I thoroughly enjoyed my weekend at the Bear Lake Ultra 24 hour run. It was held at the Lions Bear Lake Camp north of Lapeer, MI. The start/finish line and … MORE
I thoroughly enjoyed my weekend at the Bear Lake Ultra 24 hour run. It was held at the Lions Bear Lake Camp north of Lapeer, MI. The start/finish line and main aid station was located at the top of a hill that rises about 95 feet from the lower part of the camp. Most of the rest of the 3.1 mile loop course was rolling hills with a few steep, but short climbs. Altogether, my GPS watch recorded an average of 94 feet elevation gain per mile. That qualifies as a hilly course in my book, but the hills were manageable. At no point in the day did I feel totally wiped out when I got to the top of the last hill, which was the longest one. Most of the trails were double wide and smooth, but there were a few single track trails that had a few small roots, but they were well marked with orange spray paint. The trees were beautiful with their fall colors and the air was clear and cool which made for excellent running conditions. The aid station was well supplied with the usual ultra food and drink selections, although some of the portion sizes were rather small (not a big problem because you can always take more than one at a time). Later in the afternoon, they put out cheese and pepperoni pizza and I also saw some kind of hot soup that was served. I got a glimpse of what was probably a deer running through the brush, but I didn’t get a good look at it. I also saw a fox squirrel, a cottontail, and a water snake. The swag included a nice heavyweight hoodie with the race name and logo, and a nice basket that you could use to carry all of your race supplies. The runners, volunteers and race management was very friendly and encouraged us to ask if we needed anything. I had a great time and would consider returning again if I ever need another race in Michigan.
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No better way to spend a fall day
I thoroughly enjoyed my weekend at the Bear Lake Ultra 24 hour run. It was held at the Lions Bear Lake Camp north of Lapeer, MI. The start/finish line and … MORE
I thoroughly enjoyed my weekend at the Bear Lake Ultra 24 hour run. It was held at the Lions Bear Lake Camp north of Lapeer, MI. The start/finish line and main aid station was located at the top of a hill that rises about 95 feet from the lower part of the camp. Most of the rest of the 3.1 mile loop course was rolling hills with a few steep, but short climbs. Altogether, my GPS watch recorded an average of 94 feet elevation gain per mile. That qualifies as a hilly course in my book, but the hills were manageable. At no point in the day did I feel totally wiped out when I got to the top of the last hill, which was the longest one. Most of the trails were double wide and smooth, but there were a few single track trails that had a few small roots, but they were well marked with orange spray paint. The trees were beautiful with their fall colors and the air was clear and cool which made for excellent running conditions. The aid station was well supplied with the usual ultra food and drink selections, although some of the portion sizes were rather small (not a big problem because you can always take more than one at a time). Later in the afternoon, they put out cheese and pepperoni pizza and I also saw some kind of hot soup that was served. I got a glimpse of what was probably a deer running through the brush, but I didn’t get a good look at it. I also saw a fox squirrel, a cottontail, and a water snake. The swag included a nice heavyweight hoodie with the race name and logo, and a nice basket that you could use to carry all of your race supplies. The runners, volunteers and race management was very friendly and encouraged us to ask if we needed anything. I had a great time and would consider returning again if I ever need another race in Michigan.