Ultra Bird Trail Races
West Olive, MI
- 12 hr, 6 hr, 10K, 5K
- Trail (Unpaved)
- Official race website
12HR, 6HR, 5K and 10K: Runners will race on a 5k loop on the well groomed and scenic trails of Pigeon Creek. All runners will start and finish at the Pigeon Creek Ski Lodge. Runners will race on a 5k loop on the well groomed and scenic trails of Pigeon … MORE
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A park worth the drive!
It's a small race through a beautiful park. Watched the sun rise through the trees, and traversed through all types of forest. The lighting was amazing and I couldn't help … MORE
It’s a small race through a beautiful park. Watched the sun rise through the trees, and traversed through all types of forest. The lighting was amazing and I couldn’t help but stop and take pictures. Most of the course is on a dirt path through the woods, there’s some minor elevation changes and a major wooden bridge through a pond/swampy area. (My dad reminded me I should be glad there was a bridge and I didn’t have to run through the water! 😁) Everyone at Egress Endurance was super friendly and very encouraging. Every lap they cheered you up the final incline. They chatted and got you anything you needed at the aid station. The aid station had water, Tailwind, Coke and Ginger-ale. There was m&m’s, gummy bears, pickles, olives, pb&J sandwiches and cheese quesadillas. Totally typical fair for an ultra.
Parts of the path are lighted and when dusk fell and the lights came on it was magical out there on that trail. Definitely my favorite part of the adventure. I got 9 laps in, which is 45k (my watch says 28 miles). Packet Pickup was very easy, and you got a beanie as swag! My only problem the morning of the race was that the parking lot was dark and I had NO IDEA where the building was compared to the parking lot. Luckily there were some people around so they pointed me in the right direction. The park was open to the public, so we saw others out walking and enjoying the park. There was also a 5K, 10K and a 6 hour race that started after the 12 hour, so even though I’m slow there was never a super long time that I didn’t have someone around – coming and going. Everyone got a dog tag at the finish of their event and then they awarded prizes for top 3 men and women. OH, and there was a free dinner after the event. Pasta, meatballs and hot chocolate! It’s a great small race and I hope I can run it again next year!