The Great Lakes region offers a wide selection of great routes for runners. This is an area where it’s possible to both run and enjoy the view!
Runners are drawn from far and wide: those of us who are fortunate to live in the region can sometimes forget that the beauty that we see on a daily basis isn’t always replicated elsewhere. So, where you are a local runner, or someone from further away, you are warmly welcomed here!
As you’ll appreciate, the Great Lakes and surroundings cover a huge area. In total, the experts tell us that the area here is more than 244,000km squared. It’s probably enough to say that this is a lot! The biggest of the lakes if the appropriately named Lake Superior, at more than 31,000 square miles.
We occasionally get runners who say that they’d like to run around the lakes as a whole. Well, good luck with that! It might make for an interesting endurance event, of course. Local races tend to be of shorter varieties, intended to appeal to all ages and ability groups. Although you don’t need to take part in races to make the most of the experience, we find that many people love to take on the challenge.
One element that many of us have found over the years is that we actually run faster than in a race than when training. To some, this may make little sense. A study was conducted relatively recently at the University of Essex, which offered some interesting pointers as to why this might be the case.
What the study did was to measure performance in solo (training) mode, as opposed to when in competition. For the purposes of competition, a virtual opponent was added. It was discovered that performance improved measurably in competition. So how did the scientists suggest that this was occurring? In essence, they believe that competitors are more willing to push themselves in these circumstances. In particular, the threshold for acceptable levels of pain seems to be raised.
We love that insight, especially since it seems to reflect our own experience. But it needn’t mean that you must run in races. If you’re happy simply enjoying those recreational runs, then by all means continue. After all, running will be helping to maintain and improve your fitness levels. It is most definitely to be encouraged.
Turning to the specifics of life near the Great Lakes, where are the best trails? Well, the good news is that they are spread far and wide. In fact, you can’t go too far wrong. Events take place all year round, but let’s highlight some of the very best:
Tahqua Snowshoe Race
Taking place at Upper Tahquamenon Falls in Paradise, Michigan, there are two distances available here. So, for those wanting a great start, the 5km race is a wonderful opportunity. If you’re looking to push yourself that bit more, then why not tackle the more challenging 10km race?
The tree-lined 5km course is used for both races (with two circuits for the latter). Each winter there’s plenty of snow in this location, making it absolutely perfect for the Snowshoe Race. You’ll enjoy the stunning scenery too.
You can further details online at the Great Lakes Endurance website.
Grand Island Trail Marathon
The Grand Island Trail Marathon represents a more complex challenge, with distances including 50km, marathon and half marathon.
If you’d like to take part in the 50km race, then you’ll need to be prepared for an early start. Get there for 6am and depart from Williams Landing.