We are excited to announce the creation of a new 12.5 KM (7.75 MI) race distance as part of the Superior Spring Trail Race weekend! The new 12.5K race will be held on a a section of trail North of Lutsen which is different from the 25KM and 50KM races. All runners regardless of distance (12.5KM, 25KM and 50KM) will start within an hour of one and other and will cross the same finish line. The motivation behind the addition of this new distance is three-fold and as follows:
1.) To allow more people to participate in the Superior Spring Trail Race. Due to the popularity of the Superior Spring Trail Race over the last number of years we have had to institute a lottery system for the races and unfortunately have had to turn many people away in order to adhere to our field limit. In speaking with runners it is our understanding that many who are entering the lottery (especially the 25K) would be happy to and in some cases may even prefer to run a shorter race.
2.) To allow those runners who are not quite ready to tackle the longer 15.5 mile or 31 mile distances of the Spring Races (or the 26.2 mile, 50 mile and 100 mile distances of the Fall Races) to participate in a Rocksteady Running produced race on the North Shore sections of the Superior Hiking Trail.
3.) To showcase another awesome section of the Sueprior Hiking Trail! Runners will be bussed from Caribou Highlands to the start of the 12.5K race which will start at 9:00AM (50K starts at 7:00 and 25K starts at 8:00) and will be run point to point from Cook County Road 4 / Caribou Trail to Lutsen, showcasing the stunning Lake Agnes, the Poplar River Valley and the Lutsen SNA.
As mentioned, one of the primary motivations for the addition of the new 12.5KM distance is to accommodate those applicants that will inevitably be turned away from the 25K and 50K distances due to our field limits. For the 2018 event, those lottery applicants that are not accepted into the 25K or 50K races will be given the first opportunity to sign up for the 12.5K distance… those lottery applicants who have not been accepted into the 25K or 50K race will receive an email invite where they can elect to either accept or decline entry into the 12.5K distance (this opportunity will be good for a 48 hour period after the 25K/50K start list has been published) after that, all remaining spots in the 12.5K race will be awarded via lottery to those who specifically entered the lottery for the 12.5K – if, after that, there are any spots remaining in the 12.5K, those spots will be made available via a conventional registration process until the field limit of the 12.5K has been met.
If you would like to see a photo gallery of what the course looks like, one can be found HERE
Specific information about the new 12.5K distance can be found HERE
A map of the course can be found HERE
Complete registration information can be found HERE