Doing The Hard Things – March 2026
What’s inside: A note from the Director of AdventurePR26 MASS START: #BLAMETODDPR26 MASS START: Extreme VolunteeringNew on Made UP PodcastTeaser Alert: Marquette Trail Running Series (MTRS) 😱Adventure Team Countdown!2026 Leadership SummitEvents with 906AT A note from the Director of Adventure As you go through this month’s newsletter, you’re going to read about a lot of cool stories. Cruz, a 13-year-old young man who not only finished the Polar Roll MS15 on February 21st, he won it; while 44% of the field was quitting, and he wasn’t the only kid present for what some are calling the worst Polar Roll conditions in 11 years. There were many others, and they finished, too. You’re going to hear about Jaymie who not only showed up… she finished two minutes before the cutoff at 8:30 pm despite a cancer diagnosis, volunteers who showed up at 4:45 in the morning to setup… and were still there at 8:30 that night to tear down – and they did it all with a smile! Or how bout Steve Flemming, an ultra rider who missed the 48-hour cutoff but refused to go home until he finished… and finally did after 60 hours. He didn’t do it to win the race or get a buckle; he did it because he believes in finishing what he started. I really hope you can take ten minutes to read what we’ve put together for you this month, and then take a few minutes to let it sink in. I’ll tell ya what I took away from last weekend and all of the stories we’ve heard. Who you surround yourself with is incredibly important. I believe it has the power to change your life; in fact, I’ve watched it happen countless times over the past 11 years. When you hang out with people who have high standards, your standards change. When you hang out with people who won’t quit, you don’t wanna quit. It’s contagious. When you learn to stop comparing yourself to everyone else, it frees you – and all of a sudden you can just show up and compete against yourself. If you don’t like drama, you need to start hanging out with people who don’t do drama. It makes sense when you say it out loud, right? Enjoy the newsletter. The team puts a lot of time into it for you. You might even wanna share it with someone who needs to hear some of the stories, or maybe they just need a place to feel welcome and accepted. PR26 MASS START: #BLAMETODD In true 906AT fashion – we don’t make anything easy – and this year’s Polar Roll was anything but! From grooming the trails to participants battling the Mackinac Bridge to snow, wind, and conditions that pushed people to Find Their Limits – Polar Roll 2026 will be remembered and talked about for years to come. It seemed to be more of a mental test than a physical test. When you showed up to ride your bike in the snow and ended up pushing more than pedaling – could you find the will to keep going? Could you adapt to the experience you were in versus the experience you expected? 545 people signed up for Polar Roll.429 people started.185 texted #Quitter.244 finished. It Gets Worse, Before It Gets Worser. Polar Roll is perhaps too often considered the ‘gimme’ of the 906AT Trilogy. It’s just 15 or 30 miles. For those working toward the Secret Event and the Triple Crown – Polar Roll is the first to check off the list, the event with the least amount of miles. But surprise? “I’d rather do Marji 100 than ever do that again,” said one PR finisher. And isn’t that the point? Isn’t that why we put these events together? Isn’t that what you show up for? An experience that pushes, tests and takes you out of your comfort zone. Polar Roll 2026 certainly did that. What is hard? The answer to that question is different for everyone. In fact, while there was a lot of frustration during Polar Roll – there were also a lot of people enjoying the experience, riding, walking, laughing through the challenge – whether they finished or texted #QUITTER. 13-year-old Cruz Woodbury, the first place finisher of the MS15, who may never realize the significance of his accomplishment, said he just rode his bike and never looked back. Was he excited to take first place? Sure, he seemed happy – it was hard. But, he also was just out enjoying a day on his bike. That was his perspective. Now, let’s flip that to the perspective of the last finisher. Jaymie Smith was out there to do a hard thing. To feel every mile, every push, work through the challenges, and FINISH, no matter what. And she did with just two minutes left to cutoff. For Jaymie it was a celebration of life. Days after Polar Roll Jaymie said, “I finished chemo – I just wanted to celebrate that I’m alive by doing something that is me – going on an adventure, pushing my body and my mind.” Jaymie’s first 906AT event was supposed to be Crusher last year – but a cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatment kept that from happening. And so, her first 906AT event became Polar Roll. And after 12 hours on the course… she finished, tears streaming down her face – not out of frustration, but with gratitude – for the adventure, the experience, the opportunity to push her body. That was her perspective. “If I can make it through these awful procedures and experiences – come on, I can do this,” said Jaymie. “I think it helped that I knew I was going to be slow – it wasn’t about physical fitness, it was about what was between my ears.” It’s easy sometimes to get lost in the way things were supposed to go – but it’s something really remarkable and beautiful to watch 429 people dive into the possibility of what happens