Edmund Fitzgerald 100K road race to end

Sad news from the North, the Fitz is calling it quits. Press release below.
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Edmund Fitzgerald 100K road race to end

Duluth, Minnesota, September 25, 2007: A Press Conference at the Green Mill at Cannel Park will be held at 1:00 PM on Wednesday September 26, 2007 where it will announce The Edmund Fitzgerald 100K Road Race & Team Relay, respected as the Greatest 100K Road Race in the history of Ultrarunning, will cancel this falls event after 26 years.

Bill Wenmark, founder, and race director has produced this event, along with hundreds of his finest volunteers through the ALARC Running Club based in Minneapolis . Bill started the Fitz event in 1982 because of Barney and Janis Klecker who wanted an ultra course in Minnesota . Under his leadership the Fitz brought the best of the world to the longest running 100K Road Race in North America . The 1990 World Championship at the Edmund Fitz is still considered the greatest 100K road race in history. The entire world came to Duluth.

The Team Relay was been the substance behind the event that paid for the stage on which the solo runner have performed. Bill said “the cancellation of our event is about economics and changes in the sport of running. People have many more options and the costs of travel and hotel for 8 team members and fuel cost to navigate a point to point 62 mile event have reduced the numbers over the years”.

Whether the event is continued in some form next year will be up to negotiations that are currently underway with the YMCA in Duluth and other organizations in the Twin Cities.

As for Bill and his staff they are leaving with great memories. Don Fennessy, Randy Nuremberg, and Gene Curnow, his Duluth staff have had a thrill putting on this spectacular fall event.

Thank you Duluth …you have been a wonderful host city and it has been a great run…thanks for all the support over the past 26 years.