The hum of anticipation will drift through Munising’s Bayshore Park this Sunday as runners tighten their laces, volunteers raise the archway and Lake Superior shimmers behind them.
Some will chase personal bests. Others will jog, walk or simply take it all in. All of them will be part of something bigger: the 50th Pictured Rocks Road Race.
The milestone edition unfolds in the heart of Munising, the gateway to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. Runners choose between a half marathon or 10k that blends paved streets with forested two-tracks (about 3 miles of dirt on the longer route) before returning to the same shoreline start/finish.
The half sets off at 8 a.m., the 10k at 8:30. Every entrant receives a long-sleeve commemorative shirt, and every finisher goes home with a medal.
First organized in 1976 by Norma and El Harger to commemorate the nation’s bicentennial, the original course measured a patriotic 17.76 kilometers — just shy of 11 miles. Today, it stands as one of the Upper Peninsula’s longest-running athletic traditions. For veteran runner and U.P. Roadrunners Club President Bill Sved, that continuity means something.
“I probably ran it 20 times,” Sved said. “Back then, the competition was fast. I ran 1:19 for 11 miles and didn’t even place in my age group.”
He still recalls the leg-burning ascent of Stink Hill, a climb as memorable for its name as its grade.
While the course, and the sport, have evolved, the race’s heart remains intact.
“We took the event over in 2015 as a fundraiser for the Munising Bay Trail Network,” race director Rhonda Lassila said. “Even though we’re a mountain biking organization, the trails aren’t just for bikes — they’re for runners and hikers too. This race really ties the community together.”
By the early 2010s, the event had bounced among hosts — the Red Cross, Run for Shelter, the Marquette YMCA — and entries had fallen below 120. Under MBTN stewardship, participation has rebounded. This year’s field is nearly full.
For the golden anniversary, MBTN is leaning into nostalgia. The race shirt revives Norma’s twin-turret logo, complete with “Uphill” and “Downhill” running down each sleeve, a wink at the course’s roller-coaster profile.
“Our trails are challenging,” Lassila said. “People kind of hate it, but they love it too.”
Safety updates have modernized the half marathon route, which replaced the original 11mile distance in 2006. It now climbs Cemetery Hill, swings onto Connors Road and H-58, then threads back toward town under police escort. The 10k shares much of that path before ducking into woods and gliding down State Hill.
A portable restroom now crowns St. Martin Hill — another runner-requested amenity. Four aid stations, Alger County ham radio operators and roaming EMS crews knit the safety net.
Sved no longer races on the trails — “Balance issues,” he said with a shrug — but he still reveres the event.
“Norma was ahead of her time,” he said. “She mailed your results if you gave her a stamped envelope. It was personal.”
After Norma’s passing, MBTN dedicated the following race to her memory. That year’s shirts featured angel wings, the course signage included her name and a large banner was hung outside her former home — still marked today with a sign reading “Home of Norma Harger.”
For this 50th anniversary, organizers continue to honor Norma, a nod to the woman who started it all. Runners can also browse vintage race albums and memorabilia at Bayshore Park on race morning.
Today every entry fee funnels into MBTN trail projects like the First Street Climb now under construction. Volunteers handle most maintenance, while contractors tackle new miles of trails.
“Every dollar goes back into the community,” Lassila said.
Although there’s no formal post-race party, MBTN urges runners to refuel at sponsor cafés and shops, a final nod to local synergy. The amateur ham radio group, Kiwanis volunteers and an 83-year-old 10k stalwart named Robert will all play their parts, just as they have for years.
“Volunteers burn out. Directors move on. Races vanish,” Sved said. “But when people care, when they remember why it started, those are the races that last.”
As the last finisher crests St. Martin Hill on June 29, cheered by strangers-turned-friends and with Lake Superior sparkling below, it will be clear: This is one of them.
