Monday Marji Update #1
Date Time Event Location Buckle Time Wednesday, September 18, 2024 8AM MG200 Run Start & PP West End Ski & Trail 80 Hours Thursday, September 19, 2024 5PM – 8PM MG200 Bike, MG100 Run PP Queen City Running Co. Friday, September 20, 2024 8AM MG100 Run Start Forestville TH 28 Hours 8AM MG200 Bike Start West End Ski & Trail 34 Hours 5PM – 8PM Packet Pickup Blackrocks Brewery Saturday, September 21, 2024 7AM MG50 Run Start Downtown Marquette 7:30AM MG100 Bike, Duathlon Start Forestville TH 12 Hours (100Bike), 22 Hours (Duathlon) 8AM MG50 Bike Start Downtown Marquette 10AM Mini Marji Start Jackson Park 12PM Finish Line Opens Ishpeming Sunday, September 22, 2024 2AM Jackson Park Cutoff Jackson Park 8:30AM MG2024 Cutoff Ishpeming Rules of the Road Marji Gesick is self-supported, meaning that YOU are responsible for you, and you must follow the “rules of the road” at all times. You will not see volunteers on course stopping traffic for you. You will share space with other trail users and at times motor vehicles, side-by-sides, or ATVs. We cannot stress this enough: Follow the rules of the road. At every crossing, look both ways. Have your head on a swivel. The world is a brutal place. Something bad can happen at any time, usually when you least expect it. WHEN WILL THE GPX BE RELEASED? We will not release the GPX files until race week, and even then, it might happen a couple times 😂 2023 routes are available on RWGPS for review until the 2024 routes release. Patience, eh? CHECKPOINTS & TOKENS Checkpoints are hidden across the route. Some checkpoints have tokens, while others are just there to mess with ya. You won’t know what it is until you check. They all look the same. If you get to a Checkpoint and it’s full of “something”, take one. It’s a token. If it’s empty, #blamedanny and keep rolling. Checkpoint locations and contents are kept secret. You do not share plans with anyone… If you get to the finish line without any of the required tokens we’ll DQ ya. To be clear… all checkpoint signage is found directly on-route. They’re not hidden in da hills. On the approach to a checkpoint you’ll encounter large signs 24” x 36” with the words “CHECKPOINT AHEAD” followed by a sign that says “CHECKPOINT” with a full bin of “something”. ONLY TAKE ONE. DON’T LOSE IT. Community You really need to read this and remember it on race day. I am gonna break it into three parts. Support Crews. I am going to go so far as to say, the best part of Marji is all of the people who spend their day (and night) helping you get to da finish. It has been incredible to witness. I hope all of you appreciate how special this is. An event of this magnitude requires a lot of sacrifice by you and the folks who are out there to help… many of them are complete strangers. Do me a favor, and thank all of the volunteers and support crews. Neutral Support. Yes, this is a self-supported event. You are responsible for you. We (the organizers) are not here to help you. Yes, GPS is required. It’s been required since day one. Is the course marked? Yes, but as we have said from day one: signs fall down, people tear them down, and da bears will eat them. Don’t blame us if you show up unprepared and can’t finish the event because you don’t know how to navigate. Neutral support, if offered to one person, must be offered to all. It’s really that simple. It’s y’all against us. So be good to each other, and help every one ya can. Cool? Good. Community. This is important. Don’t lose sight of the fact that not everyone in the community is part of the event, and the way you interact with them or potentially block access to their home, or driveway, could hurt all of us. You need to remember, we’re all guests to someone. Don’t make decisions that could hurt the event, a participant, a resident, or a partner. We’re all in this together. MARQUETTE MOUNTAIN/1UP NEUTRAL SUPPORT Marquette Mountain & 1UP are joining forces to offer you neutral support. You will find them at approximately mile-49 on the one-hundred mile course on Saturday from 9:00 am – until mid-afternoon. There will be aid tents with food and hydration. The resort restaurant will be open for support crews. It has a ton of parking. We’re sharing this so you can plan accordingly. Don’t thank us… we have nothing to do with it. Thank MM and 1UP. Lake Enchantment Road: Is off-limits to support crews and Marji Gesick traffic. Do not use it. Riders will be able to get support from the resources Marquette Mountain and 1UP provide. There is usually another location on the way to Negaunee called “The Wurst Aid Station”. Count on those points for support. Share this with your crews. Essentially, between Marquette and Negaunee, you need to be on your own. MARJI GESICK GEAR Here’s how you can secure your Marji Gesick Gear. The online store opens the week of the event and remains open until 9.29.2024. Everything will be available from t-shirts for participants to support crews, jerseys, posters, da hats, and more. By the time you get this, the pre-event sale will be done. If you ordered gear through it, we’ll have it for you at packet pickup. If you did not get one of the five emails we sent reminding you to get the gear, you’ll have to wait. When the store closes 9.29.2024, we’ll place our orders and bring the gear into Lakeshore Basecamp. It usually ships to you no later than November. As we work toward the event we’ll share images of stuff in Marji Gesick Talk on Facebook to tease ya… RACE WEEK EMAIL You can expect to hear from us from time to time between now