Zumbro Volunteer Communication 2 2016

Date: Thursday March 10th, 2016
Subject: Zumbro Volunteer Communication 2, 2016

Hello All,

I would like to thank you for volunteering for the 2016 Zumbro Endurance Run 100MI, 50MI & 17MI – we could not put on this race without the support of dedicated volunteers! We are almost exactly one month from race day and between the three distances have over 600 registered runners from 14 states and Canada!

Thank you for taking the time to sign up to volunteer online – it really helps us to stay organized as we coordinate over 100 awesome volunteers! The volunteer turnout this year has been fantastic – that said, we are still looking for a few more volunteers, primarily for the end of the day on Saturday at Aid Station 2/3 and at the finish area to help get us cleaned up and loaded out. Also, if anyone is interested in helping with some cleanup in Hastings on Sunday, please let us know as well, all the gummy bears and PBJ’s you can eat! If you have friends or family that are planning on signing up to volunteer but still have not done so, please encourage them to sign up as soon as possible HERE https://www.zumbro100.com/volunteer-signup/

We have started making volunteer assignments but please keep in mind that at this point they are considered preliminary and are subject to changes and tweaks over next few weeks – volunteer assignments can be found HERE https://www.zumbroendurancerun.com/volunteer-assignments/ be sure to search your name and sort by position since many of you have been assigned more than one job. When making volunteer assignments we use the information you provided us when you signed up regarding any specific job preferences and your availability in order to make the assignments – that being said, we always take a few liberties and make some assumptions along the way so if we have made any errors in assigning you i.e. durations are too long or too short or if something will not work for you, please reach out – we want to make volunteering work for you and make it a great experience for everyone!

A couple of notes about volunteering at Zumbro:

1.) Many of you have indicated that you can volunteer for a very long duration – and while that is exactly what we need since this is such a long event we ask that you work closely with those that you are volunteering with to coordinate rest / sleep breaks – we don’t want or need people trying to work for two days straight without sleep!

2.) You will noticed that certain positions are staffed very heavily – we have found out over the years that there are some people are only happy / feel useful if they are bare bones staffed and being pushed to their limits but we have found that runners and volunteers alike have the best experience when there are many hands on deck – make it a party, have some fun and give those runners some extra attention if you have extra help!

You can learn more about the position(s) to which you are being assigned HERE https://www.zumbroendurancerun.com/volunteer-jobs/ A complete list of what items will be provided at the aid station HERE https://www.zumbroendurancerun.com/aid-station-supplies/ – as always feel free to bring whatever you would like to make aid stations more comfortable for you, more festive for the runners and as always feel free to bring an extra / special food item or two to really impress the runners. If you are new to working an aid station, here is a quick tutorial HERE https://www.zumbroendurancerun.com/aid-stations-101 As always please be sure to learn what you can about the race on the website so you are as informed as possible about the race.

I believe that is all for now, keep your eyes peeled in a couple of weeks for final volunteer assignments and final instructions. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Thank You,

John Storkamp
Race Director

Zumbro Endurance Run
100MI, 50MI, 17MI Trail Race(s)
Theilman, Minnesota
April 10 & 11, 2020
• 100MI Friday 8:00AM
• 50MI 12:01AM Saturday (Friday Midnight)
• 17MI 9:00AM Saturday

Registration:
Opens Fri Nov 1, 2019 – 12:01AM CST
Closes Fri April 3, 2020 – 11:59PM CST
*Or once the field limit has been met
Complete Registration Details HERE

Directions to Race Start:
Zumbro River Bottoms Management Unit
West Assembly Area
(Near Theilman, MN)
Google Maps Directions HERE
Written Directions HERE
(Approx 1:45 south of Minneapolis, MN)

Terrain:
The course consists of a mix of rugged single and double track trail with rubble, loose rock and sand along with minimum maintenance gravel roads.  The race is primarily concentrated in two large valleys within an expansive hardwood forest.  There are four significant, short, steep climbs (approx 300FT) per loop with small hills in-between along with some significant stretches of flat valley floor running.  Be sure to see maps, elevation charts and stats provided on this website HERE.

100 Mile:
6 x 17 mile loop = 102(ish) miles
Elevation Gain 13,500 FT
Elevation Loss 13,500 FT
NET Elevation Change 27,000 FT
17 Aid Stations
34 hour time limit
Complete 100MI Info HERE

50 Mile:
3 x 17 mile loop = 51(ish) miles
Elevation Gain 6,750 FT
Elevation Loss 6,750 FT
NET Elevation Change 13,500 FT
8 Aid Stations
18 hour time limit
Complete 50MI Info HERE

17 Mile:
17 Mile Loop
Elevation Gain 2,250 FT
Elevation Loss 2,250 FT
NET Elevation Change 4,500 FT
2 Aid Stations
9 hour cutoff
Complete 17MI Info HERE

More About the Area:
The Zumbro Endurance Run 100MI, 50MI and 17MI trail races take place within the Zumbro River Bottoms Management Unit in Southeastern Minnesota’s Bluff Country – just outside of the tiny village of Theilman, MN approximately 1:45 from Minneapolis – St.Paul, MN.  The races start and finish at the West Assembly / Horse Campground Area.  Generally speaking the Zumbro River Bottoms Management Unit lies within a portion of the Richard J. Dorer Memorial Hardwood Forest – an expansive 1.7 million acre tract of Minnesota hardwood forest on the Northern edge of the Driftless Region which is mainly characterized by its tall bluffs and deeply carved river valleys. This “bluff country” is rugged, hauntingly beautiful and provides the perfect venue for 100, 50 or 17 miles of trail running.