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Michigan > Great Turtle Half Marathon and 5.7-Mile Run/Walk
Mackinac
Island, MI
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Date
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Event
Details
The last open weekend of the tourist season is the time and the trails
and hills of 1,800-acre Mackinac Island State Park are the setting for
the Great Turtle Trail Half Marathon & 5.7-Mile Run/Walk, which
expects to welcome more than 1,000 runners and walkers out for the 15th
annual running of the race this fall. An out-and-back trail run that
takes participants around nearly the entire four square miles of the
island, the race is unique both for its scenery as well as its isolated
location -- so there won't be any auto traffic to contend with.
From the starting line at Mission Point Resort on the southern tip of
the island, near the ferry docks, the race course takes runners up Lake
Shore Road on the eastern side of the island near the shoreline, and
then heads inland at the intersections with Shore Road and Scott's
Road. Once on Scott's Road, runners then begin a long counter-clockwise
loop around the island, which takes them past the airport along State
and Annex Roads down towards the waters of Lake Huron, along Lake View
Boulevard and Huron Road.
Once participants make the turn around the southern part of the island,
they begin the last few miles back up northward along Leslie Road,
toward the intersection with Shore Road and Lake Shore Road, which
takes them back to the finish line at Mission Point. Throughout the
race, the course is made up of a combination of paved roads and biking
trails along the island's interior, of which the trails are mostly
gravel and occasionally dirt surface (though most of the course itself
takes place on paved surfaces).
To allow runners and walkers who aren't staying overnight on the island
to catch the ferry over before the start -- and to allow the weather to
warm up some -- the race doesn't start until 11:30 AM for both the
half-marathon and the 5.7-mile event. Following the race, there's a
pasta dinner for all finishers and voluunteers, from 2:15 to 4 PM.
Officially designated as a national park in 1875 -- just the country's
second national park ever, after Yellowstone -- Mackinac Island was
later turned over to the state of Michigan and became its first state
park. Perhaps its most popular natural attraction is the Arch Rock, the
now-famous postcard-ready geologic formation on the island's eastern
shore.
Race
Weather & Climate
Located just off the coast of the northernmost tip of Lower Michigan,
just 50 miles from the border with Canada, the nearly 4-square-mile
Mackinac Island typically sees cool to cold weather conditions in the
early fall and occasional wet weather, as this time of year brings some
of the island's most plentiful rainfall. In October, average
temperatures range between 54°F and 42°F, while
rainfall amounts average around 2.89 inches for the month.
Fees
(2007 fees)
$32 if registered by September 1
$35 from Sept. 1 - October 20
$40 from Oct. 21 through the day of the race
Registration
Online registration is not yet available for this race, but check this
page later for updated information on how to reserve your spot in this
year's half marathon race.
Websites
www.runmackinac.com
Mackinac Island Virtual Tour
Course Map
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or 5.7-Mile Run/Walk?
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