Pictured are the Great Deer Chase McGanns Building Supply eight-mile male winners, Aunders Anderson (left, second place), Quinn Justen (middle, first place) and Maxwell Hibbard (right, third place) after their race on Saturday. (Photo submitted)

CALUMET — The Great Deer Chase, presented by Rhythm Bike and Level UP Custom Branded Apparel Specialists of Houghton, returned to the Swedetown Trail System of Calumet Saturday. Featuring a new race director and an energized race and trail crew, the race grew approximately 30% from the last iteration, accentuated by youth racing along with the iconic events for seasoned riders.

While some rain the night before slowed down the trail marking, the weather cleared in time and the trail was in excellent shape for racing.

The morning began with theCross Country Sports Adventure Ride, which allowed riders to enjoy the Keweenaw scenery and trails without racing against competitors.

The first timed event was the A-1 General Contracting two-mile race for the younger kids, which had a great turnout and featured racing on the recently rebuilt Two Hoots trail. After a little bit of elbow grinding down the Valley Trail, the racers entered the single track, and the first to emerge across the finish line was William Ollis of Houghton, followed by the first girl, Alpha Justen of Prescott, Wisconsin.

In second for boys was Eero Saaranen of Houghton and Mason Meneguzzo of Calumet in third. Second for girls was Mabel Mount of Dollar Bay, followed up in third by Lucy Krznarich. With sponsors providing support for the event, kids were called up for two-year age group medals and celebrated their finish.

Next up was the ThermoAnalytics Tots Race which featured a 50-yard course through the stadium at the Swedetown chalet. With a cheering crowd, the youngest riders got to experience the event with strong support.

Following the Tots Race, the older kids (and adults wanting to do a shorter race) got their chance to shine in the McGanns Building Supply eight-mile race. Starting with the 15 and 30- mile events, racers got to roll out in the big pack and ride approximately two miles of open course before entering the single track.

The first to cross the line was Quinn Justen, from Prescott, who was followed up by Aunders Anderson of Calumet and Maxwell Hibbard of Auburn Hills.

For the ladies, Rebecca Brunner, from Holland, took the win, followed by Annaliese Granroth of Ithaca, New York, and Sophia Miller of Houghton.

With strong sponsor support, numerous kids’ age groups were recognized for their achievement.

The Down Wind Sports 15-mile race featured two laps of the short course, allowing riders to learn and buff in the lines. With an awesome show of strength, Leah Robinson of Ishpeming took the win being the first to cross the line ahead of Jeremy Hinkson of Marquette. Bringing up second in the men’s race was Tim Wagner of Toivola, followed by Dave Wall of Rhinelander, Wisconsin.

Second in the women’s race was Emmalyn Veradi, followed by Alexa Whaley, both of Marquette, with all of the Top-3 women in the overall being under 17.

The Velocity Wheels USA 30-mile race featured some familiar names to Swedetown and the local racing circuit. The race consisted of one lap of almost every single track trail along with some passing lanes to keep the racing close.

With some past winning experience at Swedetown, the first to emerge from the deep woods trudge was Samuel Kilpela of Atlantic Mine, followed by Zachary Button of Marquette and Cody McGrath of Negaunee.

For the women, first place went to Tina Eakin of Folsom, California, followed by Lisa Randall of Copper Harbor, and Ella Falk of Marquette.

Kilpela was the only rider to break the two-hour mark in the slightly shortened (due to rain the night before) 30-mile event.

Overall, the Great Deer Chase was a great success, raising money for the Swedetown Trails Club to further their development of recreational opportunities in the Keweenaw. It was made possible thanks to the generous support of sponsors, community partners and volunteers.

Pictured are the Great Deer Chase McGanns Building Supply eight-mile female winners, Rebecca Brunner (left, first place) and Sophia Miller (right, third place). (Photo submitted)