North Face Endurance Challenge Wisconsin Half Marathon

Ran the North Face Endurance Challenge Half Marathon on October 24, 2009. It was a COLD morning! Luckily for the half marathon runners, we did not start until 10 a.m. The 50 mile runners had started in the dark at 6 and the marathoners at 8 a.m. The half marathon course looped through the Kettle Morraine State Park, Southern Unit starting and finishing at Ottawa Lake. The course undulated quite a bit, but there were not many really big hills, just lots of up and down. The fall colors were close to peak, though the wind and rain over the previous few days had stripped some of the trees (and made for a few muddy patches). My favorite parts of the course were the sections of pine forests...very little of that on my runs at Des Plaines River Trail or Bong Recreation Area. The race was well organized and the route well marked. My only complaint is that the finish line are was too small. I crossed the finish line and had to come to an abrupt halt because the crowd was so thick I could not move. I liked the course for the Rock Cut Rendezvous 25km much more, and think I'll try the 50km race there next year. Finish time-2:12

Rock Cut HOBO 25 km Trail Run

The Rockford Road Runners put on three days (September 18-20) of trail runs called the Rock Cut Rendezvous, which includes a 10km night run, and 25 and 50km regular trail races. Since this was my first trail run, I opted for the middle distance. The course is a giant loop through Rock Cut State Park with a mix of wide horse trails and single-track, with the majority being single-track. There were about 200 runners in the race, a small enough number that we could get nicely strung out on the course. This is a very scenic route with the single-track so narrow in places that you almost have to turn sideways to slip through. Lots of switch back up and down ravines and even a couple of very narrow stream crossings. It's a great course and well organized race. Hope to be back next year for the 50km.

CANDISC 2009

Spent a week this summer Cycling Around North Dakota in Sakakawea Country (CANDISC), a 426 mile loop ride around eastern North Dakota from August 1-8. It was my first visit to North Dakota and I was struck by the emptiness. Roads stretch off in front of you until they disappear into infinity. The route was not flat. Most days we had nice gentle rollers and occasionally a decent climb. Traffic was mostly nonexistent (as was sunshine this week). It seemed like the towns we overnighted in had a smaller population than our tour group. We got lucky with the wind, having a couple of days of stiff tailwinds and only one day of really trying headwinds. Rest stops were well organized and occasionally very tasty. Bison burgers on day one was one of my favorites. Mornings were chilly. One morning it must have been close to freezing. Definitely the coldest I've ever been in August. Overall, a very well organized tour with very little variation in the scenery from day to day. A nice change of pace, but I sure missed trees by the end of the tour.