2026: Great Bear Chase
I have had the privilege of being a part of this event – as a racer from 2014 through 2021 and as a part of the race organization since 2022 – for a while. Getting to learn, first hand and…
Category Michigan
2026: Noquemanon Ski Marathon
After skipping the 2025 edition (not enough snow and the event was canceled), I signed up not long after the registration opened up. For a vast majority of my cross country skiing Winters, Noquemanon has served as the second family…
2026: SISU Ski Fest
After having missed the last three editions for various reasons (Michigan Tech was hosting the US Cross Country Ski National Championships in 2023, and not enough snow in 2024 and 2025), I signed up not long after the registration opened…
2025: Marquette Marathon
My performance in (or to be honest, lack thereof) in the 2025 Grandma’s highlighted the importance of consistency in training and its specificity to the target distance. The DNF in Duluth was a blessing in disguise … stepping off the…
2024: Marquette Half Marathon
A review of my training journal leading up to and through the 2023 Marquette Marathon indicated that I had executed numerous aspects quite well. As is the case while pursuing anything that takes a lifetime of learning, it shed light…
2024: Noquemanon Ski Marathon
To say that the 2023-24 Winter has been subpar (a result of El Niño) and has negatively impacted snow-dependent communities in the upper Midwest is an understatement. SISU Ski Fest (scheduled for the first weekend of January) and Wolf Tracks…
2023: Marquette Marathon
Reflecting on the 2023 Grandma’s Marathon and discussing relevant portions of the training log with the family indicated some aspects I could retain and some others that needed a little tweaking to continue racing a marathon. Faith-ing in the fitness…
2022: Marquette Marathon (DNF)
The past 40-ish weeks (especially, the past 16) have been my most consistent training attempt yet. The journey included the usual bounty of help from the family of my friends and the healthcare system, and the hitherto unusual doing many…
2021-22: Ski The Keweenaw
Similar to most events/projects that began in a pre-pandemic era, Ski The Keweenaw too had a break during 2020-21 winter after its maiden edition in 2019-20 winter. Unlike other events, it wasn’t COVID-19 but very poor planning on my part…
2022: SISU Ski Fest
After having skied the virtual edition of this event in 2021 (attempts #1 and #2), I signed up for this year’s edition as soon as the organizers opened up registration. Each winter, this event serves as the first of many…
2021: Marquette Marathon (DNF)
When I completed the 2020 Sunday Lake Marathon in October, little did I know that I’d have to wait nearly a full year before getting another opportunity at the marathon distance. The 2021 Milwaukee Marathon I had been training towards from…
2021: Whitefish Point Marathon (DNS)
The previous training cycle – spanning about 26 weeks from late April through late October of 2020 – wasn’t my first time following a training plan. But it was my first time doing a good number of other things along…
2021: Back 9 Endurance Run
While I had been a part of 3/8/12-person teams in relay races (lap-based or not) in the past, I had never done a time- and lap-based 12 (or 24) event before. Getting to be a part of it so close…
2021: Great Bear Chase
Being a hometown event and the last officially timed nordic skiing race for each winter, this was an event that I wouldn’t miss – pandemic or not. The organizing committee did an excellent job of staying ahead of the game…
2020: Sunday Lake Marathon
After the 20-week training plan that culminated in the 2020 Holland Haven Marathon in mid-September, I had taken a week off before starting a 12-week training plan to continue working on my weaknesses. Maybe it was the cumulative fatigue of nearly…