Jul 12

Jul 12 The Run I Didn’t Plan: Mackinac Island, Michigan

The Run

The original plan for this trip was to run the Waugoshance Trail Run 50K near Mackinaw City, Michigan. The race follows the North Country Trail through forests, along the bluffs above Lake Michigan, and into Wilderness State Park.

I had never traveled this far north in Michigan, so I was looking forward to seeing a different part of the state and running a trail race in an area that was completely new to me.

I was also meeting another runner I had met online, Hugo, in person for the first time.

From Mallorca to Michigan

A little over a year ago, Hugo found my website and reached out to ask me about my favorite run. I told him about the Dry Stone Route in Mallorca, one of the most memorable routes I have completed. He later traveled to Mallorca and ran the route himself, essentially retracing my footsteps across the island.

We stayed in contact through Strava over the following year. After Hugo recently moved to the United States, he reached out and said he would be interested in meeting up for a run.

I told him about Waugoshance.

The logistics worked out surprisingly well. Hugo would fly into Detroit from New York City, and I would pick him up at the airport. Detroit was about three hours from Columbus, making it a reasonable detour and a good way to break up the longer drive north. From the airport, it was another four hours or so to Mackinaw City.

It was a long day in the car, but we had plenty to talk about after following each other’s runs online for the past year.

We reached the Holiday Inn Express Mackinaw City around 5 p.m. We each spent a little time catching up on work and messages before driving about five minutes to the race finish to pick up our packets.

This was when I realized I had a problem.

The Pre-Race Walmart Run

I had not planned especially well for the trip. In my rush to leave home, I had forgotten my running backpack.

That is a fairly important piece of equipment for a 50K.

A quick search showed a Walmart about 25 minutes away in Cheboygan, so we headed there for an unexpected pre-race shopping trip. I bought a smaller CamelBak pack, sunscreen, Pop-Tarts, and a few other things I should have packed before leaving Columbus.

It was also Hugo’s first visit to a Walmart.

There are probably more exciting American experiences, but few are more practical the night before a trail race when one runner has forgotten half of his equipment.

We decided to eat in Cheboygan since we were both hungry. Right on Main Street, we found Mulligan’s. It seemed like a suitable local place for a pre-race meal. Hugo ordered pasta, while I had the salmon. We also ordered the pretzel bites, which we can definitely recommend for carb loading.

After dinner, we took a short walk along the shore before returning to the hotel. The weather was calm, the water was clear, and everything appeared set for the next morning.

Then the trip changed.

When the Race Doesn’t Happen

An unexpected personal issue came up that evening, and I was not able to get to bed until around 3:30 a.m.

I still got up in time to take Hugo to the race shuttle before 6 a.m. The 50K is a point-to-point race, so runners take a bus from Mackinaw City to the starting area near Wycamp Lake and then run back toward town. Once I dropped him off, I returned to the hotel and went back to sleep.

I knew there was no sensible way for me to run a 50K after almost no sleep. It was disappointing, especially after traveling all the way to northern Michigan for the race. I had also been looking forward to running with Hugo after a year of comparing routes and following each other on Strava.

But when life gives you lemons, make lemonade.

After getting a little more sleep, I searched for another place to run. The first result that caught my attention was the road around Mackinac Island. The island had been on my bucket list for a long time.

The alternative plan came together very quickly.

Racing the Ferry

I changed into my running clothes, packed the new CamelBak, and ran a fast mile from the hotel toward the Shepler’s Ferry terminal.

I was cutting the timing close, but I made it. It was a good thing I paid the extra $20 for the enhanced boarding option, which allowed me to move ahead of the regular line since I arrived so late. Instead of standing at the dock waiting for another departure, I was quickly on the ferry and heading across the Straits of Mackinac.

About 15 minutes later, I stepped onto Mackinac Island.

The ferry ride alone made the detour worthwhile. The Mackinac Bridge stretched across the water behind us, while the island and its historic buildings grew larger ahead. From the water, Mackinac Island looks like a place separated from the pace of everything on the mainland.

Once the ferry docked, I started running.

Running the Road Around Mackinac Island

I ran clockwise around the island, following the paved road along the shore.

The most unusual part of the route became apparent almost immediately. There were no cars.

Mackinac Island has been car-free for more than 100 years, so the road is shared by runners, walkers, bicycles, and horses. After running in cities and along busy roads around the world, it felt strange to be on a paved road without the constant sound of traffic.

Instead, I heard bicycle bells, horses, conversations, and the water along the shoreline.

Running clockwise also worked well on this particular morning. It kept me on the right side of the road, which was shaded for much of the loop. The weather was nearly perfect, but the shade still made a noticeable difference as the morning warmed up.

The full shoreline loop is about eight miles and remains close to the water for most of the way. The road is flat, smooth, and very easy to follow. It would be difficult to find a more approachable running route in such a distinctive location.

There were small beaches, rocky sections of shoreline, and long views across Lake Huron. In some places, the water was so clear that I could see the rocks well beyond the edge of the shore.

There are also a couple of places along the loop where runners and cyclists can stop for drinks or snacks. That makes the route easy to complete without carrying much, although I was happy to have my newly purchased pack after making the effort to buy it the previous night.

Arch Rock and the High Point

When I reached Arch Rock, I turned away from the shoreline and began climbing into the interior of the island.

I wanted to add some elevation to an otherwise flat run, but I also wanted to see more than the main road. The climb led through the wooded interior toward Arch Rock, the forts, and several of the island’s other landmarks.

Arch Rock rises above the water as a natural limestone opening in the cliffs. It is one of the most recognizable places on Mackinac Island and well worth leaving the shoreline loop to see.

From there, I continued upward toward the highest part of the island. The roads and trails through the interior were quieter than the shoreline, with fewer bicycles and longer sections beneath the trees.

I also passed Sugar Loaf, a large limestone rock formation that stands by itself in the forest. Between the rock formations, wooded roads, old forts, and views over the lake, the center of the island felt completely different from the busy area near the ferry docks.

The climb was not especially long, but it gave me enough elevation gain to make the run more interesting. It also provided a better sense of the island’s terrain. From the shoreline, Mackinac appears relatively flat. Once you turn inland, there are enough hills and side roads to put together a much longer and more challenging route.

Eventually, I worked my way back toward town and completed the eight-mile loop.

I was not finished yet.

Adding Miles to the Grand Hotel

I wanted to reach a half marathon for the day, so I added a few more miles around town and headed toward the Grand Hotel.

The hotel is difficult to miss. It sits above the water on a hillside, with its long white porch facing the Straits of Mackinac. Opened in 1887, it looks unlike almost any modern hotel in the United States.

Its front porch is 660 feet long and is recognized as the world’s largest. Seeing it in person makes that fact easier to understand. The porch stretches across nearly the entire front of the building, lined with rows of rocking chairs overlooking the water.

The surrounding lawns, horse-drawn carriages, and historic buildings give this part of the island a very different atmosphere from the ferry docks and shops in town.

After seeing the Grand Hotel, I wandered through a few more streets and eventually reached the half-marathon distance I had been looking for.

Hugo’s First American 50K

By the time I returned from the island loop, Hugo had finished the Waugoshance 50K.

He did not just finish. He placed eighth!

While I had spent the morning stopping for photos, visiting rock formations, and adding miles around the Grand Hotel, Hugo had been racing through the forests and along the Lake Michigan bluffs.

I was sad that we had not been able to run together, but I was happy that he had such a strong race. Completing his first American 50K and finishing in the top ten was a good introduction to trail racing in the United States.

After crushing his race, he still took the ferry to meet me on the island. We went to the Pink Pony, which is said to be one of the most iconic restaurants in Michigan. After his race and my improvised half marathon, two pints of local beer and a giant burger seemed appropriate.

It was a good place to compare our very different mornings.

Hugo had the 50K race experience we originally traveled north to find. I had ended up with an unplanned run around an island that had been on my list for years.

Both of us had found something worthwhile.

Heading South

Later that afternoon, we took the ferry back to Mackinaw City, picked up the car, and began the long drive south.

We planned to spend the night near the Detroit airport before Hugo’s flight home. Despite having just run a 50K, Hugo kept me company throughout the long drive. He also provided regular updates from the England versus Norway game, giving us something else to follow as we worked our way down through Michigan.

The weekend had not unfolded as planned. I forgot my pack. I missed the race. I slept far less than expected. Hugo and I never ran together.

But it still turned into an excellent running weekend, with perfect weather and new experiences in northern Michigan.

Hugo completed his first 50K in the United States and finished eighth. He experienced Walmart for the first time, which may or may not have been equally memorable. I finally visited Mackinac Island and found one of the most enjoyable road loops I have run anywhere.

It was also fun to finally meet Hugo in person after staying connected for more than a year and to be part of both his first visit to Walmart and his first 50K in the United States.

The trip was also a reminder that a race does not have to be the only reason to visit a place. Sometimes it simply gives you a reason to get there. Once you arrive, there may be another run waiting nearby.

The Waugoshance Trail brought me to northern Michigan.

The run I will remember most is the one I never planned.