Keweenaw Mountain Lodge Back 9 Endurance Run to push your limits
Prepare yourself for a unique race in the Keweenaw during Memorial Day Weekend, May 27-28 at the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge. Experience pristine wilderness as you breathe in crisp, clean air and test yourself on the trails. You can race alone or with your team as you compete in the 12-hour or 24-hour Back 9 Endurance Run. Both races are for individuals or teams of 2-4 who are looking to push themselves to new limits and running distances. The course loops through the scenic property surrounding the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge, which is on the National Register of Historic Places and is home to an International Dark Sky Park.
The Back 9 Endurance Run is a chance to push past your own perceived limitations. There are no set distances to the race – it’s up to each participant.
“The Back 9 Endurance Run is not a race that you win outdoing others,” said Amy Bory, Back 9 Endurance Run race director. “It is not about being faster or stronger or better than anyone else. It is about outdoing yourself. It’s about how far and how long you can push yourself. It is about whether you can be better than you were one year ago. It is a race against yourself, and a little bit against nature. But mostly, the Back 9 Endurance Run is a challenge to become a better you.”
The course loops through the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge “Back 9 Trails” and around the golf course. You will run through the forest, up hills, across flats and take in stunning views of Brockway Mountain. Lanterns and other glowing or reflective markers will light the trails at night for runners.
Avid trail runner Mariah Summers founded the race at the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge to provide a unique race for runners in the Keweenaw. The 2021 Back 9 Endurance run was the first, making 2023’s event the third-annual endurance run. You can find results from past years online.
Both the 12 and 24-hour endurance runs begin at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 27. The 12-hour concludes at 8 p.m. the same day, and the 24-hour endurance run wraps up at 8:00 a.m. on Sunday, May 28.
You can register now for the Back 9 Endurance Run. Beginning at 7 a.m. on Saturday, May 27, registration packets will be available to participants in the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge Banquet Room. People can set up their staging area anywhere on the grass near the start / end of the run (except for on the golf course, which will be marked with yellow plastic chains).
If participants would like, they may set up their staging area on Friday evening. You also have to agree to the participation waiver.
LINKS:
Photo Download (Keweenaw Mountain Lodge)
Back 9 Endurance Run Registration
ABOUT:
The Keweenaw Mountain Lodge is a historic wilderness resort at the top of the Keweenaw, focused on outdoor activities, rustic worldly food and education. The resort has been a fixture in the Keweenaw since breaking ground on the project in 1934 as part of a WPA program. The four-season resort consists of log cabins, a lodge, dining services, access to mountain biking, running, and hiking trails and a 9-hole golf course. The Lodge is the headquarters for the Keweenaw Dark Sky Park. These amenities provide guests with the opportunity to enjoy a fun, joyous, and adventuresome experience among the pristine natural beauty of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula — helping guests get closer to nature.
Visit Keweenaw promotes the city of Houghton and the Keweenaw Peninsula in Michigan as a destination for tourism. Tourism, and the broader visitor economy, generate social, cultural, and financial benefits for our community members and are a pillar of the region’s economy. Formed in 1986 as the Keweenaw Tourism Council, and later as the Keweenaw Convention & Visitors Bureau, Visit Keweenaw has served as the two-county region’s lead destination marketing organization (DMO) for more than 35 years.