Porcupine Mountains Trail Marathon to debut Oct. 5

Registration is now open for the inaugural Porcupine Mountains Trail Marathon and Half Marathon as well as the five other 2013 Great Lakes Endurance trail runs to be held in Wisconsin and Michigan.

The new event in the Porcupine Mountains will take place October 5, typically the peak of color season in this small mountain range along the Lake Superior coast located in Michigan's Upper Peninsula near the border with Wisconsin.

This event will complete a trio of trail marathon in 2013 hosted by Great Lakes Endurance. The Waugoshance Trail Marathon (July 13), Grand Island Trail Marathon (July 27) and the new marathon in the Porcupine Mountains - all of which will also include concurrent half marathon races - offer runners the best trails the region has to offer.

GLE Trail Run Series
After hosting two snowshoe races in February, the 2013 Great Lakes Endurance trail running calendar will open with the Iola Trail Run on April 14. The event features 5K and 10K courses that follow the cross-country ski trails and mountain bike singletrack at the Iola Winter Sports Club in central Wisconsin.

The Waugoshance Trail Marathon and Half Marathon will return on July 13. The first edition of this event filled early in 2012. The course features point-to-point singletrack on the North Country Trail from Wycamp Lake, just north of Cross Village, to the west end of the village of Mackinaw City, Michigan.

The award-winning Grand Island Trail Marathon and Half Marathon will returns for its ninth year on July 27, preserving its course around the perimeter and into the interior of the island in Lake Superior near Munising, Michigan.

Trail runners will again enjoy the demanding yet beautiful singletrack at the Tahqua Trail Run on August 10. Like the Waugoshance, the 25K at Tahqua is point-to-point along the North Country Trail, through highly varied forest types. The Tahqua also features the most popular kids' race among all GLE youth events. Tahqua reaches capacity earlier every year (early June in 2012) so early registration is encouraged.

Some of the most varied terrain at any of the GLE events can be found at the Hartman Creek Trail Run, held on September 8 at Hartman Creek State Park near Waupaca, Wisconsin. The course includes a Ice Trail through pine forest, tall grass prairie and oak savannah.

The 2013 season will finish with the first-ever Porcupine Mountains Trail Marathon and Half Marathon. The loop course of singletrack including the Escarpment Trail will feature views of waterfalls, Mirror Lake and Lake of the Clouds. The races will start and finish at the Porcupine Mountain Ski Lodge.

Patagonia Footwear will be the official footwear sponsor for the 2013 Trail Series. Represented by Madison-based Pembaserves, Patagonia Footwear will provide trail running shoes to the overall male and female winners of each of the GLE events.

GRE provides age group awards made by local artists, T-shirts made of organic and recycled material, food sourced within 100 miles of the race venues, and donates a portion of the poceeds to trail maintenance and environmental conservation efforts.

For more information and to register for the events, go to greatlakesendurance.com.