The Course
The 100K road course is
beautiful. The race starts just outside and east of Finland Minnesota on
Minnesota Highway 1, west of the Highway 4 intersection. The upper 65K of
the course is through the rolling backcountry of the North Shore of Lake
Superior. The course weaves its way through the Saw Tooth Mountain range. This
mountain range is the oldest in North America. The scenery is spectacular. The
road running surface of the upper 65K is a mixture of asphalt and gravel. The
roads are narrow and access to the course is very limited. The course is open to
traffic, which on the upper 65K is largely logging trucks, hunters, and
residents who do not see this many people in one year. Share the road and be
safe. The race leaves the narrow backcountry roads just north of Two Harbors
Minnesota on State Highway 2. After passing through Two Harbors, the course
joins the Scenic Highway 61 for the final 30K along Lake Superior to the finish
line at Brighton Beach at Gitchi Gummi Park. This
section is also famous for the Grandmas Marathon. The Ed Fitz leaves the
Grandmas Marathon course at about the 17-mile mark of the marathon.
The Finish is the most beautiful
in all of road racing. The final leg is a gateway that is gently winding, down
hill, tree line, to the Finish line on the shore of Lake Superior.
The teams and solo runners run on
the same course
except for a team relay point,
which is located in Beaver Bay. Teams leave the solo course and run into Beaver
Bay to exchange with their next relay runner. After relaying, teams rejoin the
course with the solo runners and run the same course to the finish.
The solo runners
do not go into
Beaver Bay, but continue on the USATF certified
100K course.
In the team relay, there are
eight relay legs, 19.3K, 25.9K, 25K, 9.9K, 5K, 5.1K, 5K, and 10K (in that order)
for a total length of 105K. Two-person 50K/50K run the same course as solo
runners, and their total length is 100K.
Please note!
This is a one way
racecourse to 65K. Do not, under any circumstance, attempt to drive “up” the
course, including the access road off Highway 2, which looks very inviting. You
will be disqualified if you fail to follow these rules.
The Racecourse will be closed at
3:30 pm at the 50-mile mark. Make sure you take advantage of the early start
times for both solo and teams if you are not sure you can get to this point at
the prescribed time. Anyone who has not cleared this point by 3:30 will no long
be considered in the event.
|
