Run Across Minnesota: Getting There
I'm not quite certain when exactly I decided that I wanted to run across Minnesota. I don't think there was a specific moment. It was more of a coalescence of ideas that brought me to it, I think.
After the Dome this year, I knew I wanted to focus on some longer FKT attempts. I looked at some established routes in Minnesota. There was one that is a bit over 100 miles that follows the Central Lakes and Wobegon trails from Fergus Falls to just outside of St. Cloud. This one looked scenic, but I was hoping for a longer distance. I also contemplated the Paul Bunyan trail, which runs about 115 miles from Bemidji to Brainerd. There is no current FKT on this trail, so it would be establishing a new route. Ideally, there is the North Country Trail, but that spans about 850 miles throughout the state. That would require a lot of time and a big commitment from my family to support the effort. Something of that length and demand just wasn't in the cards this fall. All three of these routes are still in the back of my mind, but somewhere along that mental exercise, I settled on running across Minnesota.
There is no current FKT listed for the Run Across Minnesota, so I did some research. I found a few others who have completed the effort.
In 2023, Rob Greer ran across southern Minnesota from Devil’s Gulch, SD to Freedom Island, WI. He covered the route of over 250 miles in about a week. Rob’s run report can be read here:
https://www.rovepestcontrol.com/blog/run-across-mn/
In 2015, Julio Salazar ran across Minnesota for mental health awareness. Salazar’s route was approximately 240 miles and also took about a week. A news article on Salazar’s effort can be read here:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cbsnews.com/amp/minnesota/news/man-completes-run-across-minnesota-to-raise-awareness-for-mental-health/
In 2020, Mikah Meyer completed a 210 mile run across Minnesota between September 4 and October 11. Meyer ran to promote diversity and inclusion and he has, in fact, also run across several other states. You can reference his Minnesota run here:
https://www.mikahmeyer.com/runacrossmn
I wanted to stay off roads with vehicle traffic as much as possible. The route I came up with incorporated a portion of the Wobegon and Central Lakes trails, along with the Soo Line Southern Route. Most of this is all converted rail trail. The Soo Line is mostly gravel/unpaved. Wobegon and Central Lakes are paved. One section from the end of the Central Lakes trail to Wahpeton, North Dakota would need to be on roads, so I mapped the route to take primarily dirt farm roads.
I didn't really fully commit to this run until after Trans Sierra. Maybe I felt like I needed a little redemption before the end of the year. I am not sure, but that's when I started looking at the route seriously.
Given the current time of year, kids in school, etc., I'd have to make this a self-supported effort. FKT outlines all of the guidelines for this classification, but essentially, you can get help from anything and anyone that is available to everyone. Places like gas stations and motels are fair game within the guidelines.
So that was the game plan. Re-up at gas stations and maybe stay at a motel or two along the way.
I originally wanted to run from west to east, but there is about a 50 mile section of the Soo Line between Isle and Moose Lake with essentially nothing but forest. That would be over 200 miles into this route, if going west to east, and I thought it would be a bad idea to hit such a section so late into the journey. Plus, the Soo Line crosses into Wisconsin in the middle of nowhere. If I needed to wait at the end of the route to be picked up, there's no shelter or place to stay warm.
So, east to west it was. Knock that section out first and go from there.
I mapped gas stations about every 20-25 miles, outside of the one 50-ish mile section mentioned above. I figured those would be frequent enough stops.
I didn't want to miss Halloween, so I planned for a November 1 start. That was on a Saturday, so my wife would be working. I'd need to find a ride.
I asked a friend that I work with, Steve Kritzeck, if he would be willing or able to give me a ride up north. He graciously committed to help me. On the back side, my wife would meet and pick me up at the finish.
I purchased a bear bell and a bear horn, because there are a bunch of black bears up north along the Soo Line. With the timing of my start on November 1, I'd be running through the 50 mile wilderness section during the darkness of the night. Plus, this is the time of year they're foraging. After the encounter my brother and I had in King’s Canyon earlier in October, I wasn’t really trying to fuck around.
I planned to bring a 2 liter bladder for water and 2 x 0.5 liter soft flasks for electrolyte & sport drinks. Small foot care kit, med kit, battery pack, toothbrush and mouthwash, extra hat and gloves. Space gets tight quick.
I picked up some new gear. I had to. Most of my running clothes are a collection of ratty cotton that I've had and run in for decades. This time of year in Minnesota can be unforgiving. You can get snow, sub-freezing temperatures with wind chills in the single digits, or sunny days in the 60's. I would be traveling light, with only a 20 liter Salomon pack, so I wouldn't have much room for extra clothes.
I invested in a pair of On Ultra pants, which are waterproof, light, and packable. I also got a waterproof and windproof jacket by Janji. It's super light and also packs up tight. I purchased a Rabbit base layer tee, designed to wick moisture and quick dry. This thing is phenomenal. The last thing I got was a Smartwool synthetic jacket as a midlayer. It is warm, but also wicks moisture and dries fast.
None of these items were cheap, but I have to admit that I was surprised by their high quality. They'd end up making a world of difference.
I had a good plan with all the logistics figured out. At least that’s what I thought heading into November 1. In my head, I thought I could get it done in 3 days, though I recognized that was probably a little ambitious for a self-supported effort.