Two days, three races, and a whole lot of hills. The Treetops Trifecta offered everything I could hope for in a trail run, which is why I continue to return to this rugged and challenging race year after year.
The Treetops Trifecta is one of seven Michigan trail races organized by Great Lakes Endurance (GLE). I have participated in two others so far – the Two Hearted 50K and the Rock River Canyon 50K. This event occurs in November at Treetops Resort in beautiful Gaylord, Michigan.
This was my third year participating in the Trifecta and is far from the last. There is something special special about this race.
The Courses
Participants choose to register for individual races or they can sign up to tackle all three to complete the Treetops Trifecta. The courses are all different and each one offers its own variety of challenges. However, there is one thing they all have in common. Hills.
The 5K
The event kicked off Saturday morning with the 5K.
Beginning at the base of the Alpine Ski Mountain, the 5K course took runners through diverse terrain on a single-track loop course.
Roots and rocks were few but some portions of the trail were uneven and hardly resembled a trail at all. These sections required careful foot placement and constantly thinking ahead. This year wasn’t an extremely wet year but there was still plenty of mud to traverse through.
There were hardly any flat sections on this 5K. It remains one of the toughest 5Ks that I have ever participated in and one of the most enjoyable.
The course consisted of 790 feet of elevation gain and loss over the course of the 3.1 miles.
Awards were given to overall winners and the top 3 in each age group. Winners received a pair of GLE running gloves made from recycled pop bottles.
The 1K Hill Climb
A few hours after the completion of the 5K, runners lined up for the short but difficult 1k hill climb. This race also began at the base of the Alpine ski mountain and continued upward for 0.62 miles over 6 ski runs.
The total elevation gain was 360 feet.
For me, this was the hardest of the three races. Speed and endurance were required. But it did offer some of the best finishing views.
Awards were again given to overall winners and the top 3 winners of each age group. Age group awards were delicious organic chocolates.
The Half Marathon
The final race occurred on Sunday at Treetops North.
Straight from the start, the views of the half marathon were stunning. Rolling hills, beautiful late fall trees, and a wonderful overlook of the Sturgeon River Valley.
This scenic half marathon had almost 2,500 feet in elevation gain and loss. It felt easier than the 5K but there were plenty of challenging hills to climb. The constant variation in terrain made this a far from boring half marathon.
We began on the golf course and made our way toward the Sturgeon River Preserve. The trail was “in the best condition” with few spots of mud.
From there, we continued north until we reached a short section of easy road (up on the way out and down on the way back to the finish) before hopping back on the trail. This second portion of the trail consisted of multiple loops that eventually brought us back to the first section of the trail and the return trip to the finish line.
The final mile is pretty much entirely uphill on the golf course. This is the longest uphill on the half marathon and well worth noting to save a little extra to finish strong.
Awards were given to the overall winners of the half marathon and top 3 winners in each age group. The age group awards were maple syrup from a farm in Wisconsin.
In addition, the overall winners of the Treetop Trifecta were announced and were awarded with an additional prize. This year it was cherries from King Orchard and a GLE recycled steel coffee mug.
Overall
This is a race that I continue to return to each year and will absolutely continue to do so in the future. It is beautiful and challenging. There are no other races quite like it. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves trail running. Whether you want to sign up for the Trifecta or test out a single distance, this is a fantastic race put on by great people who love running.
For more information about this race or any of the other great races that GLE hosts, visit Great Lakes Endurance.