Northwoods Winter Trail Marathon 1/2026

 My 7th running of the current model Northwoods Winter Trail Marathon (formerly  Snowshoe Marathon which I ran 6 times before it was cancelled)! The trails may have been in the best shape that I have seen them. They were packed, completely snow covered and beautiful!  

I left home at 600 so I'd have plenty of time to get to the marathon start in Duluth, about 2.5 hours away. I put Amity Chalet into my GPS and off I went. As I came through Duluth and was only a few miles from the start my GPS began to direct me using an unusual route. I thought maybe a road had been closed or something. Alas, I was brought to a new development called Amity Trails. A man in his front yard approached my vehicle and let me know that I and 15 others had gone the wrong way. He gave me a quick reroute and I found myself to the race start with 10 minutes to go. Jeeze. 

My friend Kim had met me at the start. I came up to her car window and she said she'd let me get ready would see me after the race. We had previously decided we'd meet at Dunn Brothers post race. 

I quickly ran into the chalet to get my race number and check in, back to my vehicle to change clothes and get my pack ready. I made it to the start with 1 minute to go. Not the way I like to begin a race, but hey, better than Chippewa 50K in April when I was 8 minutes late!

There were 22 entrants for the marathon, there wasn't any pinch point, we were all spread out, just enjoying the course. It was a beautiful day, 10F, a light snow still falling creating a bit of texture on the top of the trail, it was perfect.

The Lester River was frozen solid this year, in fact there were people skiing upon it. What a pretty sight. 

I was able to run a 'fast for me' pace. As I climbed Hawk Ridge I noticed that the lake view was fogged in. I hoped it would be clear upon my second lap.

As I came into mile 13 Andy let me know that I was second woman overall. I filled up my hydration vest, moved a few gels to the front pocket and headed off for loop 2.

I didn't see anyone on my second 13 mile loop. I didn't pass anyone, I wasn't passed by anyone. I enjoyed a truly peaceful meditation running along the smooth trail.

Climbing Hawk Ridge I was thrilled to see that the fog had lifted and the view was breathtaking. I could see the snow covered trees, the City of Duluth and Lake Superior. Magnificent!

Rolling into the finish line at 5:30 was a course PR for me and hung in for the 2nd woman overall. I felt great, still had plenty of energy and wondered if I should have left a bit more of it on the trail. I had a great run.

After changing clothes I went to Dunn Brothers to meet Kim for a coffee and a nice visit. It was a great day!

Northwoods Winter Marathon 2023

 If you remember, last year I took an incorrect turn and didn't make a check in after the first 13 miles. I continued on for another 13 miles but I did not get a finish. I was NOT going to do make the same mistake this year!

Andy emailed the participants that with 11" of new snow we could look forward to a slow soft course and encouraged us to drop down to the half marathon. I wasn't interested in that plan. I wanted a good long run so stuck with the marathon.

With a 930 AM start there was plenty of time for me to drive the 2.5 hours to Duluth, check in and still have time to get dressed in running attire and pack up my hydration vest.

I was surprised that as I drove to Duluth the air temperature kept going up. Normally the opposite takes place. By the time I arrived to the race start it was 23F!  We were going to have a warm day indeed.  

Andy checked in with me, letting me know that he added an arrow where I messed up last year. I told him that I did not hold him responsible for my snafoo at all-that was totally on me!  I must say though, when I came up to that arrow I gave it a pat and said thank you Andy!

The snow was soft and deep. There were some deep post holes where hikers and horses had travelled through but most of it was pretty decent. The course is just so beautiful. I enjoy the woods, the paths along the river, the hills. It really is stunning. Not many people enter the race, it is low key and you aren't coddled.  All plusses in my book.

I found myself running with Kate for almost the full first loop. The time went by too quickly!  Before I knew it we were running into the start/finish. I filled up my hydration vest which I had been wearing under my jacket to keep from freezing. As the volunteer filled it we noticed that I had completely drained it. I didn't realize that I had consumed 60 oz of tailwind during that 3 hours. It went down easy! 

I zipped back up and headed out for loop two. I picked up the pace as the course was a bit more packed down now with everyone having gone through once. It was foggy on the lookouts over the city/lake during the first lap but during the second lap the fog burned off, the sun came out and the views were fantastic!

I hadn't run a longer distance since Superior in September so it was good to learn that my hamstrings had healed, my legs were strong and I was back where I love to be. Effortless. I could run all day at this pace. 

Most of the second lap I ran solo. I'd come up on a person every once in a while but not very often. It was quiet, peaceful and meditative.

Running into the finish with a negative split, first in my age group and oldest finisher was a cherry on top of beautiful day spent running.

Northwoods Winter Trail Marathon

Back at it!

I was hoping I'd be back in running shape before January hit so that I could again run the Northwoods Winter Trail Marathon. Last year it was warm and soggy, post-holing through deep snow.  This year it was beautifully firm snow, perfect conditions, 25F and no wind. What a treat!

I made my way to the trail at a leisurely 800 AM Saturday morning. It was fun to help Andy out with setting up the race start, filling aid station jugs of water, assembling age group win awards and doing whatever I could to assist. There was plenty of time.

The course was absolutely beautiful. Stunning views of the river, running along it for miles, the views of the city from Hawk Ridge, frozen waterfalls, it is really spectacular. 

My ankle felt solid, my body strong and my heart filled with joy. I had an amazing day. I never felt tired or bored or like I wanted to quit. A  marathon is a joyous distance to feel nothing but happiness, to be out in the woods long enough but not too long. I wasn't wet, I wasn't cold, I was comfortable. I wasn't pushing my limits, I was strolling along, taking in all of the beauty that the Duluth trails offer. 

I finished the race 45 minutes faster than last year at 5:45. Like last year I won the 50-59 age group. No pain, all gain. It was a good test to my current level of fitness after breaking my ankle and I'm so happy that I am in a good place. I have a good base of fitness and don't seem to have lost anything after spending 12 weeks without very much movement.

Today I find myself wondering why I even want to run longer than 50K distance? Do I even want to push myself? Why would I want to be in pain and have to recover the next few days?  Perhaps I just stick to 50K again. I don't know. I still find myself thinking I'll put in for Superior 50 Miler. There were be pain and suckage but at least it is not the 100. Did I say that? Hmmm..interesting how my perspective may be changing, at least at this moment.

Yeah, I'll put in for the 50 Miler at Superior. I feel great. 

Northwoods Winter Trail Marathon

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I was so excited to hear that Andy Holak was bringing back the Northwoods Snowshoe Marathon in Duluth. As the Northwoods Winter Trail Marathon.  I always loved that snowshoe marathon!

The new race would take place on different trails, with option of snowshoe or trail shoe. There would be a half marathon and full marathon option. I was all in. I was going to run in trail shoes.

I stayed at Fitgers on Friday night and attended the trail film festival/packet pick up at Iron Works. It was so much fun! 

The race didn’t begin until 930 so I had lots of time in the morning. In fact, I felt like I needed a second breakfast before start time!  I began with 2 bananas and an orange. At the start while waiting I ate a sweet potato.  I was all set!

The weather was uncharacteristically warm. The high the day before was 42 degrees and at the start it was already 32 degrees with a forecast of 40. Unbelievable. It made for very warm, wet conditions. The snow was deep and melting, it was so soft and hard to maneuver through. 

I was surprised that we were able to run on these trails as most are public use and fat bikers use them. I saw people skiing, biking, snowshoeing and running. We were making deep footprints on the trail. We were really messing it up.

The conditions were real tough. We were post-holing through the snow, up mid calf through some of the trail. The snow was too soft to run on top of, we just sunk. Within 2 miles I had to remove my windbreaker. I was glad I had a pack so I could just stuff extra clothing away. It was very warm.

There was an aid station at mile 7. It took me over 2 hours to get there!  I  didn’t need anything, I just trudged on through. I had plenty of Tailwind in my bladder and a good supply of gels.

The trails were just gorgeous. We ran along Hawks Ridge fat bike trail which is perched high above the Lakeside neighborhood with incredible views of Lake Superior and the City. It truly was amazing…yet incredibly difficult to run through.

As I was running back to the start I began to think about how long it was taking me.  It would be 3:30 hours before I finally got to the start/finish again. I began to worry about daylight. I began to worry that it would take me to dark to finish. I hadn’t brought a head lamp. I never dreamed it would take me so long. I began to listen to others complain about the conditions. Their feet were cold and wet. They weren’t going to continue. I began to take a self check. I felt good, strong. I wasn’t sore, I wasn’t cold. I was working hard but sure didn’t want to stop. My only concern was daylight.

I decided I wouldn’t worry about the light. I wasn’t going to stop because of something that may not even happen.

I ran into the start  and asked if anyone had a head lamp I could borrow..no one responded so I refilled my bladder with water and threw away my empty gels. I asked a group of women if they were ready to head back out with me but they were all dropping. I was so shocked.  I said so long and headed out.

I was hoping the trail would have been in a little better condition for the second loop but it really wasn’t. I was still sinking into the warmed snow and doing a lot of sliding.  I decided to make an effort to run faster so that I would finish in daylight.

I didn’t see ANY other runners for the whole second half. Not a one!  I began to wonder if anyone else was running the marathon.  I was running a good two minutes faster per mile, I figured if it was getting dark at the aid station, mile 20, I could stop there. I trudged on and made it to the aid station at 2:45PM. I had a good two hours to do 6 miles in the light…I figured I could go for it.

I continued on, picking up my pace as I neared the finish. I felt so good, so strong, so happy. I loved the trails, the beautiful views of the lake, the overlooks of the city, it really was incredible.

After 6:30 hours I came into the finish. It was a great effort. I was thrilled with my :30 negative split. It was daylight. I made it! 

After I finished a volunteer walked up to me with an age group award. I couldn’t believe it. 1^st Place 50-59 and 3^rd woman overall.

I had a spectacular time. A great day!