Marji Gesick 100 - A ripping good time in the UP!

After doing several long races this spring and summer i thought i had said goodbye to endurance races for the rest of the year, but when i heard about the Marji Gesick 100 i quickly knew that was out the window. I love riding in Marquette and the surrounding area, the wide variety of terrain from rocky to roots to steep climbs and fast descents offer a bit of something for everyone. This race promised all of that and more; starting near Harlow Lake, stopping at the north trails, buzzing through town and into the south trails, winding up to Ishpeming and  ripping through many of the trails up there it promised to be epic! Packet pickup was held at Blackrocks brewery, which is always a good idea (beers and bike talk, what more could you ask for?), and the information was dolled out aplenty. Despite what would seem to be a logistical nightmare Todd, Danny and team assured us all it would be just fine.

Jenny and I made the trip up to rendezvous with other Grand Rapids folks Thursday evening before the race (huge thanks to Danielle for having us at her awesome crash pad and all the GRBC folks who made it up to hang out with). After an awesome breakfast at Donckers we headed out to Harlow lake to locate the start area and pre-ride the first section of trails. This was a great idea... the first section climbs nearly right out of the gate and winds through a mature forest plagued with roots and rocks. It was helpful to see the terrain in the daylight and know what to expect because the race start at 7:30 would be dark in the deep woods. Although the first 8-10 miles of the race proved to be challenging, we knew that it would only get tougher from there....

Once we were set of the first section of the race we elected to head down to the South Trails to scope out which gnarly lines would be included and where to cough up a lung. After cruising to the eastern trailhead on the bike path the course took us immediately up to the top of Marquette mountain on the gravel road. Once again, this was good to know as the ride through town would be a good recovery section beforehand and the best place to down some nutrition. After the summit the course dumped directly into "scary trail" and was certainly hair raising but left a grin on my face from ear to ear. From there the course stays in the south trails for quite sometime and there's an aid station position around mile 35 at the major trailhead.

Friday only allotted time for pre-riding those two sections before packet pickup and "recovery" beverage time. It's nice to gather at Blackrocks in a low key environment and trade info on the course before the race. Evan Simula had some great local knowledge of the area, and advised us that the majority of the work would need to be done in Ishpeming and to save our energy. As expected, Evan was 100% correct. The section from Marquette to Ishpeming doesn't allow for much "recovery" as it basically climbs the entire way, winds through sandy ORV trails and hits a few climbs along it's route. The aid station at Jackson park was awesome, the support crew did a fantastic job of attending to needs, cheering folks on, keeping the mood light and providing updates on the riders on course. After my race was over, i relied very much on this crew to provide me with updates on friends, teammates and of course my favorite rider, Jenny!

The sections in Ishpeming were challenging enough on their own, let alone after 6 plus hours in the saddle. It was critical to take ones time plodding through the rocky terrain and staying fueled along the way. After the last pit stop at mile 80 i wish i could say it was all downhill but that would be a terrible lie. Some of the final sections found us doing battle with rocky strewn two tracks and some fast descending singletrack. The final climb was a doozy but well worth the effort to complete the journey at the top of Jasper Knob. After nearly 100 miles and 11,000 feet worth of climbing it was a sight for sore eyes.

Now, here's a few insiders tips and lessons learned at the MJ100:

• I would highly recommend full suspension if you've got it, i love my hardtail, but by the end of the day i was pretty shelled.
• Ride some durable rubber for this route, go with something wider (2.25" plus) and with substantial protection from rocks and punctures.
• If you've got a GPS such as a Garmin, load the course on there. The crew does an awesome job marking the trails, but there's always some yahoos that tear signs down. The markings to Carroll Jackson trail were all missing and many riders missed that section. I would have rode past it without having the course in front of me.
• Carry plenty of food and water, the pace is slow and you end up pretty far away from aid stations at some points.
• Go into the race prepared for an excellent adventure, don't focus on time/pace/metrics but rather approach it as a journey to be completed and enjoyed. The course uses some phenomenal terrain and it would be a shame to miss even a second of it!
• Bring extra chamois cream....
• Make arrangements/logistics to have a drop bag of clothes at the finish and access to a vehicle at some point. I spent much too long in my chamois riding my bike from the finish to the after party and to Jackson park. Thankfully others were prepared (Nate and Kim with the van and clothes and Evan with the enormous cooler of goodies) and i'm a good mooch.
• Pre-ride some sections that look confusing or that you've never ridden, it helps to be familiar with the terrain and what to expect.
• Have a good light for the start, it's dark in those woods and there's a couple of roots....\
• If you're running a 1x drivetrain size your front ring as if you'd be climbing Alpe d'Huez....
• Have fun, it's an experience of a lifetime!!!!

Huge thanks to Todd, his wife, Danny and Chris (aka Walter), and all of the other support staff. These fine folks made an amazing race that gives back to the trails they love!