Two Hearted Trail Run 50k – Race Recap

The Two Hearted Trail Run 50k is a trail running race that takes place in a remote section of the northeastern upper peninsula of Michigan. It immerses you in a wild rugged often unseen section of Michigan. If you are looking for life changing epic scenery, this is the race.

Logistics

The closest towns are Newberry, Michigan or Paradise, Michigan. We opted to stay just outside of Newberry, as our hotel was about 20 minute drive to Tahquamenon Falls. The high school in Newberry was also the location for packet pickup, so it worked out well.

Another option would be to camp at Tahquamenon Falls. The park is very popular, so don’t plan for a rustic quiet camping experience. I was lucky enough to run the race with a friend and her husband coined the park “Natures Disneyland”. Something we would laugh about the entire race. The falls are gorgeous and even if you don’t camp in the park, I would recommend a walk to see them pre-race.

There is a bus to take to the start, which I highly recommend taking. The bus left Tahquamenon Falls at 5:30 am and it was about an hour drive to the start. The start is located on a county road, deep in the forest. There was no cell service the entire race, so I would recommend to preplan with your spectators so they are able to find the aid stations.

We would be running the entire trail race in a wilderness section of Michigan with no towns and limited dirt road access. My family had a cooler packed with plenty of snacks and food for lunch along with a full tank of gas.

Pre-Race Preparations

I had been running mostly single track trails on my long runs throughout my training for the trail race. I felt really good physically heading into the race. All that was left was to put it all out there an enjoy myself on race day.

The night before the race, we met up with my friend and her family for dinner. We ate at Timber Charlies Restaurant. I had an amazing chicken sandwich, which was perfect race night food. After dinner we planned out the race course and location of aid stations.

After an early dinner, we headed back to the hotel. Another pre-race ritual of mine is to get all of my race gear ready. This saves tons of time in the morning. The 4:00 am wake up call came fast and at that time who wants to count to make sure you have enough gels!

Race Course

The race course is mostly single track with some dirt forest road. Much of the race is run on the North Country Trail. The North Country Trail is a national scenic trail. The trail section was much more remote than the Ice Age Trail sections I have run, so I was definitely excited.

Race Start to the First Aid Station

From the start on the dirt forest road, we headed out to the first aid station. The first aid station was Reed and Green Campground, which is a state forest campground. We had previously decided to have our families meet us at the second aid station. Due to the location and time for travel on dirt roads, we weren’t sure if they would make the second aid station in time. So we rolled in and rolled right back out.

After leaving the aid station, the single track began. We ran through the woods carpeted in white moss. As we emerged from the woods, we began our trek along Lake Superior. This was the most stunning trail I have ever run. There is something about the Upper Peninsula that sings to my soul. The rugged beauty in combination with the wilderness left you with a feeling of utter serenity. Running along the sand cliffs you feel as if you are one with nature. This section is so remote the only access to the lake is the trail. It was foggy in the morning, and running along the calm lake with the cool mist hanging in the air made for the perfect run. It left you with an indescribable feeling of wanting more and more.

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Second Aid Station

The race was small, so we didn’t see many of the participants until we hit the aid stations. Coming into the second aid station, you had to climb up a large sand dune and then traverse a small cable bridge crossing the Two Hearted River. This aid station is located at a state forest campground. I was happy to reach the aid station as my shoes were full of sand. I would highly recommend gators for this race. Luckily I never had any issues with my feet, but it wouldn’t be the first time I emptied my shoes.

This aid station was the perfect spot for our kids to play and enjoy the lake and river. The beach is perfect for rock hunting and relaxing. After emptying my shoes, we headed out.

Third Aid Station

As we headed out the trail continued along the Lake Superior shoreline. The area was part of a massive forest fire 12 years prior and so all of the new growth was at our feet. We never got lost but trail was difficult to see at times due to the large ferns. It kept you on your toes. The trail was also blanketed with wild blueberries as far as you can see.

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It was an exceptionally gorgeous portion of trail with a green blanket of ferns, small trees at your feet and tall dead trees poking through the dense ground cover. Once we left the shoreline, we headed into the pine forest that lead us to Culhane Lake Campground the site of our third aid station. The 97 acre lake offers some stunning views. We chatted briefly with our family and headed on the trail.

Fourth Aid Station

Back on the trail, we circled around Culhane Lake for amazing scenery and then headed into the woods. At this point we started to be chased by the black flies Michigan is famous for. They seemed to follow us to the end of the race! If anyone knows a secret to keep them at bay, I am all ears!

The forest trail was simply amazing and it kept the buzzing of the flies in the back of my mind. The trail was not overly hilly but did have some tree roots to keep you busy. The trail in this section was soft with some pine needles covering the trail in spots.

As we headed in to the fourth aid station, which was a section where the North Country Trail crossed a dirt forest road I was in need of a sock change. My shoes were full of sand again, so I dumped those out. The race only had gels, electrolyte tabs and hydration at aid stations. I typically graze and eat as I go through. I should have planned this a bit better and maybe packed a PBJ. Once we filled up our water and grabbed some gels, we headed back out.

Final Aid Station

The trail in this section follows a single or double track along Little Two Hearted River and then takes you deep into the forest. At some point during this section, I began to have foot cramps and I had to walk nearly a mile. I am prone to cramps, so I had hydrated well prior. Also I had drank Gnarly Fuel2O during the race, which worked well to fuel me through the race along with Honey Stinger Gels and Performance Chews.

I usually never try new things, but at the aid stations they had Hammer Nutrition products. I had grabbed a pack of Hammer Endurolytes at the last aid station, thinking I would try it during training. My cramps were bad and I thought I needed something or I would never stop walking, so I popped 2 capsules. Cramps were gone after that walk and I was on my way again. I will definitely use these again.

As we ran into the last aid station, I was hungry! One of the amazing volunteers had a pan of brownies. It was the best brownie I have ever tasted. We quickly said good bye’s to our family and headed back into the woods.

Finale

The last aid station to the finish was just about 6 miles, which seems like nothing but in reality it was a long 6. I was so glad I grabbed the brownie and a tangerine from our car food stash. It gave me tons of energy.

The trail was a nice single track with some slight inclines and descents. We were so excited to run into Tahquamenon Falls State Park, however the park boundary to the finish ended up being a few miles. It was still an amazing trail section to run and knowing the finish was near gave you a big push to finish.

Finally we crossed a paved road, which was the first I had seen all day! We headed to the final section. As we ran through the finish, we celebrated my friends first 50 K finish and my finish of an epic race.

Since I started trail running a couple years ago, I have been searching for a meaningful race and this checked all the boxes. As I look back on this one, I only want more. As far as trail running races go, it was very well organized with some amazing volunteers. The trail section along the lake will forever make a deep impression in my soul. The remoteness and feeling of being totally free running a race along a trail many will never cross will remain. Would I run this again? 100% yes!