The Whitefish Point Marathon was the smallest and northern-most marathon I have run to date. Since I had gone two years without running a marathon, I figured it was only natural to sign up for three marathons in the span of a month. It actually ended up working out much better than expected, plus I feel like a true marathoner again.
The Whitefish Point Marathon takes place in Paradise, Michigan, which can be reached by driving miles and miles of nearly empty U.P. highway roads. Just when you think civilization must’ve ended about two hours back, you’ll come upon a little town mostly made up of log-cabin gift shops and motels with names like “Moose Haven” and “Paradise Inn.” It will feel like you’ve stumbled into a remote mountain town, except you’ll be greeted by a shimmering Lake Superior instead of towering peaks.
From start to finish, this race had all the charm small, remote towns so often possess. If you are considering the Whitefish Point Marathon for a future race, below is my review of what to expect and how to prepare.
What: The Whitefish Point Marathon
When: June 10, 2017
Who: The race is run by Paradise, Michigan locals. Sponsors are also local businesses.
Where: Paradise, Michigan
Price: $50
Expo
There is no expo for this race, although there is packet pick up the day before. There is also a spaghetti dinner the night before for participants. friends and family can join for a fee.
Course
The course is an out and back, with about a half a mile on the way out detouring down a dirt road and about a mile detouring down a different dirt road on the way back. The course is almost entirely flat and winds along a nearly empty two-lane road surrounded by forests. The roads remain open during this race and other than the short patches of dirt roads, runners are supposed to stay in the bike lane on the left side of the road. The lane is just big enough for two runners to run together side-by-side. The miles are marked and around mile 13.5 the course reaches the Whitefish Point Lighthouse, AKA the turnaround point. The lake is visible for about a mile of the race and running through “downtown” Paradise also lasts about a mile. Other than that, the vast majority of what you’ll see is forest. It wasn’t very windy when I ran, but I imagine the trees do a good job of keeping heavy winds at bay. This course is a Boston qualifier (times are recorded by hand, though) and it is certainly a good course to try and do so.
Aid stations
It was raining during a good portion of the 2017 race, which turned out to be a good thing since the aid stations were too few and far between. They were about 3 miles apart, but felt longer. I can imagine on a sunnier, warmer day the small number of aid stations would’ve caused more problems. The aid stations provided water and Power-aid and wonderful encouragement from the volunteers. From what I saw, there was one porta potty directly off the course around mile 8. Other than that, you could jog a little ways off the course to use campground bathrooms, and there’s always the woods…
Goodies
If you register early enough, a shirt is guaranteed. It’s a cute shirt with their logo on it, and pretty good quality. They run large, so consider ordering a size down. A ticket for a free post-race patsy is also included in the entry fee. The race bag also comes with about a tree’s worth of pamphlets for local events and attractions such as the Shipwreck Museum, cranberry bogs, and festivals.
Awards
Each finisher received a medal, which was more like a rock glued to a string with a Whitefish Point Marathon sticker on it. Age group winners got a hand-painted rock featuring Lake Superior and the surrounding woods. Boston Qualifiers received BQ coffee mugs.
Pros
The Whitefish Point Marathon was oozing with small-town charm. Everyone was so friendly and welcoming. The race director ran with us and a pair of local runners sang the national anthem and recited the Irish Blessing before the start. It made perfect sense to keep the roads open, since the only cars that drove by belonged to the race director, volunteers, and the local EMT. It was a quiet, peaceful race that reconnected the runner to the race. Everything that makes the UP admirable was present in this race. The friendly volunteers, the beautiful winding roads, the patsies… The race embodied everything that makes the UP memorable.
Cons
I stand by what I said about the Whitefish Point Marathon embodying everything that makes the UP memorable. However, memorable, is not always a good thing… The worst part about this race by far were the MOSQUITOES. Oh. My. Goodness. The aid station volunteers had to wear nets over their faces and if anyone stopped for even a second, they swarmed. And they were ruthless. I paused for possibly half a second to grab a drink and I was left scratching five bites the rest of the race. My friend and I decided to camp at Taquemenon State Park the night before since it was only a few miles away from the race. I was confused as to why there were still so many camping spots open when I reserved mine a week before the race. When we arrived and I opened the car door, I understood why. Even with bug spray on, they were everywhere. So if you remember nothing else for this race, remember your bug spray. I also wish there were more aid stations and the medals were a little better quality, but the fact that anyone would stand outside for four hours in the kingdom of mosquitoes to hand us drinks is impressive.
Overall thoughts
The Whitefish Point Marathon is the perfect race for a Boston Qualifying time. The mosquitoes alone will encourage you to run faster. There is something truly inspiring about a small town pulling together to welcome and celebrate runners. Finishing this race requires more than your usual amount of perseverance and inner strength, since there won’t be cheering crowds to provide it for you. You’ll finish knowing the accomplishment was all yours. The sleepy, small town atmosphere won’t inflate your accomplishment to more than it was. You will feel like a runner who was tested, who conquered. You won’t feel like a celebrity like after a race like Chicago or Boston, more like a warrior. After all, isn’t that what we marathoners are?
