Up north in Ely we have a lot of festivals and outdoor activities, from the Blueberry Fest in July to summer canoe trips and beautiful winter nordic skiing. However, for the Ely Marathon our little town swells with great runners from all around.
One special style of race unique to our area is the Portage Half and Full Marathon. A 26.2mi or 13.1mi race all done with (you guessed it) a canoe overhead! 2024 was my first year attempting the Portage Half-Marathon. Actually, it was my first time attempting any running event ever. Thankfully, an earlier trip with my wife this summer across the Grand Portage helped prepare me at least slightly for this endeavor.
Trent, his wife Tenille, and a rainbow on race day morning!
I’m lucky enough to work at Wintergreen as a Retail Associate. When selecting the right gear for my race I already had a few pieces in mind. I wanted to see how they would fare in non-advertised circumstances. I chose to go with the Crunch Cap and Boundary Waters Canoe Short. The Crunch Cap was an easy choice. Small brim, sweat absorbing band, and bonus it floats when it flies off your head into water in high winds. (This will be helpful for future canoe trips, not necessarily for this race.) The Canoe Shorts were an easy choice as well for myself. I have always loved the details put into these shorts. With a zippered back pocket, metal eyelets for the draw string, no liner so you won’t get chaffed when walking, and that perfect 5 inch inseam!
Hard at work.
As luck would have it, I also was able to put them to another test besides how they would breath over 13.1 miles. I got to test out their DWR (Durable Water Repellency).
On the morning of the run prior to the event starting, showers rolled in and began wetting everything not under a tarp or in a Porta-John. After the rain came and went I was able to take my Crunch Cap off, give it a quick shake and a light brush of my hand on my shorts, and voila my Cap and Shorts were perfectly dry after beading off all the water.
Victory!
The race went amazing for me and the gear was so fun to test out in these conditions. Although I accomplished my goal of finishing before the cut off time of 6 hours, I am left with a bitter taste in my mouth having taken second place by only 24 seconds. I plan to compete again next year and will be aiming for the top. If any of you reading this are interested you should definitely give it a try! The Ely Marathon is great and has plenty of aid stations so you are never far away from a cheer squad. If you choose to do the Portage Half Marathon, I will see you there! Thank you again to Wintergreen for supporting a goof like me in my outdoor and personal endeavors. Life’s an adventure, so wear it!
Signed:
Trent your friendly Retail Associate at Wintergreen Northern Wear and very novice runner
