Marquette, Michigan
Jessica 3rd place open female; 16:42
Joël 6th place single speed; 14:35
There was once only a 30% finisher rate. Riders have 25 hours to finish. Racers repeatedly try to complete this race
but can’t make it to the finish. Sometimes it snows, sometimes it is 90
degrees. A race course described as all technical trail. Why would one want to do something like
that? Well, the Nankmans wanted to. Both
Joël and I wanted to see
what all this hype is about, wanted to put ourselves up to the challenge,
wanted to test ourselves mentally and physically.
Here is our race report. I know it is a long read but it has something
for everyone. It’s a bit of logistics to
help other racers in the future and a bit personal account to know what Joël and I went through. Hopefully our accounts and ideas will give
others an idea of what this race is about, help others conquer Marji in the
future, and help others know they weren’t the only ones walking and wondering
what the f#$% they got into.
First off, some logistics about Marji Gesick. It’s a
point-to-point race, the start and finish are not at the same place. Decision time for many racers regarding this;
where to stay, where to park, how to get from one place to the other. For the Nankmans even more interesting; we
don’t live close to the race site (we drove in from eastern Pennsylvania), we
both raced the 100 mile mountain bike event, came alone and unsupported, and
had our dog Clifford as our traveling companion. Thus, we had to find lodging near the race,
we had no one to help us, and we had a dog along. So what did we do? We arrived Thursday night and stayed in our
camper van at the race supplied campground at the Forestville Trail head, which
was the race start. We were able to get transportation from the finish back to
the campground post race; after meeting many fellow racers and making new
friends at the campground the father of a fellow racer offered us a ride. A
huge shout out to Paul for helping us.
We then stayed at the campground the night after the race and headed out
Sunday morning.
More logistics to take into account. Race start at the Forestville Trailhead. This
can be madness for many racers. If
coming to the start on race morning come early. Be prepared for lines of
traffic and limited parking. As mentioned above, Joël and I camped literally 100 yards
from the race start. Since we had gotten all our race gear ready the night
before; bottles filled, drop bags packed, clothing laid out, breakfast prepped we
could sleep in a bit and there was no rush on race morning. We awoke event
morning to many campfires going to ward off the chill and many racers excited
and nervous about the day. Morning routine completed we stayed warm and cozy at
the van as long as possible and headed to the 7:30 race start at 7:20.
No official race aid stations but racers are given a
drop bag they have access to twice during the event. There was much chatter amongst racers about
what to put in drop bags. Drop bags are
limited to something the size of a small back-pack or duffle and are
encountered at about mile 65 and 85. What was in the Nankman bags? Nutrition and hydration specific to our
needs, extra tubes and CO2 cartridges, and warm clothing. Side note about the drop bags we did not know
until during the race- drop bags are then also transported to the finish and
will be there when racers cross the line. So if there is something you want at
the finish, i.e. a hoodie to stay warm or special recovery drink, put it in
your drop bag.
While talking about race prep, how about gear, food,
and nutrition. Once again, a self supported race. In addition, as mentioned
above, Joël and I
were at this race alone, so we had no helpers.
Yes, we had our drop bags to stop at later in the race but we
essentially had to ride as if we were out there for the day and night along
carrying all we would need. No hydration packs
for us, Joël and I
each carried two bottles. We packed our
jersey pockets with enough Honey Stinger nutrition and other food to make it to
our drop bags at mile 65, where we had more nutrition to restock for the second
half of the race. Both Nankmans use Lupine Pikos as our riding lights, we
started with them already on our helmets with battery packs in our back pockets,
ready for night riding later. I started
with a light jacket over the typical riding Liv Cycling kit of jersey and
shorts for the 48 degree start while Joël had on his Bicycling Magazine kit with added arm
warmers. These warmer layers were shed
once temps warmed up to the daytime sunny 70 degrees and were placed in back
pockets for later in the race when it got chilly after sunset. As for extra space Joël had a top-tube bag and I had a
small handlebar bag. These items held
flat-fix kits, Chamois Butt’r, and cellphones. As for bike I went full suspension with my Liv Pique Advanced Pro 29, I wanted that extra cushion of full suspension. Joel on the other hand was going hardtail single speed on his Giant XTC Advanced.
Circle back to self-supported. Yes, no true race
support. But the local lore about the
“trail angels” is true. Many locals
set-up impromptu aid stations all along the course. These people are
amazing! Everything from full on pop-up
tents with a huge variety of food and beverages to people parked at trail heads
hanging out in the back of their pick-up trucks and SUVs with jugs of water and
granola bars to just random cases of bottled water setting along the course
with signage indicating it was for racers.
The stop with the huge bonfire and Christmas lights was like an oasis in
the night. Favorites of the Nankmans at
these stops included maplebacon ricekrispy treats, bratwurst, Jägermeister,
Snickers and Skittles, and thanks to the people in the pick-up truck that just
poured potato chips into my hands which I crushed and shoved into my
mouth. In addition the the trail angels,
there were so many people out there spectating and supporting. People heckling, people cheering, people
motivating riders. These people helped so much by giving riders that extra
little push when they needed it most.
OK, all logistics explained. Now onto the race. I could go on for pages and pages with all
the details. But to summarize it was 105
miles of single track suffering. Sure,
there were moments of fun trails and beautiful scenery that showcased the
amazing riding of the Upper Peninsula. But overall it was a sufferfest. There
were endless rocks and roots, which as East Coast Rocks riders of PA we enjoy.
But add to that deep sinking sand, sketchy and loose wash outs and ATV trails,
near vertical ups and downs, gooey mud pits…some of these along cliff faces and
high drop offs that put the fear of death into riders…well, there is all the
suffering. There was walking, and a lot of it.
There was hoisting bikes up and down. There was sloshing through mud.
There was shuffling through sand. Curse
words were flying out of many mouths.
Luckily all this suffering was in good company, one of the highlights of
this race was the comradery. Both Joël and I found ourselves riding
amongst the same group of people all day. There was laughing, there was
singing, there was chit-chatting about the highs and the lows of the course
which helped the day go by. Also, those few moments of happiness…riding the
berms and jump trails, views of the lake at sunset from the high cliff tops,
the cute mouse scamper across the trail at night did bring one out of the
sorrow of the day and make the ride good again.
Last but not least, the tokens. Don’t forget the tokens. Throughout the course riders need to collect small wooden tokens. The location and number is unknown. Just another worry to add to the day. I’m not going to give the exact details about the tokens for 2021, seems these are always supposed to be mysterious. Let’s just say they are well marked and should not be too worried about.
So after you read this you are wondering why go
through all this agony? It is all about seeing what can be accomplished; about finding limits and pushing past them. This race is advertised as no-frills and that is exactly what it was. No big awards or prizes. No podium ceremony. No food or
beer at the finish. Not even sure if Joel or I met the race director, even as a podium finisher. No race swag, no race T-shirt. It was literally just cross the finish line and done. Which is just fine; not everything in life is about the glory, it's about looking deep inside one's self and the personal aspect of it. Not come to Marji if you want to be coddled; come to Marji if you want to test your personal limits and look deep inside yourself. All this agony was for the
challenge; it was for the accomplishment. It wasn't about the frills, it was about seeing what can be done. It was to overcome the mental and
physical fatigue and uncertainty. It was
to not end up as one of the 70% who do not finish.
Will the Nankmans be back in the future? That is yet
to be determined. We seem to be gluttons for punishment and like to put our
minds and body to the test. Only time will tell…
Besides Marji, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan is a
wonderful place to visit. The drive from
Pennsylvania was almost 17 hours, so to make our travels worth while Joël and I opted to also make this a
mini vacation. It’s a beautiful area
rich in history, nature, food, and beer.
We toured the Cliffs Shaft Mine museum learning about the mining
industry. Pictured Rocks National
Seashore showcases the rock formations and mineral composition of the
area. We ate a local food called pasties
at Muldoon's, voted #1 pasty in the Upper Peninsula. Joël and I walked around the German-themed town of
Frankenmuth and had beer at Frankenmuth Brewery, the oldest microbrewery in
Michigan. Belly-filling yumminess was partaken at The Cheese Shop were we
bought cheese curds and Yogel’s pickled bologna.
Addendum from race director. Timing and happenstance can be everything. Guess Joël and I just came across the line at odd times....
- words by Jessica
- photos by Joël