VIRGINIA—Those looking for a new event in the Quad Cities will get their wish later this summer.
After months of planning, the Iron Range Half Marathon will have its inaugural running on Aug. 17 through the communities of Virginia, Eveleth and Gilbert.
Marathoners Gabe Zika and Sarah Wipf came up with the idea for the 13.1-mile event while taking part in last September’s Ely Half Marathon.
They mistakenly made reservations for the wrong night and needed a place to stay before the event. However, there was nothing available in Ely and they ended up staying in Babbitt, which is about 17 miles away.
The situation got them to thinking that Virginia needs a running event like that to fill up the local hotels, restaurants and other businesses.
“You know, Ely was busy because of this event. It would be nice to have an event like that in Virginia,’’ said Zika, who is a member of the Virginia Park and Recreation Commission. “It would be nice for Virginia to be busy. There aren’t a ton of running events like this one ... that would pack the town full of people.’’
What did Wipf and his buddies think of the idea.
They said it should be organized for sure and “it would be really good for the city and the communities.’’
Zika pitched the idea to the Park and Recreation Commission and received strong support.
The August 17 date is a good one, he said, because it doesn’t conflict with other area marathons and half marathons and it would be good training for the other events also. In addition, it would be a good addition to that day because it already features the Virginia car show at noon on Chestnut Street and the Olcott Park Brewfest later in the day.
”If we did a half marathon that morning, people could finish their run at the Iron Trail Motors Event Center and if they want to stay in town they could go to the car show or hang around for Brewfest later in the day. It would be a full Saturday of things to do in the community, which I think would be good.’’
The exact route has not been finalized, but the Iron Range Half Marathon organizers definitely want to include the area communities.
“We’re working on a route that would route us through the communities of Eveleth, Gilbert and Virginia on existing trails and roads and going over the Rouchleau (Rukavina) Bridge for sure.’’
The route should be finalized in early April.
Highlighting the beauty of the Quad Cities and the parks, trails and highway systems that are in place is the group’s main goal.
“With the highlight being the Rouchleau Bridge,’’ Zika said. “Everyone agrees that running across that bridge as part of a half marathon would be awesome. It highlights our community, it highlights the wilderness and the woods that we have in northern Minnesota. It also highlights our mining and our engineering infrastructures in the communities. It’s a beautiful bridge and I think it would be a highlight.’’
The event will finish at the ITMEC, where there will be other festivities, including food trucks and music, said Wipf.
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Not only will the half marathon be a great running event, the non-profit Iron Range Half Marathon Co. plans to donate all proceeds from the event back to charitable causes that promote health and wellness in the communities. “That’s our core mission,’’ Zika said.
The non-profit is also working with local businesses including applying for a Essentia Health grant and sponsorship from U.S. Steel. The entity has plans to work with Cleveland-Cliffs as well, and has a fiscal partnership agreement with the Iron Range Partnership for Sustainability.
Additional sponsors are also being sought.
The IRHM Board of Directors and others meet once a week at the ITMEC to plan the event. Zika, Wipf, Angela Schwenk and Kris Hilde are the board members.
The IRHM can be found on Facebook and also at ironrangehalfmarathon.com, which is currently in development.
Runners can register for the sanctioned and certified event on the website once it is up and running and the route has been finalized.
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In coming up with the event, the board had to decide the length of the event 13.1 miles (half marathon) or 26.2 miles (full marathon).
A full marathon “gets to be a lot longer, so where are we going to do it? A half marathon is nice because you get people that are runners that are more engaged,’’ Zika said. Full marathoners would be too, but not so much if it were a 5K, he added, “so we wanted to start somewhere in the middle.’’
The idea is to have a full marathon down the road.
”We want to try to cut our teeth with a half to make sure we get a good route and we can grown the route from there.’’ A full 26.2 mile marathon is a lot to manage, he added. “We have to figure out how to do everything first.’’
Wipf said, “We’re hoping for the future that’s something we’ll definitely want to look into and do.’’ Event planning started in mid-January and “we thought we could pulls this off by summer.’’
”A half marathon is just right to get started,’’ Zika said.
”It’s a starting point,’’ Wipf added.
In the future, organizers are considering a 5K the night before and a 1K or one mile for kids on Saturday. Zika said they want the main event in a good place before adding other things to it.
The board is planning for about 300 runners to take part, while another 1-3 people in “their circle’’ would be in town, as well, he stated. If other marathons are a guide, area residents will be lining the route and cheering on the runners.
Wipf and Zika expect the half marathon to start at 8 a.m. with runners time sequenced in waves. The age range for competitors hasn’t been set yet, but he said it will probably be for ages 16 and up. He also hopes local cross country runners will take part, with some as pacers.
”We don’t want to do just adults. We think this is a community event. It should be for everybody.’’
With 300 followers in the first five days on Facebook, Wipf said commenters are anxious to run the event with their friends.
“Most people that we’ve talked to are really excited. It seems like there is a lot of momentum right now and we want to keep it going,’’ said Zika.
”I’m getting more excited with every week really. I think it’s going to be bigger than I initially thought,’’ Wipf stated. “It is a pretty big deal really.’’
Further information about the event or becoming a sponsor can be obtained by emailing: ironrangehalfmarathon@gmail.com
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