Grand Island Trail Marathon

Just off the coast of this small city that looks out onto Lake Superior along Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, runners get a chance to run the trails, hills, beaches and forests of the Grand Island National Recreation Area at the Grand Island Trail Marathon & Half Marathon, which marks its annual running in July.

The race takes runners both along the shoreline and through the heart of the forest on 13,500-acre Grand Island, which lies about half a mile off the coast of Munising and is accessible only by ferry boat. Under the management of the National Park Service since 1990, when it was purchased by Congress from the Cleveland Cliffs Iron Company, Grand Island has been kept in its primitive, natural state to protect its forests, coastline and beaches, so modern amenities are minimal on the island.

Such a unique and pristine environment for running has helped earn the race accolades for the beauty and challenge of its terrain from publications like Runner’s World, which has called it one of the country’s best trail races for runners who are new to trail racing. From a look at the half marathon route — which follows the southern portion of the 26.2-mile full marathon course — it’s not too hard to see why.