My first trail marathon. I obviously don’t have much to compare it to, but this was an awesome race. Yeah, the perfect weather and the fact that I felt great the whole time may have had something to do with it, but I will try to be as impartial as possible in my race review. If you were curious about my thoughts on trail racing in general, I wrote a whole other super informative post about it that you can find here.
So without further ado, here’s everything you need to know about the Hurt the Dirt Marathon.
What: Hurt the Dirt Marathon (The race also features a half marathon and a quarter marathon)
When: April 29, 2017. The race is always three weeks before the 5/3 Riverbank Run. The marathon started at 8:00 AM
Where: Rockford, MI (Luton Park)
Who: The race is put on by Michigan Adventure Race. They also put on the Dirty Duel, Michigan Adventure Race Winter, ArtPrize, Epic, and Ludington Edition plus many more. These people know what they’re doing when it comes to races.
Price:
- 1/4 Marathon $40
- 1/2 Marathon $50
- Full Marathon $65 (includes $5 parking pass)
Expo
There is no expo for this race. You can pick up your numbers the day before at the Gazelle Sports in Grand Rapids. If you can’t make it, picking up your numbers day of will take no time at all. The race atmosphere is very relaxed and casual. The lack of expo only increases that feeling.
The course
The course is four ~6.5-mile loops and is closed to cyclists and non-registered runners during the race. It’s made up of single track trails that range from dirt to sand to mud and a few foot bridges. None of it is paved and the trail has plenty of sticks, roots, and rocks to avoid, but it was obvious they did their best to clear most of the loose debris away before the race. The first two miles and the last half mile are relatively flat, but expect hills for the rest of it. Most of the hills are small and easy to ascend/descend, except one right after the mile 4 aid station that is a monster.
Because the race is in the spring, most of the trees did not have their leaves yet but there were so many trees that their branches still kept the runners in the shade. The ground was covered in plants and small wildflowers. Most of the time you will be running through a heavily-forested area except short sections at the beginning and end where you will be running through a meadow. For obvious reasons, the trail gets harder with each loop. You’ll need to remember to pick up your feet on the later laps or you’ll easily trip over roots and rocks. Overall, the course is manageable. Not the hardest and certainly not the easiest. Just don’t expect any PRs on this course! You can find the course map here (notice how they have two “most difficult” trails… Always a good sign).
Aid stations
There are three aid stations: One at the beginning of the loop, one near the 2-mile mark, and one right after the 4-mile mark. The aid stations provided water and Gatorade and some fruit. The volunteers were very supportive, but more laid back than typical marathon aid station volunteers. However, their laid-back attitude fit the race atmosphere very nicely.
Awards
The first place finishers (male, female, and masters) received a cool wood-burned Hurt the Dirt plaque and a $150 Merrell gift card. The awards for age groups go three deep. $20 Gazelle Sports gift certificate for first place, $15 certificate for second, and $10 certificate for third. They ordered stainless steel pint glasses this year in place of medals. The first 100 or so finishers had their choice to also take home a medal from last year, but I think from now on they will be going with the pint glasses, which I have to admit are a lot more functional. Medals just sit on a shelf, pint glasses can be used to hold liquids and other stuff (like strawberries).
Goodies
To keep the price of the race down, race shirts do not come with registration. You could add them to your registration for an extra $15 or so. You could also buy them on race day for the same price. The real treats come after the race. There’s way more to look forward to than orange slices and bananas. They roast a whole pig right at the trailhead when you’re out on the trails kicking butt. They also had delicious veggie sides like broccoli salad, quinoa salad (vegan), tortellini salad, and fresh fruit like big fat strawberries. Waaaay better than yet another race shirt.
Pros
This race was extremely well marked. Every time there was a fork in the trail, there were flags guiding me where to go. I was only unsure about one part right after mile 6, but it ended up not mattering because the two trails ran parallel to each other for about 50 yards then met back up again. There were also mile markers out there, which helped a lot since everyone’s Garmins were off. Funny/encouraging/inspirational signs lined the course, which was a great additional way to measure distance. I found myself looking forward to passing certain signs in the later laps. Everyone was so friendly and supportive from the volunteers to the other runners.
Although marathons can sometimes be stressful, this race atmosphere was so casual and laid back that I wasn’t freaked out about the race at all. It was all smiles and laughter out there without the crowds which made the whole thing pure, relaxed fun. The food afterward was a really nice addition. It brought everyone together after the race and gave us a chance to celebrate our personal victories. Also, the race results were so easy to retrieve. They had a receipt-type printer where all that needed to be done was to type in the bib number and it would print out all the race info including age group place, overall place, finish time, and time for each loop. It really streamlined the whole process and made getting awards a breeze.
The staggered start between the full, half, and quarter marathons helped keep the course from overcrowding. Parking was more than adequate, there were plenty of porta potties and everything from start to finish was extremely organized (including the emails the race director sends out, those things are impressive). It was clear they took previous year’s suggestions to heart and the race directors truly cared about making the runner’s experience the best it could possibly be.
Cons
There were only a few cons to this race, they have nearly perfected it over the years. I do wish they would’ve had different colored bibs for the different distances. This was more of a personal pride issue, but I started my second lap right before the half marathoners started their race. All the speed demons had to pass me, and I didn’t like the idea of them thinking I started out way too fast just to be passed in the first half mile. I would’ve liked them to know I already ran my half marathon, thank you very much. Although they did a great job clearing the trail of loose sticks and rocks, I wish the roots were spray painted (although I’m not sure if that would even be allowed) because I tripped more than once (and fell on my face once… but that was mostly my own fault). That’s about it on the cons, though.
Overall thoughts
This was an incredibly fun, relaxed race that was a great introduction to trail racing. If you choose to run this race, I suggest not worrying one bit about the time you run, but just enjoying the journey (as hippy as that sounds). I would also suggest leaving the iPod at home. The race allows music devices but strongly discourages them. This race is more about connecting to the trail and other runners and reconnecting with yourself. Don’t drown out your surroundings in music, the surroundings are what make this race so memorable. This race is all about rediscovering the joys of running in its purest form. At least, that’s the impression I was left with.
