North Country Trail Marathon • Actual mileage 27.5 miles and 2,400 feet of elevation
I went into North Country with excitement and a lot of anxiety. This race is the most ambitious running endeavor I’ve attempted since the Indiana Trail 100K in October 2019. While I have completed 26.2 miles in ultramarathon events and a training run, I hadn’t set out to complete a marathon — let alone a trail marathon on unknown terrain — until North Country.
This course was beautiful, but it was not easy! Miles of tree roots made for tripping and falling. And running on sand took a different kind of maneuvering. There was a lot of climbing and a lot descending. I made the decision not to use my music and AirPods; leaving me with eight hours of conversations with fellow runners, the sounds of nature and my own thoughts. I’m still mentally (and physically) processing everything and what I took from the experience, but the day was beautiful and meaningful, in so many ways.
This weekend was made even better because I shared it with my friends who also achieved new heights with their races. Running is an incredible thing … I’m forever grateful I found it (or maybe it found me) and for all it continues to give me.