Race Updates
- The race website
- Prerace email
- Blog posts from race director
Contact Information
We'll give you some phone numbers at the race start for emergencies. If you have questions before then, feel free to contact us in any number of ways:
Check in/packet pick-up:
Check in for any race is at ___ in Fargo (___) from ___ to ___ pm. If you would like to stop by, submit your waiver, and talk about the race we will be glad to see you.
100K: Please make every attempt to make this Friday night check in, as things will move very fast in the morning. We will not be taking drop bags at the Friday night check in! Please bring them to the race start. Water will be available at the start.
Start times
May change for 2016.
[add information here about where and when checkin will be for 25K and 50K]
| Start Time | Cutoff Time | |
| 100K | 8 AM | Midnight (16 hours) |
| 50K | 11 AM | 7 PM (8 hours) |
| 25K | 1 PM | 5 PM (4 hours) |
Location and Course Description
Sheyenne National Grasslands, approx. 45 minutes SW of Fargo, ND. Base near Sheyenne Oaks Horse Camp (6050 County Road 23, Leonard, ND). The drive from Fargo takes between 45 minutes and an hour, so allow time.
During the inaugural year (mid March) runners faced over a foot of brand new snow on the trail. You should be prepared for an 'all conditions race.' Yeah, it is possible that the trail will be dry and in awesome conditions, but it isn't exactly likely. While we expect some sections of dry and fast runnig, we also expect challenging sections of the race including plenty of miles of 'spring conditions'.
The NE half of the course (which all races will include) is characterized by small but frequent rolling hills and is more wooded. The SW half (out and back is the middle 50K of the 100K) is flatter, more open, and faster. It also has a fun ‘swamp’ near the far SW trailhead depending on how much snow melted. Enjoy!
Click map above for PDF version. Thanks to Corey Enger for the work he put into building it!
[embed better elevation profile for each race, including mile markers, and two versions of 50K]
Rough END-SURE elevation profile (click for larger). Arrows show directions of 2014 race. 2015 race was the same for 100K; 50K was an out-and-back on the right half (starting from far right); 25K started in the middle and ended at the far right.
[insert detailed descriptions for each race]
Markings
We expect the trail to be relatively snow free which is good, barring a mid-March blizzard. For the most part the trail is easy to follow. There are several places however where multiple trails or double tracks converge. The trail also winds quite a bit. Your best bet is to be carrying a smart phone with GPS capabilities (or similar) with the track loaded on your phone (download GPX track). This is how we mark the course when we can’t see the trail (like last year) and will keep you going the right direction. We will also mark every major junction where (in our opinion) it is possible to get lost. That being said, we won’t be in the state of mind you are in after running for hours! But our hope is to mark the course well enough so that if you stay alert and look around at intersections, you’ll find it easy to stay on the trail. The SW section of the trail now has trail markers. In addition to our markings, the NE section will, however, have various style North County Trail markers as well as mile markers (see photo). Note, the mile markers count up from the SW to the NE and are approximate at best but can be used to determine your pace!
Lodging
Some accommodation is available in Lisbon ND, which is about 25 minutes from race start. Fargo, ND is the nearest major city with ample accommodation options and is about 45 minutes to 1 hour from the race start.
Event Waiver
Waivers will be available online before the race. Please print one and fill it out and bring it to pre-registration/registration. We will have extras in the event you forget. You will not be allowed to race without a signed waiver.
Gear List
Although there will be several aid stations, racers should be prepared to be self-sufficient and will be required to carry a minimum amount of gear. This gear list may be modified prior to race day depending on weather forecasts and/or actual race day conditions.
Emergency contact numbers will be provided upon check in. It is your responsibility to program these into your cell phone to be used in case of an emergency that requires assistance from staff organizers. It is recommended that you keep your cell phone off until you need it. If your battery is dead because you are taking selfies at every mile marker and posting them to Facebook we will not feel sorry for you when you get lost and get severe frostbite because you are unable to call for help.
Bold items are required. Non-bold items are recommended.
25K
- 1 liter water capacity
-
cell phone**
-
whistle
-
extra socks
-
wind/rain jacket (weather dependent)
-
waterproof shoes
50K
-
1 liter water capacity
-
cell phone**
-
whistle
-
extra socks
-
wind/rain jacket (weather dependent)
-
waterproof shoes
100K
-
1.5 liter hydration capacity--the race will start with 16 miles without aid stations
-
Headlamp/flashlight* with extra batteries
-
cell phone**
-
whistle
-
extra socks
-
wind/rain jacket
-
extra mid layer
-
waterproof shoes
-
food
-
100K racers will be allowed 1 small drop bag to be carried by race organizers to the 50K mark of the race. The headlamp/flashlight can be part of this drop bag. The bag must be clearly labelled with your name and sealed to prevent articles from coming out. You may leave anything you want in the sealed bag when you start the second half of the course and it will be brought back to the finish line for you. Articles not put in your sealed bag will be thrown in the trash.
Emergencies
As mentioned above, a phone number list will be provided to participants at check in. This is your lifeline. Although cell service is spotty, due to the flat nature of North Dakota most of the course does get it. We will have several vehicles dedicated to ‘extraction’ but if at all possible, please try to drop at an aid station. If you simply can’t make it to an aid station, we will ask you to describe your location in terms of last aid station passed, time on the trail from the aid station, last mile marker passed, etc. to determine the best route to access you on the trail. Be prepared to wait it out, help may take some time to arrive!
More Information
There's also an FAQ that will eventually be rolled into this document.
Live coverage
We welcome those of you with time and multimedia capabilities to participate with updates, thoughts from the trail, selfies, tweets, instagrams, etc. We will provide more details on how to do this prior to the race, but if you’d like to get a head start, please use hashtag #ENDSURE, stop by the ENDracing Facebook page or heckle us at @ENDracing on Twitter and @endracing_gf on Instagram. After the race, we'd love to add your race reports to our website, please send them to us in any format you want.