Friday, September 5, 2014

2014 Wild Duluth 50K Start Location

We're getting closer to the race date for Wild Duluth and we'd like to give you an update of the course and start location for the 50K (100K turnaround).

This year we should be almost entirely on the original Wild Duluth course two years post-flood.  We won't be starting the 50K at the UMD Outpost like last year.  However, we have a couple of options for the start/turnaround location that we're still exploring.

The first option would be to start at Oldenburg Point where we had the start in previous years.  This is a good start location and would involve road running at the start this year due to trail closures and construction at the dam near the start, which isn't ideal.

The second option would be to start at Chambers Grove Park, the location of the start/turnaround the
New MTB trail where it crosses Hwy 210
first year of the event.  This option is very appealing and might be cool enough to be the permanent start location.  COGGS, our local mountain bike club, recently built several miles of new and amazing trail in this area leading directly up and out from Chambers Grove Park.  If you remember the start from the first year, we used deer paths and bushwhacking to get to the top of the hill.  Now, there are graceful, beautiful, professionally constructed switchbacks to get you to the top of the hill.  It's really a beautiful trail!  With the switchbacks and twisting trail, more mileage has been added and my give us enough distance to fit the 50K distance.  The first year the course was short a couple of
New MTB trail after leaving Chambers Grove
miles.

Just wanted to give you a heads about about the possible new start/turnaround location.  More information will be coming soon.