Door County Wins Bid

In 2014 and 2015, the Door County Fall 50 will host the USA Track & Field’s 50-mile Road Championships, a national race drawing distance runners from around the country.

“We’ll see more runners, they’ll be coming from more places, and [the event] will elevate the status of Door County as a running destination,” said Sean Ryan, Fall 50 owner.

The Door County Fall 50 is a 50-mile race that starts in Gills Rock and finishes in Sturgeon Bay. Runners race alone or as part of a relay team. One hundred and thirty runners ran it alone in 2013.

Aaron Schneider, a Sturgeon Bay native now living in Milwaukee, has raced in the Fall 50 almost every year since 2007. In 2012 he ran it twice – starting in Sturgeon Bay the night before the race, then turning around in Gills Rock to run back.

Because of hosting the Road Championships, Schneider expects to see more solo runners and faster finishes in future Fall 50s. He hopes the national attention will also help boost the area’s silent sports.

“Other than fishing and performing arts, what else has an event that draws national talent?” he said.

To draw the race away from its last location in Pennsylvania at the Tussey Mountainback 50 Miler, Ryan went to the USA Track and Field annual convention to present to the committee that selects the race location. The committee chose Door County by a 9-7 vote.

“This is a tribute to the efforts of me and my team, and Door County for being able to put on such a great event,” Ryan said.