2012 Zumbro 100 Mile Endurance Run
Race Date: Friday April 13th 2012
Race Start: Zumbro River Bottoms Management Area – Theilman, MN
Start Time: 8:00 AM
Zumbro 100 Mile Endurance Run Description and History:
The Zumbro 100 Mile Endurance Run is a six-loop (6 x 16.7 = 100.2 Miles) 100% trail ultramarathon within the Zumbro River Bottoms Management area in Southern Minnesota’s Bluff Country / just outside of the tiny village of Theilman. Generally speaking, the Zumbro River Bottoms Management area lies within a portion of the Richard J. Dorer Memorial Hardwood Forest – an expansive 2 million acre tract of Minnesota Hardwood forest. We will not pretend these are mountains, because they are not, this is Mississippi River Valley Bluff Country, it is wild, rugged, beautiful and provides the perfect venue for 100 miles of trail running! The race starts and finishes at the West Assembly Area. Runners will have access to five aid stations per 16.7 mile loop (30 aid stations in 100 miles, that is an average of an aid station every 3-1/3 miles!) The course consists of primarily single and double-track trail with some minimum maintenance gravel road sections. While this is certainly not an “easy” 100, it is still a decent choice for your first 100 if you are ready for some hills – this is also a great event for those wanting to get in an early season 100. Want to get the opinion of people that have run this race in the past – ask around on our FACEBOOK PAGE. This is a laid back, old school, low-key 100… help us to keep it that way by bringing the right attitude! Thank you!
Registration:
Registration for the 2012 race will open on Thursday December 1st. You can register online or fill in the online form, print it and mail it in with your check. The fee is $175.00 (add $5.00 if you use the mail-in registration option). Registration will close on Wednesday April 4th at 5:00 PM or once the field limit has been met. There will be no registration after Wednesday April 4th. There will be no registration at packet-pickup or race-day registration so do not delay in signing up.
Field Limit:
Field limit for the 100 mile race is 200 runners.
Refunds:
Sorry, we do not offer them – please consider carefully before registering. Registrations are not transferable to following years or to other participants.
What you get:
A well marked course with plenty of aid and tons of friendly, experienced volunteers. All registered runners will receive a long-sleeve technical T-shirt. These are unisex shirts and tend to run big for women but do fit well if you size accordingly - smaller men may want to size down as well. All runners who finish the race within the 34 hour cutoff will receive a finishers buckle and a unique finishers medallion.
Travel:
The race start is approximately 2 hours South of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Airports in Minneapolis St Paul (MSP), Rochester (RST), and Lacrosse(LSE). More info about traveling from out of town or out of state can be found HERE.
Lodging:
There is no lodging available in Theilman, MN.
Lodging in Wabasha (15 miles)
AmericInn www.americinn.com/hotels/mn/wabasha
Lodging in Lake City (15 miles)
AmericInn www.americinn.com/hotels/mn/lakecity
Sunset Motel www.sunsetlc.com
Alaska Lodge www.sleepalaska.com
Camping is available right at the start area for everything from tents to the largest RVs. There is self serve registration near the entrance. The daily camping fee is $16.00 per night – be sure to pay the fee! Pre-registering is not necessary.
Grocery stores and gas stations in Wabasha, Lake City and Plainview
Hospitals in Wabasha (St. Elizabeth) and Rochester (St. Marys)
Packet Pick-Up, Cookout and Race Briefing:
Thursday April 12, 4:00-7:00 PM – West Assembly Area
We encourage you to attend. Cookout is free for runners and we will have a jar out with a suggested donation for non-runners so your crew and family can eat as well. Volunteers are welcome and encouraged to attend as well. There will be no formal race briefing but at some point the RD might say a few words and we will be available the entire time to answer questions – (read; this is VERY low key.)
Friday April 13th, 630-7:30 AM - Race-morning packet pickup if you did not get yours on Thursday – ALL RUNNERS MUST CHECK IN AGAIN ON FRIDAY / RACE MORNING SO WE KNOW THAT YOU ARE STARTING THE RACE.
We will do a quick race-briefing at 7:45 AM / 15 minutes prior to the race-start.
Drop Bags:
Please keep your drop bags as small as possible – seriously, as small as possible. We will take drop bags during packet pickup on Thursday evening. Each drop bag must be clearly labeled with the runner’s name, race number, and the drop bag’s destination / aid station name. We will accept drop-bags at the start on Friday morning but they must be delivered to us by 7:00 AM. Race numbers will be assigned a few days before the race starts.
Lights:
Every year runners get caught in a section without lights and it has a serious effect on their race! Use your drop bags, crews and plan accordingly.
Weather and Clothing:
Early April. in Minnesota – we can have highs in the 70′s and lows in the low 30′s or, believe it or not, a combination of both! All the snow should be gone and the trail should be in good shape, but once in awhile some patchy snow and mud will linger. Be prepared for all weather and trail-conditions, watch the forecast and plan accordingly – typically, this is a beautiful time of year to run in Minnesota.
Race Start:
Zumbro River Bottoms / Management Area – West Assembly, Friday April 13th, 8:00 am. All runners must check-in race morning by no later than 7:30 AM – if you fail to do so, you are not officially in the race – this is your responsibility. We will do a quick pre-race briefing at 7:45 AM / 15 minutes prior to the race start.
Race Numbers:
The Zumbro Endurance Run hosts two races simultaneously, the Zumbro 100 Mile Endurance Run (starts at 8:00 AM Friday) and the Zumbro Midnight 50 (starts at 12:01 AM Saturday). Each distance will have its own unique race number (unique color and number series) so runners can be easily identified by race officials, volunteers, spectators and other runners. We ask that all competitors wear their number on the front of their body on their outer-most layer at all times. Runners will be tracked coming into and out of each aid station. If we cannot see your number, we cannot track you or take your finishing time and if we cannot do that, you will be disqualified and will not earn an official finish. More information on race numbers can be found HERE.
Course Markings:
The course will be marked with Orange flags with reflective strips, which will always be on the left hand side of the trail except in the rare occasions where there will be two-way traffic, in those areas the flags will be on both sides of the trail – reflective arrows will be used sparingly as well.
It is unfortunate but is not unheard of at many of the major trail races that course vandalism has occurred and flagging has been intentionally moved or removed by small minded individuals – it is important that you study the course prior to running and have a concept of where you are going.
Aid Stations.
Our aid stations are manned by volunteers, many of them spending a good part of their weekend out there – please be sure to thank the volunteers!
A complete list of the aid stations can be found on the “Aid Station Maps and Data” page.
Food and Drink – Aid stations will have the following beverage and food choices available:
(All aid stations) Water, Hammer Heed, Hammer Gel, Soft Drinks, Peanut Butter Sandwiches, Turkey Sandwiches, Potato Chips, Potatoes & Salt, Cookies, Candy, Fruit
(Mile 50 and Later) Soup, Coffee, Misc. Hot-Foods
*If you have special dietary requirements, please make sure to make use of your drop bags.
Pacers:
Pacers are allowed in the 100 mile starting at mile 50 / at the West Assembly – start-finish area.
If you are looking for a pacer ask a friend, someone in your local running group or check the Zumbro 100 Mile Endurance Run Facebook Page. Usually the best thing is to find someone who knows you as a runner – preferably someone you have done long runs with or have run long races with – that way they will know how to read you, anticipate your needs, push you when needed and hold back when required. If you don’t have someone like this to help, another experienced ultrarunner will work. What you don’t want is someone that YOU will end up having to take care of. Good luck!
Headphones
Due to our past experience with people wearing headphones on trail runs such as these, we discourage their use however we won’t tell you can’t wear them . Full awareness of one’s surroundings, and the ability to communicate with other participants, race volunteers, and trail users unassociated with the event are critical to everyone’s safety. Please use common sense.
Littering:
Don’t do it. If you see some trash someone else has dropped, pick it up. Keep the trail clean.
Cut-off Times:
The finish line cutoff for an official finish is 34 hours (Saturday, 6:00 pm). All cutoffs will be strictly enforced – we do however reserve the right to pull (or allow to continue) any racer as we see fit – if you are uncomfortable with those terms, consider running another race.
The intermediate cutoff’s are as follows:
TBD
If You DNF:
Should you need to drop out of the race, remove your number and your chip and give them directly to the HAM radio operators at the aid stations you are dropping at – if you are not sure who that is ask around until you find them. If you leave the course and fail to notify race officials, you will be asked not to come back.
Awards:
*Awards will be awarded as follows
1st Place Overall Male and Female
1st place Open (age 39 – under) Male and Female
1st Masters (age 40 – over) Male and Female
1st Grand Masters (age 50 – over) Male and Female
There will be NO duplication of awards, and NO ties. Ties will be broken at the whim of the RD – trust us, you don’t want that!
Results:
Results will be updated regularly at the finish. Preliminary results will be available on the website within a couple of days of the finish – final results (with any corrections) will be posted on our website within a few weeks of the end of the race.
Lost and Found
Any personal items left after the race will be donated to a charity. We will not ship items to you.
Volunteers:
We are always looking for them. Do you have friends and family coming but don’t really need them to follow you around to crew – see if they want to volunteer. Learn more by visiting the volunteer page.
Next years race date:
The race is typically the 1st or 2nd weekend in April – The 2013 date will most likely be April 12-13 BUT THIS IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE. The Zumbro races are always held the weekend before Minnesota Turkey Hunting starts – sometimes these schedules are not released until late fall of the upcoming year.
You have trained hard and have a lot invested in this – push hard and do your best but please use common sense and be safe. Best of luck to all of you.
The Zumbro 100 Mile Endurance Run is a Rocksteady Running LLC event – Learn more HERE.
