When Mike Costello is in the area he can often be spotted running or cross country skiing on the Pincushion Mountain trails. Costello is now preparing for a couple of half-marathons run on trails in South Carolina and will once again ski the American Birkebeiner 51K race this coming winter.
Mike Costello, 53, placed 10th in the Birkie half marathon on September 26 finishing with a time of 1:37:43 on the hilly trail race.
The trail race is run on a portion of the Birkebeiner cross country ski trails that stretch from Cable, Wisconsin to Hayward, Wisconsin.
A native of South Carolina, Costello has a home in Grand Marais but continues to travel back and forth between the two states so he can conduct his business as a flight instructor. When he has time he hits the trails, usually training on the Pincushion Trails located across the Gunflint Trail from his house in Grand Marais.
“Frankly I’m disappointed in my time. I’m about 10 – 15 pounds overweight but I will get back out on the trails and work on my conditioning and see if I can’t run faster next time,” said Costello.
Justin Deeg was the overall winner in 1:28:25. Costello was second in the 50-60 age group, which was won by Kevin Rogers in 1:36:28.
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