Others were coming back on ….
Others were coming back on the road to recover from injuries and for whom winning equalled pushing themselves as far as they could go.
The trail race started at 6 a.m. on Saturday morning and competitors, organizers and their supporters were there long before the first rays of the sun began to color the eastern sky. Runners were getting themselves psyched up for their race - an event which would see them running through the day and coming night.
While the organizers had a number of staffed aid stations along the route, the runners had also prepared their own drop bags. The bags of supplies were taken by volunteers to the designated aid stations. Other volunteers were there to provide first aid medical support to runners, make sure the road crossing on CTH E was done safely and create as positive an event as possible despite the rainy weather that rolled in about an hour into the 34-hour race.
The 1,000 mile long Ice Age National Scenic Trail follows the furthest extent of the last period of glaciers over what is now Wisconsin. In Taylor County there are about 50 miles of trail with many segments of technical difficulty given the glacially-carved terrain.
For Hartwig, the journey to bring the Midwest States 100 to reality was a long one involving wading through federal bureaucracy in getting permission from the USDA Forest Service that manages the Chequamegon- Nicolet National Forest, a multi-year process that was further delayed by COVID-19.
“My personal inspiration for this race was to create an event that is challenging, adventurous and on less travelled trails. I felt it was important to use part of the Ice Age trail since it is iconic to Wisconsin,” she stated.
“When I visit this part of the Chequamegon National Forest I am excited to see the landscape change as I travel through each section of the forest. I rarely run into other people. When I do, you can tell they are feeling a deep appreciation of the peaceful and wild nature around them. The forest bed is lush and the sounds of the forest are music that engulf your soul,” she said.
Hartwig envisions the race growing in future years. She said they are limited by the amount of parking available in the park and are looking at possible shuttle stops for people to park and get shuttled to the start/ finish area.
“We took a group photo of all the runners just before the race start. The sky was a beautiful purple color as the sun was starting to rise over the lake. There were equal the amount of volunteers on course ready to care for the runners. The community came together to care for these athletes so they would have the opportunity to experience running these trails in U.S. Forest Service - Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. We were touched by how many local folks came out to support the race and give us ideas for next year!” Hartwig said.
“The 75.36% finish rate would have been a high finish rate on any day. The fact that it happened under these extreme weather conditions is absolutely incredible. We are so proud of every athlete that was brave enough to toe the start line and gave the course their best for the day,” she said.
“Congratulations and thank you to all the runners, crew, volunteers, mother nature and everyone that made our inaugural race such an epic experience,” Hartwig said.
The date for next year’s race will be Aug. 26, 2023. She praised the staff of the local Forest Service office and said they have been very supportive of the event.
Runners in this year’s event came from as far away as Hawaii and North Carolina as well as a number from around Wisconsin and Minnesota. Hartwig and her crew manage a number of races in the midwest and in bringing a race to Taylor County were looking to provide a positive race experience for the competitors.
The top finisher in the 100K race was Alex Lietzan with a time of 13 hours, 47 minutes, 32 seconds.
In the 100 mile race, Samantha Stimac was the overall winner with a time of 25 hours, 10 minutes. The second overall female in the 100 mile race was Sarah Krebs with a time of 33 hours, 35 minutes.
The first overall male 100 mile runner was Stephen Sherman with a time of 26 hours, 45 minutes. The second overall male runner was Raymond Cummings with a time of 29 hours, 23 minutes.
