Winter endurance challenge returns to Northwoods
Winter endurance challenge returns to Northwoods
The Tuscobia State Trail head in Park Falls is covered in a fresh coat of snow for the first time since early spring – a sign of the season that’s discouraging to some but encouraging to racers entering the 2012 Tuscobia Winter Ultra.
Posted: Monday, December 3, 2012 5:00 am
While the shift to winter weather has left many in a sofa-bound
state of hibernation, 120 brave souls from across the country are taking
all the snow and cold the season has to offer as a challenge.A mix of runners, skiers and bikers will flock to the Wisconsin Northwoods December 28-30 for the Tuscobia Winter Ultra, an endurance event spanning 35, 75 or 150 miles – athlete’s choice. Every step, turn of the peddle and cut of the ski will leave its mark on the Tuscobia State Trial, a scenic stretch of pathway that runs from Rice Lake to Park Falls.
Chris Scotch and Helen Lavin, fellow ultra-runners and soon-
to-be husband and wife, are back to co-direct the 2012 Tuscobia Winter
Ultra.
Last winter, Scotch and Lavin stepped up to save the ultra less
than a month before participants were set to hit the trail when the
previous director announced he’d no longer be able to run it. This is
the fourth year the northern Wisconsin trail has served as the setting
for the winter challenge.
At the time, the couple was primarily living in Minneapolis,
with Lavin commuting to California for work throughout the year. Now,
they have both settled in the northern region of that West Coast-hugging
state. The distance hasn’t dampened their commitment to making the
event a success.
“We’re directing from far, far away,” Scotch said.
The co-directors rely on a network of folks on the ground in
Minnesota and Wisconsin to offer updates on weather conditions as well
as to help coordinate details of the event.
The Friends of the Tuscobia Trail make up one group of
Wisconsinites that have been a big help in working through some of the
logistics of planning this year’s ultra, Scotch said.
Facebook has also served as a sort of window into the north,
with contacts from the region supplying a steady stream of updates and
photos.
As competitors in various other ultra running events, Lavin and
Scotch see directing the ultra as a way of giving back to the race
world, Scotch said.
One of their goals with the event is to make the winter ultra
accessible to competitors of all different levels of experience with the
race type.
The shortest course is an approachable 35 miles long, not too
much of a stretch for those who have some experience in distance events.
“It’s not super crazy and you don’t have to be half-insane to start a winter race,” Scotch said.
From here, participants are free to move to the more extreme end
of the distance spectrum at their own pace – or they can stay put at
35.
In addition to co-directing the race, Scotch has signed up to
run the ultra’s 150-mile event. This is the third year a run this
distance has been in the mix of ultra events and the third time Scotch
will accept the challenge. Without the benefit of snow to train in,
Scotch has been taking advantage of the California coast’s natural
features to build up his strength for the winter ultra. Training mainly
consists of a lot of uphill climbs. Scotch also plans to get in some
runs on the beach, lugging a sled along with him as he will during the
ultra to transport all the required gear – a sleeping bag, food, a small
stove and more.
“Probably at night so people don't think I am totally insane,” Scotch said.
For Scotch, a run in the sand doesn’t take the place of a trek
in the snowy trails of Wisconsin and Minnesota, cold winds and all.
“I miss winter,” Scotch said.
Ideal temperatures on the weekend of the ultra – relatively
speaking, of course – would be a daytime high of about 15-degrees F and a
low approaching zero. The worst-case scenario would be temperatures in
the thirties and rain that washes the trail clear of snow, Scotch said.
Conditions in the weeks leading up to the event are just as
important as the weather during the event itself, as Scotch explained.
Cold temperatures and snowfalls now help to build up a travelable,
wintry base on the trail.
Snow last year was a mix of patchy and crusty, leaving rocks
exposed in some places and competitors to continually fall through the
surface in other stretches. This combination proved to be a recipe for
rough traveling.
With more than a month to plan this year’s ultra, there are a
few things the co-directors are doing differently. Along with using a
new Web site to streamline the registration process, Scotch and Lavin
have staggered start times this year to give more competitors a chance
to run into each other on the trail and to allow more people to finish
at around the same time. The nice thing is that this should result in a
steadier stream of finishers, making the event more spectator-friendly,
Scotch said.
Spectators are encouraged to cheer on participants from the
finish line, which will be set up at the Chequamegon Canoe Club (CCC) in
Park Falls. The CCC is scheduled to reopen in time to again serve as
the headquarters for this year’s ultra. Scotch guesses that the best
time to see participants cross the finish line will be in the morning
and afternoon of Sunday, December 30.
The 150-mile event will kick off at the CCC at 6 a.m. Friday,
December 28 with the turn around point found in the southern terminus of
the Rice Lake trail portion. Those participating in the 75-mile and
35-mile races will also meet in Park Falls ahead of their events and
will be bussed to their respective starting lines, Rice Lake for the
longer event and Ojibwa for the 35-milers. The start time for the
75-mile race is set for 10 a.m. Saturday, December 29. Racers in the
35-mile event should take off at noon, also on Saturday, December 29.
As one other new feature at the 2012 ultra, the 150-mile race is
a qualifying event for the 2014 Iditarod Trail Invitational, a race
following a 350-mile course over Alaska’s frozen terrain.
The Tuscobia’s top 150-mile finisher will win a place in the
exclusive Iditarod challenge and have their $1,000 entry fee for the
event covered. Spots are so limited in the Alaskan race that guaranteed
participation is perhaps a bigger prize than paid entry, Scotch said.
Becoming a qualifying event for the Iditarod Trail Invitational
has served as good national exposure for the event and in turn has
stirred up interest in the Alaskan event among Midwest ultra runners,
according to Scotch. Participants in the 2012 Tuscobia Winter Ultra are
set to come in from 14 states and two Canadian provinces. Around 40 of
those hitting the trails for this year’s event are return competitors.
On the morning of November 26, all 120 spots in the race had
filled up, though directors decided to continue accepting 150-mile
entries so that more people would have a shot at earning their way into
the Iditarod Trail Invitational.
That’s a big change from the 50 or so participants seen at last year’s event.
“We’re very excited,” Scotch said.
Along with creating a positive and memorable race experience for
competitors, Scotch said that he and Lavin would like to involve
communities scattered along the Tuscobia State Trail in the event as
much as possible. A big part of this involves securing prizes and
covering race needs through businesses close to the race zone.
It’s Scotch’s hope that community members will come to see the
Tuscobia Winter Ultra as something they can take pride in, laugh at or
simply observe.
Race directors plan to make a donation to support maintenance of
the Tuscobia State Trail at the end of the event like they did last
year. They’d like to help preserve this resource for those getting use
out of the trail, whether running, snowmobiling or biking, throughout
the year.
Volunteers are still sought for various aspects of the race,
from helping out racers at checkpoints to making sure course markings
stay put. Anyone who’d like to help out with this year’s Tuscobia Winter
Ultra is asked to email Scotch and Lavin at tuscobia@gmail.com.
Businesses are also encouraged to get in contact with the co-directors
if they’d like to get involved in the race in any way. More information
on the 2012 Tuscobia Winter Ultra can be
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