The North Face Endurance Challenge was my first ultra, and it was an ideal first step into the world of ultrarunning. The terrain was beautiful and varied without being too difficult. There were plenty of roller coaster hills and beautiful Wisconsin Ice Age Trail scenery to keep things interesting. The course was very well marked - I never once had a question that I was on the right track.

I really liked how the race start times were staggered. Even though an injury put me close to the back of the 50K runners after mile 14, I never felt alone in the woods because the marathon, which started after the 50K, had plenty of runners keeping me company.

The aid stations were friendly, fun, and incredibly well-stocked. I would have loved just one more aid station, but I can't complain about the six that were on the 50K course.

This is a race that's going on my calendar next year. I had a wonderful time on a beautiful course.