It’s July, and the Gnarly Bandit Ultra Series is well underway! The relentless would-be Bandits have now completed three 100-mile races: the ever-unpredictable Zumbro, the fast and furious Kettle Moraine, and the wet and wild Black Hills. I’m delighted to report that all FIVE Gnarly Bandits remain standing, 300 miles into this 462-mile rollercoaster. Brian Corgard, Matt McCarty, Erik Raivo, Even Semrud, and Nate Ziemski, hats off to you for your remarkable season thus far.
Not only are they crushing one hundred-miler after another, they’re doing it in style. Check out this fantastic photo of the rare 4-Gnarly train in action at Black Hills! And with Brian Corgard and Matt McCarty clocking near-identical (and FAST!) finish times at both Kettle and Black Hills, looks like they’re working together to get it done. GO TEAM GNARLY!!!
What’s up next for unstoppable gang? Well, after weathering the one-two punch of Kettle Moraine and Black Hills, only three weeks apart, they’re enjoying some well-earned rest and recovery time before Fall Superior looms large on their September calendars. And then? Wild Duluth 100k finishes off the series in October.
We’ll check in with a few of them as summer continues to heat up. In the meantime, congratulations to these stout runners for putting together some remarkable ultrarunning! May your toenails be attractive, your clothes all wash clean, and your shoes smell sweet!
Gracious thanks to our photographers!
Pre-Kettle: Kate Hanson
Pre Black Hills photo: John Stewart
Black Hills (4 runners): Randy Erickson
And as always, thank you to Chad Heer and KW Commercial for sponsoring the Gnarly Bandit Series in 2018!