The HUFF 50K Trail Notes

Past HUFF races read like a geography lesson. A year ago,the field drew runners from 20 states as well as Ontario, Canada. Over the history of the race, 34 states have been represented, and the winners have come from as far away as Perry, Utah (Brandon Sybrowsky in 1997) and Fairbanks, Alaska (two-time women’s winner Michelle Mitchell).

One thing that makes the HUFF unique is unpredictable weather.

Six years ago, Mark Godale of Akron, Ohio, won the HUFF in record time – 3 hours, 26 minutes, 27 seconds. A year later in the snow, he ran it in 5:04.53 … and won again, giving him the fastest and slowest winning times in HUFF history.

“That was the snow year,” Harper said. “One of our young runners posted on a Web site that the HUFF is not a race but an epic struggle of man vs. nature.

“I always thought we ought to appropriate that as our slogan. It’s a challenge against time and distance, which generally is what running events are. And it’s a challenge against Mother Nature.”

The challenge of running long distances and the chance to meet interesting people captivated Harper, who in short order learned that someone was trying to organize a series of ultramarathon races in the Midwest. One more race was needed, preferably in Michigan or northern Indiana. Thus was born the Huntington Ultra Frigid Fifty, or HUFF, a three-lap circuit of Roush Lake in Huntington County.

...[The HUFF] is the only ultramarathon in Indiana and one of 111 on UltraRunning magazine’s Internet calendar.

# posted by Mitch : 9:15 AM