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May 2, 2024

Grand Island Trail Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Grand Island Trail Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 4.7

Organization 3.9

Spectators 2.8

Number of comments: 71 [displaying comments 41 to 51]

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 > ]

P. E. from Greenville, Michigan (7/30/2008) "Course: Beautiful. Management: Needs Help." (about: 2008) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Grand Island Trail Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 It's hard to find a more beautiful place to run, and the weather was perfect: sunny, cool and breezy. The trails are easy to follow and mostly shaded. Heavy rains the day before made them mucky and muddy but never treacherous. Garmin reception is haphazard; I lost mine for good in Mile 14 and I know other runners lost theirs as well. The hardest part of the course is the long stretch of beach that follows the first major downhill. Post-race refreshments were ample. My only complaint is with management's mid-race, still-unexplained creation of a 3:15:00 cutoff time for persons passing through the Mile 16 aid station. I missed it by minutes and was told I'd been scratched and would have to surrender my chip (and my official time). I can't tell you what a blow this was mentally. Staff didn't know why the cutoff time had been established. I could decide to finish the race on my own, or I could wait for a bus to take me back to the start/finish. I went on, not even knowing if the aid station at Mile 22 would be staffed (it was, thankfully, and they didn't understand the cutoff time either). I was met by a bike patrolman in Mile 25, who essentially told me the cutoff had been rescinded and I'd get an official time after all. I won't run this course again, gorgeous as it is. I won't lay my money, or the time and effort I spend training, on the line with management that makes questionable decisions and does not explain its actions. Oh, and I saw a bear around Mile 18 or 19. It was just sitting there back in the tall grass, watching me. I also saw a large pile of fresh scat, probably around Mile 23. Fresh, as in newly-minted after the 200+ runners in front of me passed by. When they say it's a wilderness island, they mean it.
N. L. from Detroit, MI (7/28/2008) "Top Shelf" (about: 2008) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Grand Island Trail Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 I think this is about as beautiful as trails can get here in Michigan. In the north and west portions of the trail, giant ferns give it an almost prehistoric feel. Several parts of the trail overlook cliffs that drop straight down to Superior. The beach part is a great touch (and not that difficult). I even got to see a black bear - he was watching me eat a Clif Bar. That was a little nerve-wracking for us city-folk, but he stayed put and all was fine. Lots of uphills, but all in all, not a technical trail. A definite should for anyone up to it. Can't wait to do it again.
G. K. from Ann Arbor, Michigan (7/28/2008) "BEAUTIFUL course!" (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Grand Island Trail Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I had a really great time at this race. It was well organized, but being at the back of the pack, I heard a lot about people being disqualified for not meeting a cutoff (3:15?) at a certain mileage - when I was only aware of a 6-hour finish time cutoff. So I suggest a little more explicit info on the cutoffs. The volunteers were great, and as my first trail marathon, I was highly impressed by the "green" race management - even down to the super yummy post-race snacks from the local food co-op. I would definitely do this race again... and as I saw in another comment, I agree: HEED is gross. Although you cannot praise nor fault a race/organizer for weather...the weather WAS picture perfect this year. Thanks for a most gorgeous run - even the bear poop on the trail was pretty!
M. S. from U.P. of MI (7/28/2008) "Great run! Customer service lacks." (about: 2008) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Grand Island Trail Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 5 Overall I had a great time but I feel there are a few constructive criticisms that are due: 1) Informational packets were confusing and needed serious editing. One glaring example was the fact that the actual start time of the marathon was missing. Every other time was in there, but the most important one was not. The rest of the information seemed to lack logical flow. Not bad, but definitely could do better. 2) A good friend who I trained and ran the marathon with had a wife who was expecting twins, possibly that day. As a precaution, we bought another friend a spectator boat ticket and had him come to the island with a bike, cell phone, and pager. Well he didn't make it. The lady taking the tickets would not let him on, even though the boat was half empty she made him wait 2 hours. Furthermore she passed judgment on my buddy saying that he shouldn't be running the race.... Even though we were calm and collected, she became agitated with a raised voice. Our buddy had to wait till 9 a.m. to get on the island, and during that time he witnessed her yell at several other people.... I wonder if this is the same women that was mentioned in the 2007 comment??? 3) Bathrooms: Most everyone spent there time in the porta-john lines instead of stretching or getting ready. I was on the first boat to the island and I got in line, did my business, then immediately started the race.... It was tight. Could use more, but the number may be a limitation set by the park service. Positives: 1) Great course, well marked, challenging and beyond beautiful. 2) Great environmental focus (trash policy, organic foods, etc.). I did not see one piece of litter on the trail! 3) The people at the aid stations rocked, the HEED was ice-cold, and the 16-mile station had Advil!! Great support.
T. D. from Sturgis, MI (7/26/2008) "finisher medals for the marathon" (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Grand Island Trail Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 The course was fantastic. I would have enjoyed having a finisher medal to remember the day, and wouldn't mind paying more for it. A date for the shirt would make them collectible. Thanks for a GREAT race.
S. H. from Michigan (3/4/2008) "Beautiful run! But very challenging." (about: 2007) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Grand Island Trail Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I am 19 and this was my first marathon. It wasn't as difficult as I was expecting, but it was definitely still very challenging. I did all of my training on trails, so that helped a lot. I would definitely recommend this race to anyone who loves a good challenge and wants to have a good time doing it!
j. j. from MI (10/20/2007) "Amazing" (about: 2007) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Grand Island Trail Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 1 This race, as you have read, is very beautiful. I'll even concur that the locals at the race pick-up were not as pleasant as they could have been. What a prospective runner should note about this race is that you better be in great shape. I ran the Detroit marathon prior to this and this course was about 14x more difficult. They should pre-screen runners for this race. The whole race was uphill, and when it was flat it was on the sand. Great memory - Jeff the coordinator sitting Indian-style near the finish with his hands on his chin looking frustrated because I was part of the group who apparently took too long. We barely made the last ferry.
R. M. from United States (9/6/2007) "Cool course - and that's about it." (about: 2007) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Grand Island Trail Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 1 I must say that this course was very beautiful... actually prettier than Big Sur, which Runner's World ranked as the one marathon to run if that's all they could do. In theory the environmentally responsible outlook the organizers took was nice to see. That shouldn't be an excuse to have fewer aid stations, or food/support though. The check-in lady seemed to have a bad attitude, which colored the rest of the experience for the worse. Can her and the race will improve dramatically. Not many spectators, but fellow campers such as "Flanders" were just downright jerks, and Heed is the energy drink. One of the aid station girls put it best. I asked what it tasted like and she replied, "Ass." All negatives aside, the island is stunning, and the course isn't that hard or technical for a trail marathon. The reason to run this race is the island, and not the rest of the package. I'm glad I ran this race and would do it again.
D. G. from Kansas (8/30/2007) "Ok and Scenic" (about: 2007) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Grand Island Trail Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 1 I found the course to be awesome in the natural beauty and not overly technical for most runners. The packet pickup lady was rather rude. Not a nice representation of the area residents for those of us traveling over 800 miles to run - it would have been a little more acceptable had she been helpful. Weather was perfect, and bugs were minimal as a bonus. Island was the best scenery of just about any of the courses I have run; however, be sure that you are in optimal health due to minimal staff/aid stations present. Event could probably use one more station toward the middle of the course.... I heard a few folks were lacking in the hydration dept. Nice touch with the handmade medals; however, I (and others) think all folks that complete the race deserve a generic medal of some sort and give the glass to the top dogs due to the fact that it's a long way to run to leave empty handed. Overall, it was an ok race - add a station, take away an old bird (packet lady), add a few more snacks at the finish and give medals to your finishers, and you'll makes more folks happy.
J. M. from Chicago, IL (8/8/2007) "Difficult for a back-of-the-packer" (about: 2007) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Grand Island Trail Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 5 The course is absolutely beautiful, so when I got a debilitating cramp at mile 8 after running down a 200-foot hill and through a mile of sand, I knew I would at least have nice things to marvel at all the way back to the finish. The few fans that come out are awesome and the town of Munising really makes everyone feel welcome. However, the race began before all the runners were there - this didn't affect me; I took one of the first buses and ferries. But the real kicker is that once I finished the race, my calves seized up so violently that I fell over. What did race people at the finish do? Came over and took off my timing chip. Not a word of concern or an offer of help. Sure, I'm not a top 10% or top 50% or top 90% finisher, but I'm still a marathoner. I did the same course, I paid the same money, and I deserve the same amount of concern. I can't say that I would ever do this marathon again - it seems like other smaller races have their organizational skills a little bit sharper. If I was going to be in the area during the race, I would probably just stick with the 10K and then do some camping on the island.

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 > ]

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