Bluebird skies, the crimson and gold of the island’s maple forests and the aquamarine of Lake Superior created the backdrop for the Le Demi Grand Half Marathon and 10K. Cool winds from the North created nearly perfect conditions for racing. It was a good day to be on Grand Island.
Complete results are now available for viewing.
Carl Morrison of Marquette, MI repeated as half marathon champion, covering the 13.1 mile course in 1:37:29. Paul Vance of Royal Oak, MI was the only other runner to break 1:40, finishing 2nd (1:38:14). Brian Edgette of nearby Autrain, running his first race ever, captured 3rd overall in 1:41:04. Erin Cornwell of Pickford, MI improved her 2022 time by over 7 minutes, breaking two hours this year (1:59:01) and moving up from 3rd to 1st among the women. Kelsey Homan (Marquette, MI) and Kaitlin Homan (Chicago, IL) captured the 2nd and 3rd overall spots in 2:09:10 and 2:14:13 respectively.
Daniel Paavola of Marquette, MI covered the hilly 10K course in 52:45 to capture the overall title. Less than 25 seconds back, Daniel Shovels was in the chase, crossing the finish in 53:09 for second. In a remarkable Master's Runner performance, 68 year old Joseph Hart of Munising took the last podium spot, 3rd overall in 54:32. Anne Ritter of Sun Prairie, WI ran and outstanding race, capturing the women's overall title in 55:47. The only other woman to break 1 hour, Madeleine Ocallaghan of Cadillac, MI finished 2nd in 59:30. Ruby Miller of Marquette, MI took the 3rd podium spot in the women's 10k, finishing in 1:01:28.
We want to thank the student athletes from Superior Central High School who assisted with aid stations and the finish line, the Alger Amateur Radio Association for communications, the Alger County EMS for mobile safety and our hard working sweepers, Daniel Cullen for the half marathon and Kent Walker for the 10K. Our volunteers reported that the runners were kind and gracious and so we extend our thanks to all the runners for making the Le Demi Grand trail race such a joy to be a part of.