About 1,700 people signed up for the Marji Gesick endurance event in Ishpeming Sept. 18–20, the largest field in the race's history, according to 906 Adventure Team Director of Adventure Todd Paquette.

The three-day event drew competitors from across the country and at least one from the United Kingdom, according to WLUC. 906 Adventure Team Director of Adventure Todd Paquette called the turnout a record and said conditions cooperated. He described the weather as some of the nicest the event has ever seen.

Most competitors tackled 100- or 50-mile mountain biking or running courses. The event also offered a Mini Marji and a duathlon totaling roughly 109 miles — a 68-mile bike ride followed by a run. One contestant completed the course on a unicycle.

Gregory Determan, who turned 60 on race day, chose the duathlon. A wrong turn added an extra five miles to his run, but he finished.

"I just had a 60-year-old birthday and I'm just happy that I can still do this," Determan told WLUC.

The race is self-supported, meaning organizers do not operate aid stations and GPS is mandatory for all participants, according to the 906 Adventure Team's event page. Marquette Mountain hosted a neutral aid station at Mile 50 of the 100-mile course on Saturday, Sept. 19, according to Marquette Mountain. The station offered food, drinks, live music and air-conditioned rest areas.

Volunteers faced their own endurance test. Paquette said his crews had been awake for about 30 hours by the time the event wrapped Sunday morning. Once they rested, the next task was cleaning up the course so no trace of the thousands of participants remained.

The Marji Gesick was established in 2015 with the goal of connecting every major trailhead in Marquette County with a 100-mile route. Pro mountain biker Jeremiah Bishop has called it "the hardest single-day mountain bike race in America," according to the 906 Adventure Team. The organization, a Marquette County-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit, produces the event. A portion of entry fees goes to local trail-building groups including NTN, RAMBA, Munising Bay Trails Network and Friends of Harlow.

As we reported Sept. 17, Lakeshore Boulevard in Marquette was closed between Spring and Washington streets Saturday morning for the 50-mile start.

Full results are available through Superior Timing. The 906 Adventure Team has not announced a date for the 2027 Marji Gesick.