Endurance Evolution holds second Sleeping Bear Marathon
From staff reports
Join Endurance Evolution on Sunday, Oct. 6, for a scenic marathon and half marathon in the heart of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Both races start and finish in Empire. The out-and-back marathon course will take runners by the Dune Climb, past Little Glen Lake, and through Glen Arbor, north to Dunn’s Farm Road, with breathtaking views of the Manitou Islands along the way. At the peak of fall color season, this tree-lined course will awe both runners and spectators.
The second-annual Sleeping Bear Marathon is a USA Track & Field-certified Boston qualifying marathon, which may put a little more spring in runners’ steps. The marathon begins at 7:30 a.m., and the half marathon follows at 8:30. For price information, or to view the course route, visit EnduranceEvolution.com/events/sleeping-bear-marathon-half-marathon.
Registration includes a race t-shirt, chip-timed results, post-race grub and guzzle and, according to organizer Joel Gaff, the satisfaction of knowing you’re better than the lazy schlubs that didn’t wake up until 11 a.m. on race day. Marathon and half marathon finishers will also receive a medal. Your entry fee also covers the permit fees, medical and police support, volunteer swag and food, and various other expenses that come with putting hundreds of athletes on public roads.
“This is still a small, spectator friendly event, so friends and family can drive along the route, from point to point, to catch up with loved ones on the course,” says Gaff. Last year, 275 runners toed the line for the inaugural Sleeping Bear Marathon. Entries are up about 15 percent this year, adds Gaff, who expects close to 400 harriers in all.
