Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
A MAP of the route runners will take from Ironwood to Bessemer and back Saturday during the Bridges and Bluffs Half Marathon.
IRONWOOD - The inaugural Bridges and Bluffs Half Marathon is set to take place in Ironwood and Bessemer Saturday.
The 13.1-mile half marathon and half-marathon relay are scheduled to start at 9 a.m., with a two-mile run event starting at 10 a.m.
"The half marathon races will start in Ironwood's Depot Park, run to Bessemer (running through the Ethnic Commons Park) and back to Ironwood," a city of Ironwood spokesman said. "The race will take place on the newly constructed Iron Belle Trail, which will lend itself to a flat and fast race course."
Organizers said changing fall colors should lend themselves to a "fantastic" backdrop for participants of the half-marathon, half-marathon relay and two-run.
While volunteers will be manning the road crossings that intersect the route, race organizers are asking motorists to use caution and watch for runners when at trail crossings.
The event is the latest to take advantage of the non-motorized Iron Belle Trail, since work was completed to extend the trail from the Montreal River in Ironwood to city of Bessemer. The trail is a statewide non-motorized effort that will ultimately run between Ironwood and Belle Isle in Detroit.
There are also plans in the early stages to extend the trail into Iron County, through Hurley and ultimately to the ski trails in Montreal - creating something of a regional trail system for non-motorized users.
Registration for the race can still take place at bridgesandbluffs.com
Proceeds from the race go to help trail maintenance, according to a city of Ironwood press release.
-Richard Jenkins
