7 Bridges 7 Brews (Sault Saint Marie - 2021 - 5K)
144 Mile Drive (From Grayling, MI)
Registration:
The U.P. has been on my running bucket list for a long time. It costs a lot to drive, stay overnight and eat going up to U.P runs. My strategy for getting U.P cities will be to try and tie more than one into a racing weekend to maximize cities for each drive. That will not be easy as there are fewer runs in the U.P. Finding two running events the same weekend in the U.P is not as common as it is in the lower peninsula. We may need an RV when I really start hammering down on U.P cities. An RV is something we’ve always wanted. You can’t always tent camp with weather and it’s nice to have your own bathroom.
I definitely made my
first running trip to the U.P run worth it by pairing Grayling with Sault Saint
Marie. I registered for 7 Bridges, 7 Brews
before I found the AuSable River Festival 5K.
I was really excited about three things in the description on RunSignUp:
1. The 5K and 10K route went over all seven bridges on the island of Sault Saint Marie. I was instantly drawn to the course. In my mind it couldn’t get any more authentic. The entire course ran through the heart of Sault Saint Marie. There would be amazing views. I love running over bridges. I’ve never run over that many bridges at a race. Water is calming for me. It sounded amazing.
2.
There was an island themed costume contest! It had been a while since I had made a
costume for a run. The last costume run I
did was in May at the Star Wars 5K in Midland.
Three months is a long time to go without making a mess for a day in our
living room. ^_^ I had never made an “island” themed costume
for a run before.
3. Race proceeds went to the OUT (Outdoor Use of Trails) House Consortium, a local Sault Saint Marie non-profit that works to keep the non-motorized trail systems of Sault Saint Marie maintained and beautiful for people to enjoy. It was a great non-profit to benefit from a running event. Many runners enjoy trail running. I love the acronym OUT. Out like the “OUTdoors” they are trying to keep preserved.
(https://www.outhouseconsortium.org/)
There was a lot
written in the description for the run.
I liked the humor in the writing.
In the “Place” section that typically has the address for the start line
it read,
“This is where the
start of the race is.”
All necessary
information was written on RunSignUp in a very detailed and throughout
description.
Packet pick-up was a mile from the start of the race at Bird’s Eye Outfitters. It was a really nice bar with a wall-to-wall decorations and a fun atmosphere. I was able to get a picture of the packet pick-up ladies, tour the building and see the outdoor area set up for the island themed post-race party before it was packed with participants. Packet pick-up ended at 6:30pm. Race start was at 7:00pm. We left and got some pictures of a freighter coming in by the Museum Ship and SOO Locks Boat Tours building. I didn’t run late to the race start because we got caught up in sight-seeing. I got back to Bird’s Eye Outfitters five minutes before 7:00pm but had forgotten the race start was at a different location a mile down the road.
Course:
I started the course late. All participants had already started. The most embarrassing part was seeing the
pictures I took from the car of runners making their way over the first course
bridge. MapMyFitness stats say I started
at 7:01pm. I feel like I started three
minutes behind everyone else. I wondered
if they took off a few minutes early. I
caught up to walkers and the last participant biker just after I got over the
first bridge. The first mile was a lot
of passing and catching up. I had to run
through a lot of walkers looking awkward.
It was not the first time I have been in that predicament, and it won’t
be the last, I’m sure.
The course was hilly
at times and hot. We went over so many
bridges it made the 5K course go by quickly.
If you do the math at 3.1 miles and seven bridges, participants went
over bridges roughly every half mile. The
bridges may not have been equally spaced like that, but it gives an idea as to
how often we were crossing bridges over the Saint Mary’s River. Four of the seven bridges were standard “road”
bridges that were nothing fancy to admire.
Three of the bridges we crossed were older metal construction with high
arches. They were awesome to run over. Even with the standard bridges not being quite
as exciting, running over water is always amazing. There were many times we could see other
bridges in the distance as we crossed over a bridge.
The last bridge we
ran over on East Portage Avenue gave us views of the historic and amazing Saint
Mary’s Falls Hydropower Plant. In the
last quarter mile of the course we ran past the 210 foot Tower of History and
Sault Saint Marie Federal Building.
There were a few times we ran past Sault Saint Marie homes. We were frequently turning even if we were
not going over a bridge. There was one aide
station on the 5K course near a bright yellow SOO Builders Supply shop.
I really enjoyed the course. I wish the start had been chip timed. I think I would have beat my Grayling 5K time from earlier in the morning. It’s always awesome when I can run at two events in one day and do better at the second one. At least my slightly inaccurate 5K time from 7 Bridges 7 Brews didn’t affect me missing out on their awesome age group awards. I was not capable of running the times it would have taken to get one after the running day I had.
Swag:
I received a white tech t-shirt with a bridge and the brewing company on it. It’s a very comfortable shirt but I always worry about staining white running shirts. Almost all of my event shirts are a color other than white. I was given the coolest finisher medal made of wood, leather and metal. The medal was rustic in design making it incredibly unique. It was an amazing medal to take home from my first U.P run. The island of Sault Saint Marie was cut out of metal and glued on the wood. The wood looked like it was cut from a small tree trunk or thick branch. There were stamps in the wood, “2021,” “7 Bridges 7 Brews” along with the Outdoor Use of Trails (OUT) seal. The lanyard was made from a thin leather string. I love the finisher medal. At the finish line we got a beer token which Luke used to get a Faygo Orange Ice Cream Float. I was entered to win a White Claw inflatable stand-up paddleboard for registering.
Food:
There was a cool
green table with two coolers and cups for pouring our own water. There were two bowls with cutie oranges,
three dishes with banana bunches, two bowls full of awesome smiley fruit snacks
and two giant boxes of Nature Valley granola bars. The Great Value Fruit Smiles were the
best! I’ve never seen smiley face fruit
snacks. The flavor was delicious too. The kids loved them. Participants got a token for a free beer that
could also be used to get a free ice cream float. I gave my token to Luke. He doesn’t always get to eat everything we get
to eat. His float looked amazing. He got to keep the orange cup it came
in.
There was a cash drink bar with two very fruity drinks, “Island Runner” and “Tiki Temptation” along with three ice cream float flavors. Jason surprised me by buying me a Pineapple Mason Jar. It was a cool blue pineapple glass that I have on my running shelf.
Awards:
Awards were tree stumps with the top carved at an angle. There were wood pieces glued on with the Outdoor Use of Trails (OUT) seal, race name and year. The awards did not have the age group category or place. All awards read exactly the same and could be given to any person called up because they didn’t have places on them. The only thing that made some awards different were the wood cut outs glued on top. I noticed that some of the awards had wood pieces that were shaped like shields. I counted 10. I may have missed some. Those unique awards may have been for overall and master’s categories. We were too far away from the awards ceremony for me to tell if overall winners got the shield shaped awards.
I loved the age group awards and wish I could
have run faster to get one. I have run at
the third-place finisher time in my age group of 27:07 before. I am capable of it. You can only do the best you can do on any
given day. Circumstances for me at 7
Bridges 7 Brews were very unique. A five-hour
car ride, morning 5K in a downpour and late start rushed and stressed does not make
for a great 5K time. It did make me feel
like a champion just for crossing the finish line.
The island costume
contest was held after the race awards ceremony. My palm tree costume won with the two luau
girls. The three of us together got an
amazing picture. The two luau girls
needed a palm tree to complete their look and I needed Hawaiian luau girls to
complete mine. It was hilarious. I got a bag full of goodies for being a
costume winner that included: an orange fannie pack, glasses strap, two
stickers from sponsors and my favorite item….
A blue camping mug!
City Notes:
Sault Saint Marie is
Michigan’s oldest city and was the fourth oldest European city west of the Appalachians
at the time it was founded. Sault Saint
Marie qualifies to be in the ten oldest American cities list but is listed as a
“Canadian” city. It was one city until
the War of 1812 when a Canadian and United States border was defined and made
offical. Now it is the same city on either
side of the 2.8 mile streel truss arch Sault Saint Marie International Bridge. The name is derived from the 17th century
French word for rapids “Les Saults” of the Saint Mary River “Sainte Marie.”
Sault Saint Marie is
a very historically rich town. My
favorite landmarks were the Tower of History, Museum Ship, Saint Mary’s Falls
Hydropower Plant and Swinging Railroad Bridge.
Seeing the 210 foot concrete Tower of History is a really amazing
sight. I thought it was an observation
tower for SOO Lock operations like an air traffic control tower. I would not have guessed it was built for Catholic
Ministries in 1968 as a tourist and historical attraction. The SOO hydropower plant is a huge brick
building running parallel to East Portage Street. It is one of the oldest hydropower plants currently
still operating in the United States. At
1,340 feet long, it’s an eye-catching building like the Tower of History across
the street.
We enjoyed staying
the night in Sault Saint Marie. It was a
miracle we found a great motel after not booking one in advance. All hotels within 30 miles of Grayling were
sold out due to the AuSable River Festival and Canoe Marathon. The Budget Host Crestview Inn had a room available.
It was a very clean room with a door that opened right into the parking
lot. We ordered late night Hungry Howie’s
and got hot chocolates to go in the morning.
The owner was an incredibly kind man with a thick Yooper accent. He said “Eh” at least five times during check
out. It was awesome. It was Tony, the motel owner that told me I would
be hard pressed to find a moose in Sault Saint Marie. I met an awesome lady as we were bringing our
stuff in our room that was from Traverse City.
Her husband was a cherry farmer. They
were staying in the room next to ours. They liked to travel around Michigan
taking mini vacations when they had time away from the farm.
Downtown Sault Saint
Marie is very tourist-driven. There are
a ton of shops, many with similar items.
You never know what to expect in some of the shops. One shop we went into had awesome clothing
and bigfoot items with a Halloween section in the back of the store. I was not expecting a mini Spirit Halloween
with tons of wigs to randomly appear. It
was my kind of shop. We decided to eat
at The Lockview Restaurant. It had an
upper level overlooking the SOO Locks.
We were seated in the back of the upper level and didn’t have the best view. The food was amazing. Jason got an egg sandwich and ate it….that
tells you all you need to know about the food.
After breakfast and
walking in and out of stores admiring things downtown we went across the street
to Saint Mary’s Falls Park and the SOO Locks viewing area. After watching many SOO Locks tour boats come
in and out of the locks we were shocked to see a huge freighter coming in from
Lake Huron. It was the Federal Nagara
and the most amazing thing was its flag…
It was from the
Marshall Islands...
What are the chances
a Marshall Islands freighter comes through the SOO Locks our first time there
after we move to Marshall, Michigan….
I thought it was super cool and sentimental.
Watching the Federal
Nagara was amazing for all of us. The
captain of the Federal Nagara saw us waving at him and waved back! Jason had never been to the SOO Locks
before. I was the only one that had. The kids learned so much. After the Federal Nagara departed into Lake
Superior we walked down to the SOO Locks Visitor Center. There was all kinds of amazing information,
history and interactive displays for kids and families. I enjoyed reading all the
facts written in big text on the walls.
It was very user friendly. Saint
Mary’s Falls Park has veteran memorials, boat relics and a beautiful fountain. It was a beautiful day to sit in the park and
watch the SOO Locks.
After being given my medal, I learned from race staff that the city of Sault Saint Marie is an island that is separated from the rest of Sault Saint Marie township by the Saint Mary’s River. I didn’t know Sault Saint Marie was an island. It was a very cool thing to learn.
City Sign:
I didn’t find a classic city sign near a road in the ground for Sault Saint Marie. Before we got to packet pick-up I got a picture with a Sault Saint Marie mural on a building feet away from one of the bridges that had a “Welcome to Sault Saint Marie, Michigan” on the archway. I was able to get under the arch in the middle of the street once the road was clear. I have to be quick with road pictures. They are worth the extra time. The bridge city sign was awesome and really meaningful because it was part of the course. I love the Sault Saint Marie signs we found.
Other Awesomeness:
The weather on our trip played out in very
interesting ways. The U.P got nasty thunderstorms
early Saturday morning while we were driving to Grayling. Grayling storms had heavy downpours but weren’t
as bad as originally predicted. It
rained on our way to Sea Shell City but then cleared up on our way to the bridge. Weather in Sault Saint Marie was perfect the
entire time we were there. Weather back
home and in Metro Detroit was terrible Saturday evening. There were confirmed tornados that night in Saginaw
County! We escaped all the bad weather
on Saturday like a PacMan game.
The island party after the run was awesome! They had a great tropical tiki setup with a
musician, tropical drink bar, themed tables and tiki torches. The dogs were able to hang out with us at the
party. We met Ben, Emily and their dog
Bean. It was awesome to meet another
Bean at the after party. The two Bean’s
got along very well. Ben and Emily’s
Bean played with the kids in a small field next to the outdoor party and walked
around freely without a lease. She was
very well trained. We talked with Ben
and Emily for a long time. They live in
New York City but have a family farm in Sault Saint Marie that they come and stay
at during the summer.
I had an exercise induced urticaria flare-up from wearing
tight capris while running. The itching was
really bad. I went back to the car, took
a Benadryl and put my palm tree costume on.
I couldn’t itch my legs or sit with the stiff costume. It wasn’t the most comfortable part of the
night. The palm tree costume was one of
my favorite costumes. I came up with the
idea days before we left for the trip and spent one day putting it
together. The kids helped by cutting
cardboard into smaller pieces for me to hot glue together as bark. I used old shoelaces as a tie for the back
and metal wire to hold sections of bark together. It came out like a dress. The palm leaves were glued on a hat and miraculously
stayed on very well. We had a fun day
making the palm tree costume. The kids got
inspired to make paper weapons and fight Mortal Kombat style with them. Being one of the island costume contest
winners was awesome. I loved sharing it
with the luau girls. They ran in their
costumes and I as usual…could not. I wore
the palm tree for 45 minutes at the after party. I love costume runs. My first U.P doubling up as a costume contest
made it much more memorable for me.
A bucket list item in my life is to see a moose in the
wild. Moose are not in Michigan’s lower peninsula
anymore and their populations in the U.P. have fluctuated over the years. Moose have higher populations in certain U.P
counties and I knew Chippewa was not one of them. I had watched a video of a moose swimming through
the SOO Locks and it gave me a little more hope. We took country roads from Saint Ignace to
Sault Saint Marie and bypassed the expressway to look for moose. We got to see an awesome vulture take flight,
but sadly, no moose. Tony, the owner of
our motel told me moose sightings in Sault Saint Maire are very rare. He said moose were shy animals and liked to
stay hidden in the woods. They
apparently hide very well with their size and can disappear without tracks. I will not give up on my hunt to see a moose.
Until next time!
On the way home from Sault Saint Marie we stopped at the Curiosity
Shop in Saint Ignace and climbed the tower for $1.00 each to get a breathtaking
view of the Mackinac Bridge. The Curiosity
Shop was so awesome inside. I bought a U.P
railway spike souvenir for my running shelf and the kids got candy. It was quite the climb to the top of the
tower. I love finding random awesome
places while we are driving. We had not
planned to stop there. We also found a
scenic turnout that gave us another amazing Mackinac Bridge view on top of a
wooden staircase in the woods.
The Mackinac Bridge was bumper to bumper coming north to Saint
Ignace on a Sunday afternoon and I don’t have ideas as to why. I’ve never seen it like that in person.
We got to stop in Houghton Lake on our way home, see my uncle, aunt and cousin and take a speed boat ride around the lake. It brought back a lot of childhood memories. Something I had never done as a kid was stop to get the boat gas. The kids absolutely loved the boat ride. It was their first boat ride, making it extra special. We loved the cheese and cracker snack my Aunt Merry put out for us.
Our last stop was in Clare at the original Cops and Doughnuts (where it all started!) for a late night snack before finishing the long ride home. I did not know the bakery was 125 years old. We first found Cops and Doughnuts in Saginaw in 2018. It was an amazing family trip to the U.P. for all of us. I hope we have many more in the future as I get more U.P cities.
Course Rating: 5 Stars
Post-Race Food Rating: 5 Stars
Swag Rating: 5 Stars
Awards Rating: 5 Stars
Seven Bridges, Seven Brews 5K Quote:
“You can never cross the ocean, until you have the courage to
lose sight of the shore.” -Chris Columbus.
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