Marji Gesick 100

The Marji Gesick 100 has been called the hardest one-day mountain bike race in America.  Contrary to what I first thought it was not named after someone's Polish grandma, but after an Indian chief who told the early white settlers about the red iron ore that is found, and now mined in the Marquette area.  Apparently the name Marji Gesick means "Bad Day" in the Ojibwe language.  The 101 mile course, with over 12,000 feet of climbing, links most of the local trails in the Marquette/Ishpeming area and was intentionally designed to test the rider's limits.

The winner gets a cash prize of one dollar and everyone who finishes the course in under 12 hours gets a hand-forged belt buckle.  In a typical year only a handful of riders "buckle" and the marjority drop out.

Mik had done this race once before and had to quit at mile 97 because he had neglected to take his headlamp along.  Like many others he had "unfinished business" to take care of.

 

The racers line up for the Le Mans start at 7:30.  Fortunately the weather was clear and cool, perfect for biking.  The day before had been windy and rainy.  A year ago it had been 90 degrees.  Most of the riders  dropped out.

 

The legendary unicorn trotted out for the national anthem, played on an electric guitar Jimi Hendrix style.

The unicorn takes off....

Followed by the racers.

The racers run a half mile loop through the woods and return to the start area to strap on their packs and pick up their bikes.

Mik heads out for another "Bad Day."  It is amazing that so many people actually pay to suffer.

The unicorn did not follow.

Bonfires for pre-race warmth are now extinguished.

The support crew headed for the next rest area.  Our granddaughter tries to balance on a log ride. 

 

Momma shows how it's done.

Mik pulls in at  mile 40, four hours into the race.

Time to change water bottles and refuel.

Mik had made a mixture of rice, bacon and other secret ingredients and packaged it in small packets of tin foil to feed his engine.  You burn a lot of calories in the race and it is critical to eat and stay hydrated. 

Ready to hit the trail again.

Racers are required to carry a GPS so they can find their way out if they get lost.

At this point Mik was still feeling good.  That would change.

The support crew cheers him off.

Although the race has no official aid stations merciful volunteers, known as "Trail Angels" lay out quite a spread at a couple of locations. 

The selection includes water, soda, gator aid....

...and some real high energy drink to fortify wobbly wills to continue on.

Time for a tire change.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Marja was watching the kids while Jeni was at work and Mik on his bike.

Later in the day we drove to Negaunee to meet Mik at Mile 64.

Here he comes.

The strain of the day is beginning to show.  At this point he was still theoretically on pace to finish in under 12 hours, but the hardest part of the race was about to begin.

Time to eat and  refuel again.

And then back on the bike.

The next 22 miles took Mik almost 4 hours.  He was running out of gas and got into a dark place in his mind.  To borrow a line from Thomas Paine,  this is a race that tries men's souls.  The tag line for the race is "Find your limits, and destroy them."  According to the race organizers, the first thing to go is the mind.  When Mik returned to this park 4 hours later, at mile 86, he was mentally broken and ready to quit.  He would have dropped out had not Jeni been there to encourage him to try to go on a little further.  After eating and resting for a half hour, he decided to continue and found that he actually began feeling better.  He reached the finish line in just over 14 hours.  Jeni made the difference.