Forest Track Heavy Half Marathon
Date: August 2026
Start Time: 7:30 AM
Minimum Pace: 17:08/mile
Finish Cut-off Time: 11:30 AM
Race Capacity: 200
Taking off from the chalet the course starts on the ski road to open things up. From there you'll hop on the Duluth Traverse - Fern Gully section that rolls nicely through the forest. Once you near Kingsbury Creek your work on the Superior Hiking Trail (SHT) begins. The SHT on the west side of Kingsbury Creek will take you up a gradual climb to the summit of Spirit Mountain, using some connectors to make your way across the ski area. From Spirit you'll continue on the SHT all the way out to Ely's Peak. From the westside of Ely's Peak you will descend to the Duluth-Winnepeg-Pacific Railroad Trail (DWP). The old railroad tunnel is your intro to the DWP, the gravel double track that will have you cruising back to the finish at the chalet.
Course Stats & Info
Distance: ~14 miles
Elevation: +2245’/ -2245’ | Min 713’ | Max 1237’
Terrain: Singletrack 54%, Doubletrack 43%, Gravel road 2% Mixed 1%
The Trails: COGGS Trails, Superior Hiking Trail, Duluth-Winnipeg-Pacific Railroad Trail (DWP).
Women Course Record: Emily Wartman - 2:02:56 (2025)
Men Course Record: Matthew Braithwaite -1:41:18 (2025)
Aid Stations:
All locations will have water, and Tailwind. Ely's Tunnel and Stewart Creek will have a variety of sodas and some snacks.
| location | total distance [mi] | segment [mi] | cut-off time |
| Start - Grand Ave | - | - | - |
| Big Air | 3.8 | 3.8 | - |
| Stewart Creek 1 | 5.8 | 2 | - |
| Ely's Tunnel | 10 | 4.2 | 10:25 AM |
| Stewart Creek 2 | 12.8 | 2.8 | 11:10 AM |
| Finish - Grand Ave | 14 | 1.2 | 11:30 AM |
