After reading everyone else's Marji experience, from the pointy end with 3 women buckling (Syd Schulz, Kait Boyle, and KriSSty Mcbride) to those who fought many battles both on the course and in their minds to #finish in the dark deluge of pouring rain, to the Lanterne Rouge Kristen Wade who fought for every pedal stroke and foot step to cross the finish line in 25:00:14 and receive the green dot, I feel my race report is going to be boring. Why you ask? I had no struggles, no mind games, no screaming body parts. Once in a blue moon, everything aligns perfectly and my legs have that sparkle. And on this day, September 20, 2025, I had one of my best races ever.
Of course, it helps that the weather was perfect: slightly overcast and 55-65 degrees. The trail conditions were perfect: hero dirt and no mud (if you finished before 8 pm). And the companionship of riding with Lisa was magical.
I had been nervous about how my body would do, since just the past weekend I had spent 27 hours racing at the Adventure Race National Championships in Bentonville. In the week leading up to Marji, I had done nothing more than a few walks with the dogs just to keep the legs loose and hopefully recover in time to have a decent race.
Lisa's daughter, Jayden, was also racing the 50. We all lined up close to the start, about 50 racers back or so. The first 2 miles was on a mix of greenway and paved road. Nothing makes me more nervous than rolling along with hundreds of others at break neck speed, praying they hold their lines. Only minutes into the race, just feet away from me, someone f*cked up, sending a half dozen or so racers and their bikes crashing onto the tarmac ... complete carnage! I suppose that dude did not listen to Charlee Marie pre-race speech in which she said that you are NOT going to win the race in the first 2 miles.
Once we hit the Marquette Mountain gravel road climb, I could breathe easier (well, mentally anyway) as the pack broke up over the next mile. Jayden put the hammer down and pulled away from Lisa and I. My legs were happy turning the pedals and passing people. Turning onto the single track, I was in a rather large group of racers, but all were riding well and at my speed ... yea for a fast moving conga line. Which ... suddenly came to a slow down on Above Grade, a 1 mile techy uphill trail. Fortunately most had skills to maneuver through the rocks and roots. And when I came upon a slower racer, I was able to put my mad HAB skilz to work and get around them quickly and cleanly.
I was able to catch back up to Lisa on Pipe Dreams and from here followed her wheel. We made quick work of the next 5 miles of trail before popping out on the double track section around Lake Enchantment. We ended up grabbing our first token, a dum dum, somewhere along this stretch. I was amazed at how hard packed this stretch was, only a few deep sandy spots.
Once on the Iron Ore Trail, we hooked up with a nice fella riding an Ibis Exie, who towed us along almost the entire stretch. Thank you; sorry I forgot your name. We were halfway expecting to see Jayden at some point, but she was long gone.
Chris and Lisa's Mom were at Jackson Park and helped us make a quick pit stop. We both opted to drop our empty bottles and put on hydration packs for JP1 --> JP2, a stretch of 24 miles. Jayden was up ahead ... somewhere.
I let Lisa lead out; she is a bit more familiar with the multitude of turns, so it was nice just to focus on her lines and not the arrows. A couple of fellas were behind us. One thing I just gotta ask. Why do dudes feel compelled to ride up your butt? I mean, I know I have a cute one, but shouldn't you be focusing on the trail? Put a little space between us; there is no drafting advantage in RAMBA land. I even got my tire buzzed once ... jeez! Fortunately it did not last long as Lisa and I slowly pulled away over those techy miles.
The first hard effort was on the Fenceline Trail climb. Holy smokes! The legs were on fire ... in a good way. And then we had to stop for the checkpoint 1/2 way up; ended up being a decoy. Damn you, Todd! Short little HAB until I could hop back on my steed and finish the climb. I was most impressed by the trail work done on StoneHinged. That fall line tricky ass descent was now sculpted with flowy switchbacks. Lisa remarked, "Now we will never catch Jayden." Apparently she had some troubles earlier in the season with this section.
The miles kept ticking on by effortlessly. I suppose when you don't have the earlier miles of the hundred in your legs, they tend to be happier. Last Bluff got a little spicy steep and knowing it was more efficient to HAB, we did on several sections.
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| Hunting down Jayden |
Once we were back on pavement passing by the finish in downtown Ishpeming, Lisa let me take over lead. As we began the climb up Deer Shit, I saw a familiar face just up ahead. Jayden's climbing style reminds me a lot of Lisa's. And I could pick up on that before I could actually see her racing kit and blonde hair.
By the time we got to the drop on Deer Shit, I was right behind Jayden. I had never ridden this drop in before. Thank You Jayden for towing me in and giving me the confidence to clean it. Way easier to ride it than butt slide down it with your bike.
At the camp ground, Chris was waiting just in case we needed anything. Jayden stopped, but I was golden. I was kinda sad to pass her by, as I was having fun watching her ride the tech incredibly well. And only 16! It took me years to develop the skills I have today ... her, only 3 and awesome fitness to boot!
Rusty Bike had a few more bikes lining the trail this year, the Cheese Grater was so much fun in the dry, and when I hit the Hamptons, I knew I was just minutes away from JP2. Transition time was less than 30 seconds, long enough to drop the pack, grab 2 bottles, and swap gel flasks.
I was on my own now, as Lisa was riding with Jayden, having made a little longer pit stop at JP2. I purposely took in all the sights and sounds. It was truly a fall day, what with mild temps, the trees beginning to turn, and a light covering of leaves on the trail. I kept telling myself just how blessed I was to be able to do this, feeling fantastic not being on the struggle bus, which is usually what is happening by now (on the hundred).
Flannel Shirt, which is usually where the wheels begin to fall off, was pleasurable, even with all 1000 roots. The Grinder was grand and Grand View even grander! AM FM still sucked, tho'! RAMBA cleaned up the entrance to Carol Jackson ... super sweet. I stopped and grabbed the token on Carol Jackson and continued to feel the flow, something that is difficult to find on The Marji.
The climb up Coy Hill went by in no time and I soon found myself zipping through Angeline and 38 Special. Old 56 is still mean, even on sparkly legs. I made it up the loose steep climb on Cry Baby. Thank you to the women who cheered me on up that! There were quite a few Mini Marjers out there and I made sure to motivate each and every one of them. It was especially cool to see all the parent-kid duos pushing through perhaps the hardest part of the whole course.
Popping out on the pavement, it was a short ride up Jasper Knob, made even better by the throngs of spectators and their air horns. I grabbed my final token and sped back down. I got stopped by the crossing guards on Division Street as they let cross traffic pass through. I joked with them how mean that was and hit the finish at 3:52 pm. First woman with a time of 7:52. I was even more stoked that I knocked 20 minutes off my 2021 time.
Jayden and Lisa rolled in a few minutes later, claiming the final podium spots. It was so awesome seeing them finish together. I know Lisa's was so proud of what Jayden had just accomplished. But I also know that Jayden wants redemption! And with the proper training and mental focus, I have no doubt she will get a dollar one day.
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| A rare sighting of Jayden smiling at the finish |
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| A Southern Sweep |
Having a stellar day and PR'ing a 3 mile longer course was icing on this old woman's cake. Yeah, yeah, yeah, you can say age is but a number. But having experienced my 40's and now more than halfway through my 50's, I don't have that upper end fast and powerful fitness that I did 15 years ago. And I am 90% ok with that. So when I do have a great performance now, it is definitely a "WTF just happened?!?" moment.
I am here to tell ya ladies, you are never to old to start doing hard things ... menopause be damned! Finishing the Marji should send you all over the moon. It IS the hardest single day race in America, no matter what the distance. I was overwhelmed with feelings of joy and camaraderie seeing so many women in the hunt for their green dot. When I shouted out to them words of encouragement, they shouted right back ... every one of them. Some may have been in a world of hurt, but they prioritized positivity in their support of one another.
It was also cool to see some of Group 11 of 2024 Marji Camp. Jen and Haley crushed their previous Mini times. I saw Matt at the start. Joshua and Adam screamed at me on course and then showed up at the finish to say hi. They were supporting their wives who were running the Mini.
I cannot say enough about the community of support out there. You all are phenomenal! Although I had my own crew, I am pretty sure I could have finished just as fast by taking neutral support from the hundreds of mini aid stations set up all along the course. One day, maybe after my 1000 mile buckle, I will come up and be a part of the suffer crew.
Now to start training the fingers for October 17 at 9:06pm.
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