Journeys Half Marathon
Eagle River, Wisconsin
Saturday, May 8, 2010

When I arrived in Rhinelander, Wisconsin at 8:30 PM on Thursday, May 6, 2010, I was shocked to discover that a winter storm warning had been posted for the region to begin on Friday afternoon and continue into Saturday morning. The forecast had changed significantly since I began the trip in the 85 degree sunshine of Key West, Florida earlier in the day. In fact by the time that I was to begin the Journeys Half Marathon in Eagle River, Wisconsin on Saturday, May 8, 2010 at 9:15 AM, five inches of snow had fallen. The temperature hovered just above freezing and the accumulation of snow was mainly off the road because, fortunately, the road was warm enough to melt the snow as it fell. There were some slippery spots and the snow continued to fall during the race. The trees and ground along the road were completely covered by several inches of accumulating snow. The course was a point to point route that was not closed to traffic; however, there were only a few cars driving along the route that yielded to the participants. In the open areas the wind was quite strong, usually a tailwind. Water/Heed stations were located every 2 miles and were manned by enough volunteers who I really appreciated because they had to be miserable handing out water during the storm. The people of Eagle River were quite friendly and expressed their appreciation that I entered their event. I was really lucky that the snow did not accumulate on the course as the event might have been cancelled or I might have decided that 13.1 miles of slippery snow was to dangerous to traverse. I really do not enjoy the cold and snow anymore. I had enough of it in the 52 years I lived in Ohio. The pre-race all-you-can-eat pasta dinner was delicious and only $7. The post race all-you-can-eat buffet of rib, fish, and chicken was also delicious and only $10. It was a unique trip.