Another successful Ham Run

Josh Prom of the Gunflint Trail came in first in his age group in the Little Runts Run at the end of the Trail Sunday, May 2, 2010. Coming in behind Josh is Noah Hilber of Chisago City, MN. The race was held in congunction with the Ham Run Half Marathon and 5K.

The2010 Ham Run Half Marathon was held under mostly sunny skies on Sunday, May 2. There were 120 runners on the “Trail less traveled”—46 men and 74 women. The temperatures held at around the mid-50s, keeping racers cool as they covered the scenic 13.1-mile trek.

The Ham Run 5K also saw good participation with 47 finishers—22 men, 25 women.

The majority of racers were from nearby—there were dozens of runners from Cook County, some from Duluth, many from Thunder Bay, Ontario. A handful of runners came from farther away—Foxboro or Eau Claire, Wisconsin and Los Alamos and Albuquerque, New Mexico.

After runners crossed the beribboned finish line they were treated to a ham dinner under the Big Top at Way of the Wilderness. They also all received a green goodie bag (recycled of course) and had the opportunity to have a massage.

“After 35 years of organizing running races, I would like to commend the organizers and volunteers for their great work,” said Cook County
News-Herald’s
own Brian Larsen, who has been involved with Grandma’s Marathon since its inception. “They made the race a lot of fun and did a top-notch job.”

Here are some comments from Cook County News-Herald
writer Jane Howard, who ran the race with Larsen, her husband: “Theweather was great, with cool air and warm sunshine. We ran into a hearty headwind the first half of the race, which I thought was unfortunate until the wind stopped and the black flies started to swarm. I figured that was okay, however, if only to distract me from my misery. It was a tough run for me, although I’m not sure why. I was in much better shape for the race than when I ran it two years ago. Thelast portion of the race was better – the hills flattened out a bit and the wind came back and blew the black flies away, but this time, not a headwind.

“Thisis a fabulous race. A lot of runners across the country have a lot of heat to contend with in races, but this is not a problem at the end of the Gunflint Trail at the beginning of May.

“Race organizers stationed volunteers every couple of miles throughout the race, and they were great. They cheered for me, the second-to-last runner, as if I were in first place. I felt good not having the distinction of being followed by the fire truck this time like I was two years ago. That went to the woman I beat, who said this is the second year in a row her safety has been closely guarded by the Gunflint Trail Fire Department the entire race. Those who have been in the back of the pack would probably concur that the people who suffer the most and work the hardest are often the ones who come in last. We certainly spent a lot more time out there than the front runners.

“At the beginning of the race Denny Fitzpatrick and I made a pact to try to come at least in the top 99% of the pack (translation: beat 1% of the people). I’ve done the math, and it seems that I accomplished that in the women’s field. Denny, however, came in second in his age group. Quite an accomplishment!”

Ham Run Race Results