Upper Midwest Trail Runners

We’re looking forward to having you join us for a great season of trail running in 2013! Don’t forget to renew your membership!

The Deadwood Mickelson Trail Marathon is held on June 2 running from Rochford to the Deadwood Trailhead on the western end of South Dakota. They have been the USATF National Championship race and are the South Dakota RRCA State Championship Race and Fox News named the Mickelson Trail one of the top 10 trails in the world last month. DMTM is the first race in our Marathon Series and is still open for late registration through May 25. Race Director Emily Wheeler took some time to answer our questions as the featured race of May.

1. Tell us a little bit about the history of Deadwood. How long has it been going and what kind of changes has it seen over the years?

2013 is the 12th running of … Continue Reading

Complete standings are available on the Trail Series page.

Here, at long last, are the updated results for the Ultra Series. Kudos are in order again for participants who battled snow, ice, slush, mud and 70+ degree temperatures (all on the same day!) out in the moraine country of Chippewa County back on the 27th. Lots of series entrants in the race, wonderful to see such a great turnout!

For women, Maria Barton continues to dominate the masters category, Tammy Hunter has taken an early advantage in the grandmasters, and Kate Leis holds a slim lead over Tina Johnson in the open. Wayne Nelson doubled back from Trail Mix to grab the top spot in men’s masters, Bill Pomerenke rode a strong finish to head the grandmasters, and the open division finds Jacob Hegge with a solid lead. Overall series finds Maria with the slimmest of leads, and Jacob holding strong for men.

2013 continues to be a … Continue Reading

The 2013 UMTR Trail Series is underway, with the men’s grandmasters leading the way. Douglas Hegley used two first place finishes to claim the lead, with Rick Stevens close behind. Both races featured more snow than usual for late April, but still attracted huge fields of runners. The series continues this weekend at the 7@7 in Mankato. It’s time to get out there, folks!

Complete standings are available on the Trail Series page.

Here is the UMTR April Newsletter. A special thank you to our guest columnists, Amy Clark & Jordan Hanlon! Check it out HERE.

The snow! My goodness, the snow! And a few races are already in the books! Zumbro 2013 will go surely go down in history as one of the most challenging early season races to be held in the Midwest. I can already hear how the stories will be told five years down the road: “Why the snow was two feet deep, with cricks flowing like the mighty Mississippi and only one thin popple branch to cross on…”

Looks like conditions were not much better at Trail Mix this past weekend, based on the pictures. Congratulations to all who toed the line over the past two weekends for your fortitude! Will the Ice Age Trail clear in New Auburn as competition heats up at Chippewa this weekend?

As for series results, Tina Johnson and Katie Leis are neck and neck in Women’s Open and Maria Barton holds … Continue Reading

The first leg of the Gnarly Bandit is in the books! Read Molly Cochran’s excellent write-up here:

http://www.snowshoemag.com/2013/04/21/one-tough-race-100-miles-of-muck-at-zumbro/

Race Series entrant sheets for the Trail Run Series and Trail Marathon Series have been updated on their respective web pages at: www.umtr.net If you have entered these series, please double check that your name is on there. If your name is missing please Contact Us!

Remember, you may join any of the series, except for the Gnarly Bandit, at any time during the season. Race participation / scoring is not retroactive, however, and there are race minimums to qualify for awards. So, if you wish to participate and make sure upcoming races count toward your series points, sooner is better. Have a great racing season!

Note: The Zumbro races are now in the books. An Ultra Series update should be out shortly.

As the snows decrease and the weather slowly warms, our thoughts turn to getting back onto the Superior Hiking Trail (SHT) for our runs.

The storm of June 19–20, 2012 destroyed some of the trail in Mission Creek and Jay Cooke State Park. Rehabbing and rerouting damaged trail will be one of the top priorities for Larry Sampson, Duluth Maintenance and Construction Supervisor, this May. Other areas of focus will be:

- Placing final touches on the new construction between the Martin Road and Normanna Road trailheads. These sections will officially open on National Trails Day, June 1, 2013.

- Weed whipping and brushing. Beginning in late June and extending through August, crews will be out cleaning up the 90+ miles of trail between Duluth and Two Harbors.

If you would like to help out please contact Larry at:… Continue Reading

Our April Member of the Month is Leslie Semler! Leslie was the USATF Moutain/Ultra/Trail 2012 runner of the year in recognition of her Voyageur 50 win and top 10 finish at the JFK 50.

1. When and how did you start running? When did you start running trails?

I started running cross country in 9th grade – I don’t have any specific reason why, I just wanted to be involved in something extracurricular and wasn’t brave enough to attempt anything that involved skills. I was successful within my high school team from the start so stuck with it and continued with Cross Country and track through high school and college (once I got to a school with running teams)

Trail running was a rare treat during my school years. The summers I spent at Michigan Tech included … Continue Reading

Welcome back to our Member of the Month series! If you know someone who deserves to be a Member of the Month this year, send us an email at info@umtr.net, or via our Contact Us page.

For our first installment, we introduce our fabulous new Treasurer, Misty Schmidt:

1. When and how did you start running? When did you start running trails and why?

I started running in 2007 to train for my first half marathon, the Lake Minnetonka Half in May 2008. I was at a point in my life where I needed an escape, something healthy to reach for and a challenge physically, mentally and emotionally. I found “trail” running after I completed 3 full marathons in the fall of 2008 and wanted to see what existed beyond the … Continue Reading

Here is the UMTR March Newsletter. A special thank you to our guest columnists, Steve Clinton & Edward Sandor! Check it out HERE.

We’re anticipating a fantastic 2013 season, and are looking forward to seeing each and every one of you out there.

The Gnarly Bandit now has his own Facebook page! We’ll be sharing links and information related to the participating races, series history and the story as the 2013 Gnarly Bandit unfolds over there, as well as on the UMTR web site.

Stop on by, and let the ol’ ornery one know if you Like him. Whether you plan on running the Gnarly or are simply a Gnarly groupie, check it out at: http://www.facebook.com/GnarlyBandit