Hall wins Gesick’s 100-mile run in Marquette
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Todd Hall moved to Houghton in 2020 to work as an athletic trainer for the Michigan Tech Huskies. He has since tended to the needs of the track, cross country, Nordic skiing, and women's volleyball teams. Last weekend, he won the Marji Gesick's 100-mile run that zigzagged the trails of Marquette, Negaunee, and Ishpeming. After finishing last year in over 35 hours, he had a strong comeback, running this year in 26 hours and 13 minutes.
This was well under the 28-hour cutoff to win the infamous hand-forged belt buckle by Marquette's own Gordon Gearhart.
Hall said that he really didn't get into running until he moved to the U.P. He played soccer, basketball and tennis in high school and soccer at Acquinas College in Grand Rapids. He former distaste for running sure has changed since moving up here. 2021's 10-kilometer MTU Hammer Race at Mont Ripley was Hall's first trail running race. With a background of mountain biking, he moved up quickly in the running world. The next summer, in 2022, he finished the Grand Island 50-kilometer--his first "ultramarathon" race.
Hall made the leap to the 100-mile race distance at last year's Marji with a brutal finish. He mentioned his biggest mistake was failing to take care of his feet. Long breaks at aid stations also made it difficult to move efficiently. This year proved to be a big change.
Todd ran over half of the race alone in the lead this year. Adamantly changing socks and shoes this year improved the condition of his feet, and he pushed to run on the flats and downhills. His biggest training run, the Marquette 50-miler race, also helped him prepare his nutrition and legs more than last year. One can expect to reach some difficult points in the race, physically or mentally. Hall mentioned his 4 a.m. problems with his stomach as his rock-bottom this year. He reminded himself that daylight would come and once it did, he pushed the last 10 miles into the finish.
The Keweenaw is a special place for people that recreate outside and that was one of the main draws for Hall moving up here. The close access to local trails such as the Tech Trails or Maasto Hiihto allow him to run before work or during a lunch break. He also loves to explore the trails in Copper Harbor. In addition to the excellent trails, Todd called the local running community "incredible." The Keweenaw Running Group and MTU's Keweenaw Ultramarathon Club have kept Todd connected and the training fun.
When asked about people getting into the sport and being intimated by such difficult races, Todd agreed that it's hard and "there is a level of craziness." He struggled initially but after consistently training with people that kept it slow and fun, he finds it very rewarding.
In just a few years, Todd Hall has grown from a complete newbie in the sport to the winner of a notoriously difficult 100-mile race. It's an inspiration and a lesson for us all. Keeping something fun and light-hearted makes consistency more attainable. It's never in a sprint in these long races. In fact, Todd thinks he hiked nearly a third of the race on uphills and rocky sections. Todd isn't sure if he'll be back to race the Marji yet, but he's excited to explore other races across the Midwest or maybe even out west.