves an indispensable part of this!  One participant this year said… “The race is incredibly well organized and put on. I’ve only seen a volunteer army like this at WSER (Western States Endurance Run)”, that is quite the compliment.

 

Housekeeping: 

Our aid station captains typically do a great job of getting volunteer t-shirts (well, hats this year) out to you, but sometimes things stay just busy enough at the aid stations and a few don’t get passed out.  If you did not get your hat for volunteering at an aid station, or another position, please email me and we will get one in the mail for you.

Aid station captains and other volunteers, if you have any expenses for aid station food or other extras that you provided and would like to be reimbursed, please get me your receipts.

 

Notable Departures:

I want to recognize a couple of notable Aid Station leadership departures after many years of distinguished service…

Dawn Long, her sister Jamie and her partner Pat headed up the Finland aid station for many years. Dawn is a longtime / very close friend of mine, and she is married to one of my very best friends Matt, who is the Friday sweeping coordinator. Dawn, Jamie and Pat headed up Finland a few years for former race director Larry Pederson, this before there was a “Finland Rec Center”. They took a brief hiatus for a couple of years during which time my brother filled the gap, then came back for their encore for many more years during my tenure as RD. The three of them, the friends they recruited, and so many other volunteers worked so hard to make this a festive, memorable and well organized aid station with great food, year in and year out. After last years race they retired from Finland (again). Dawn helped on the sweep this year and I suspect this will be her new home for some years to come. Henry and Willow stepped up and ran Finland this year and did an outstanding job ( they are invited to do the same again in 2023 but we will let them decompress a little before discussing! )

Jan and Joe O’Brien captained the Sugarloaf Aid Station for many years, initially with their good friends Pam and Loren Albin. We know they were there every year since 2011 – none of us can remember if maybe even a year or two before that (‘Superior years’ tend to blend together – in a good way!)  They had the help of many good friends and volunteers over the years. Jan and Joe took what was a modest little outpost on the side of Sugarloaf Road and whipped it into a wonderful aid station, always well organized, with great food and good vibes!  This was Jan and Joe’s last year heading up the aid station, but not the end of their relationship with Superior. We will be looking to fill their (big) shoes for the 2023 race – if you and your friends / running group, club, business etc. have any interest, let me know (some aid station experience, and the ability to bring some of your own core group is helpful), we will put this opportunity out to a wider audience in the months to come. A fun personal note about Jan and yet another illustration of our strong Minnesota running community volunteer ethos… Each year I volunteer for Friday finish line setup for Twin Cities Marathon, then run the race on Sunday. When I cross the line I immediately look for Jan, as she hands out finishers medals – I look forward to seeing you on “our” finish line and getting my medal from you again in a couple of weeks Jan!

 

Again, I cannot thank you all enough for everything you put into Superior!  I am already looking forward to next year!

 

With Gratitude,

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.