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Very gruelling race

Molinari competes in 56-mile ultra-marathon

Courtesy photo Tiffany Molinari, left, runs along the Ishpeming trail with running partner Jessica Kelly of Gladstone during the Marji Gesick ultra-marathon Sept. 22-23. Molinari finished fourth in the gruelling event.

ESCANABA — Imagine being out in the wilderness at midnight and into the wee hours of the morning.

That was the situation facing runners in the Marji Gesick Ultra-marathon Sept. 22-23 in Marquette County.

Tiffany Molinari of Gladstone, who placed fourth overall in the women’s division, was among them.

“It’s midnight and you’re in the middle of the woods, which was a real hardship.” said Molinari, who completed the rugged 56-mile course in 18 hours, one minute.

“I started at 9 a.m. and finished a little after 3 a.m. I’m not used to being up at that hour. It’s a long day, that’s for sure,” she said. “The runners and bikers started at the same time and there were hundreds of people riding mountain bikes.

“It’s one of the toughest single-day events in the Midwest. There are no aid stations. You’re on your own. You bring you own food and water. Although, there are local people who do set up aid stations along the way.”

The race started on the bottom of Marquette Mountain, meandered through some of the toughest terrain Marquette County has to offer and finished in downtown Ishpeming.

“We started by going right up the hill and we went by Suicide Hill toward the end,” said Molinari. “It was a perfect day for the race, but we gained elevation all the way. The last 15 miles are the hardest.

“I had Lori Aho (of Gladstone) running with me the last 15 miles, which was a great help. At least I didn’t have to do it by myself. I was tired, but felt real accomplished once I finished. The longest race I had done before was a 50-K (31 miles).”

Jessica Kelly accompanied Molinari for the first 16 miles before leaving to attend homecoming activities at Gladstone.

Molinari began her preparation in March, averaging 30 miles a week.

“I peaked at about 50-70 miles a week,” she said. “The best part is I got all my training in without missing any of the kids’ baseball and soccer games.

“I have a good friend (Kelly) who trained with me and Cheryl Oliver (of Ishpeming) knows all the back trails and would ride her bike slowly while I ran those. Both were a huge help. When I started doubting myself, they would believe in me. They helped keep me on the right path.

“Being so close, I was able to run sections of the course. I went up there about 5-6 times and did a few practices in the dark.”

The Marquette Trail 50-K (Aug. 18) served as a tune-up for Molinari, who wants another crack at the Gesick race.

“I used that as a training run and had fun,” she said. “I had it in my head that quitting wasn’t an option. When I found out I was fourth, I started thinking about what I could do to get to the podium.”

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