Grand Island Trail Marathon

I loved this marathon. It was my first trail marathon and it was fabulous. It is a bit bare bones- minimal crowds and just a few support staff. But, that was fabulous. I loved that the racers were all so supportive of one another. I loved that there was no mess made at the water stops. We stopped and they filled our water bottles and off we went. The course was BEAUTIFUL! I could gush on and on about the stunning clarity and beauty of Lake Superior. I appreciated that they had a shuttle bus to drop us off at the start. I had to wait a 1/2 hour for the bus and that made me a bit nervous. But, it was all good. We arrived in plenty of time to ride the ferry to the start. Oh- and the ferry ride was adorable! If you are looking for a fun trail marathon, I highly recommend this race!

Absolutely enjoyable race. I'd recommend booking lodging well in advance. I booked white pine lodge in Christmas right up the road from Where the ferry takes you to the island for very reasonable cost booking 3-4 months in advance. Looked it up and lodging in the area way more expensive right before race. - packet pickup a breeze day before race. - enjoyed wonderful 'northern Michigan-centric food'. Whitefish and chips from the 'Captain Ron' food truck that were great, and of course a chicken pasty and an apple pasty. Delicious! - rain was in forecast but stayed away until late in race for me - shuttle pickup from the hotel great, and quick little ferry to island pre-sunrise was flawless - lots of talk about bugs, but mosquitoes weren't terrible, and a runner let me borrow some bug spray - liked having early start option - 57th marathon and I must say, it's the first time for me that we were literally yelled at by the race director-no joke, talking thru a bullhorn and every once in a while literally yelling thru bullhorn 'hey!!!! Listen to me!!!!' As he described things about the course. In his defense, he did preface by saying he hasn't slept all night and there had been issues w race signage getting messed with overnight; but it still was a bit unwelcoming-and something I have never seen in any of the previous 56 marathons across all 50 states that I've done.... I must say all was forgiven as far as I'm concerned w the beauty of the course and how much I enjoyed it. - Course was absolutely sublime. Highlights-mile 8 along beach, views along cliffs spectacular, blue Lake Superior is amazing, just a peaceful, gorgeous wilderness island. - got poured on last couple miles, but I didn't really care, and decided to embrace it and slog right thru giant puddles instead of running around them. - aid stations well stocked and didn't mind at all having to have my own hydration system And just refilling at the aid stations every 4 miles or so - course not tough on joints since you aren't running on concrete, have to be very aware w some areas w tree roots - loved getting to finish and going right over to go wade right in Lake Superior for an 'ice bath' lol - I was soaked anyway so went in shoes and all and it felt great - medal is unique, made of wood, but I must say, I thought it was flimsy and underwhelming - ferry back to mainland a breeze - had to wait for 45 min w other runners for shuttle back to hotels w fried legs not fun My complaints are minor. The majestic beauty of the nature/island and peace while running is alone enough to make this race well worth it, in my opinion. Thoroughly enjoyed it!

This is a great way to race off the grid. It's entirely on trails around a pristine island in a remote and beautiful part of the country. Most people won't have the chance to get up to this area much less run through it. Truly a unique adventure. Lake Superior is one of the coolest things I've ever seen. This is a chance to be surrounded by it. It rained the day I did it but that is part of this sport. It added to the challenge and was not a negative factor. It is a beautiful place to run rain or shine. The cliffs to the water were cool, so was the beach, and dense forest. Plus the boat ride to the island added to the experience. Organization, volunteers, spectators, community and other runners were all great. Thanks for making this a great adventure.