North Face puts on a very organized and fun race. This was my first 50M and expectations were high.
For 50M racers, you do get a bandana along with your t-shirt. I was disappointed that this year they didn't screen-print the mileage on the shirts. But the quality of them were still great.
Race pick-up was smooth. I chose the North Face store/Brookfield Square so that we could stay and listen to the panel of North Face athletes: Timothy Olson, Dylan Bowman and of course, Dean Karnazes! Such wealth of knowledge from these guys and great stories as well.
Race day morning was painstakingly cold. I'm not sure why they moved the race to Oct instead of Sept (2014). But they have little fires scattered so you can warm up as best as you can.

Race starts in waves, just minute or two apart. Then we were off into the darkness. All you see is your headlamp casting light on other runners' shoes, you hear the shuffling and occasional cry of pain as someone kicks a rock in the dark.

It was hard to judge the terrain in the first few hours as we were in the dark; It was a challenge just to maintain my footing in dark. The course overall isn't too technical. There are some hills that make you want to tear up a bit but not too bad like Devil's Lake.

The aid stations are the best -- no other race compares to North Face aid stations. They have everything and the volunteers are top notch. They're fun, supportive and despite the cold the time they spent out there, very energetic.

My only complaints are that the parking available to the runners could be closer. It doesn't seem like much but after running a trail race, it was brutal for us to shuffle to our cars in the freezing cold weather.
Also, there was lack of volunteers at the finish line, mostly at the tents. We had been running over 12 hours and it was a pretty bleak sight. No one to hand us our free sock (we never got them), no massage, no hot coffee or merchandise to look through.

But overall, I love this race. The atmosphere is amazing and you'll find the friendliest runners around. And you may even run into Dean Karnazes on the trail ;)

What a huge difference from 2014. I even recruited 4 of my friends to run this race after having a great experience last year and boy, I was embarrassed. There were confusions about where the pasta dinner was -- and no, it was not where they kept telling us on the email. We went to the resort to get their past special and they had no clue - despite the flyers being up everywhere in the restaurant areas. We waited an hour for our food before we walked out. Drove over to Subways near the Interstate.

We did camp this year and they didn't bother to mow the camping areas as they did last year. So we were trying to sleep on thick, stubborn roots and grass.

Race start was the usual ~ they still had a lot of porta potties available (yay!). They changed the course this year and though we did plenty of climbing, I did notice that it wasn't as bad as last year. It did cause confusion on several courses, particularly the 10k runners who got lost due to poor marking.

The meadow portion of the course was there again - still not a fan. The upside to this portion of the race is that we pass through the best aid station in the race. Lots of music, food and drop bags. The downside of this station is only 1 porta potty.

The rest of the course was the same - still challenging to climb back up and over the second time around. The finish line was awesome! Plenty of people cheering us on.

Here's where it all goes downhill... There was no beer. The trailer was there but we were told no beer. What drove me crazy was that the volunteers were opening drinking their ice cold beer. There was also hardly any food left -- and there were still 50M runners out!
We waited around for the drop bags to return but eventually, we drove out to the area to pick them up ourselves.
Many people complained about the management & lack of communication and the email we received from the race management was weak. They blamed a lot of the issues at the resort & didn't really apologize for their part in it. Supposedly, the course will be held in another part of Devils Lake.
I'm hoping for a successful return of an awesome race. I was anticipating another amazing race but it fell far from what I was expecting. I will return again next year ~ still love the challenge.
But I'll bring my own food and beer :)

I was nervous about this race as it's described as an "extreme trail race" and I had never even run a trail race before, let alone a marathon. I ended up upgrading to the 50K the night before.

Packet Pickup was smooth. Like I said, I was originally signed up for a marathon but the volunteers made the transition so simple! There were no sighs or eye rolls at having extra tasks to do.

There was camping available right by the start/finish but I ended up staying at the resort that night. I do not recommend getting a room the the resort at all. The area where we were staying was like a dormitory. There were parties going on throughout the night and when I finally called the front desk, they didn't resolve the problem. It turns out it was the volunteers & they spent the rest of the party complaining about the person who called them in. With their door wide open. Strike one for volunteers.

Race start ~ they have plenty of porta potties. Yay!!! The start is typical of any ultras: slow moving, cowbells and plenty of joking around as we tried to calm our nerves. Maybe just mine.
The climb started right away. The elevation was so steep & narrow that we were in single file line. At one point, a deer shot right past us.
The climb seemed relentless but the views are amazing. We went through some rocky areas (literally) so you really had to watch some footing. Once you get to the top, it takes your breath away. This is also where we all stop to take selfies.
The descent was refreshing until we hit the meadows. The heat was beating down on us as the shade was now gone. This was my least favorite part of the course.
Then it was time to get back up and over. Even more difficult the second time around.

It was the best racing experience I'd ever had. Yes, it challenged me beyond what I thought I was capable of but when you have other runners & volunteers who are there to joke with you and encourage you, it makes for an awesome race.

It's a challenge but I know this can be done!