Last summer my friend and cycling partner, Dawn Tomczyk turned me on to trail running and I found it very enjoyable. So when fellow Howell Rotarian Jeff Hansen asked me to run the 2008 North Country Trail Relay with him I said, "Sure!". Jeff and Team Captain Jeff MacGuinness were the only two members returning from last year's Dirt Dawgs team. So this year the team had four new members: Dawn, Sarah, Jessica, and me. NCTR virgins all.

Jeff MacGuinness did a great job as team captain. It was really easy to participate in this event due to Jeff's superb organizational skills. It was nice to meet Jesica and Sarah. They work at Playmakers with Jeff's mom, Cheryl. They're really fast, too!

We camped Friday night at the Bowman Bridge Campground near Baldwin. We had this beautiful, rustic campground on the Pierre Marquette river nearly to ourselves. Even though we were camped only a few hundred yards from the finish line and dinner shelter.

The North Country Trail Relay is a 78 trail run through the Manistee National Forest in Michigan's Lower Peninsula. The trail was mostly single track with a few road section trail connectors. Everyone ran 12 - 13 miles (more if they got lost!) in either two or three legs.

As we anxiously waited for Hansen to appear from out of the woods for the last time, we lounged in the shade by the finish line and enjoyed the event provided post race meal.

Bellies full, we walked to the nearest swimming hole on the normally mellow (now at flood stage) Pierre Marquette to wash off the post race patina with prodigious amounts of Dr. Bronner's Peppermint Soap.

Jesica and Sarah had to work the next day so they drove back home. Meanwhile the rest of the team sat around the campfire, enjoying the glow of a tough day on the trail. Soon threatening skies delivered on their promise of wild weather as thunderstorms moved in. That was all it took to get this team into tents and sleeping bags and off to sleep.

On Sunday, Father's Day, morning Jeff Mac whipped up a power breakfast and Jeff H, Dawn, and I were on the road home by 8:30.

Thanks, Dirt Dawgs! I hope to see everyone next year!