Summer Camp (formerly named Minnesota Brothers Trail Series) is part of Mainly Marathons.
Summer Camp (Day 1)
Location: Beaver Islands Trail
Terrain: Asphalt running path with views of the Beaver Islands and lots of shade.
Elevation Gain (per lap estimates by Garmin): 7′
Tentative Laps: 12 for marathon.
Food/Aid Stations: Due to our unique multi-loop course setup, we have one giant “aid station,” with more food and drink than you could ever need! Ask anyone who’s run at least one of our races; we’ve got everything from fruit to jelly beans to sandwiches, water to Gatorade to hot coffee, and everything in between. Way more than just granola bars and bananas–we even have our very own mobile kitchen, Loony Lunchbox!
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This is one of my favorite courses
So I have run this course many times. I did a half this time as my body was rebelling against me. Always run to run another day. Finished and rested. MORE
So I have run this course many times. I did a half this time as my body was rebelling against me. Always run to run another day. Finished and rested.
Summertime recreational fun
This race was one of the races in the Mainly Marathon's Summer Camp series. Unlike their other series where you can run a race in different states on consecutive days, … MORE
This race was one of the races in the Mainly Marathon’s Summer Camp series. Unlike their other series where you can run a race in different states on consecutive days, all of the races in this series were near St. Cloud, MN, the hometown of the Mainly Mararthon’s owners.
This particular race was at Bend in the River Regional Park which is located near the Mississippi River. The park is an old farmstead, complete with farm buildings near the start, and was all on gravel and dirt roads. After we made a loop around the parking area, we headed out on a gravel road that paralleled the main highway and the river. The first half of the out and back course had a few patches of shade, but was mostly out in the open. The second half was heavily shaded and had three different overlooks were there were benches with concrete block retaining walls where you could see the Mississippi River. It did get pretty hot in the second half of the marathon, but nothing that couldn’t be managed by slowing down and staying well hydrated. The restrooms near the start/finish area had sinks with running water, and I stopped there a few times in the afternoon to douse myself with water.
The bling for Mainly Marathons keeps getting better and better. I especially liked the cotton t-shirts which had a well-designed summer camp logo and the medals were very nice too.