LOUDONVILLE — Parking places were at a premium Saturday in Mohican Country and that suited Georgia Kauffman just fine.
The executive director of the Mohican-Loudonville Convention & Visitors Bureau, Kauffman was snapping photos and talking to some of the more than 200 runners gathered near the starting line for the Mohican Trail Marathon at the Class A campgrounds at Mohican State Park. Another 400-plus ultra-runners already were working their way through the state park and adjacent Mohican-Memorial State Forest for the 100-mile and 50-mile races. The 100-milers took to the forest at 5 a.m. Saturday, with the 50-milers following them out at 6 a.m.
Economically speaking, Saturday was a red-letter day in southern Ashland County.
“On average, if (racers) are just driving in for they are going to spend more than a hundred dollars. If they are staying overnight, they are spending more than 300 dollars a person a night,” Kauffman said. “These events power the economy and the community is very supportive of all the visitors who come through.”
Race director Ryan O’Dell agreed.
“The town is very supportive of both of our races, the mountain bike (the Mohican Mountain Bike 100) and the run,” said O’Dell, who has served as race director since 2006. “It has been great.
“There were 756 runners last year and assuming they have a race crew of three to five people, you’re talking about more than 3,000 people in the area in addition to all the campers and canoeists. I don’t know what that translates into in terms of dollars, but everyone needs a place to stay and everyone needs to eat.”
The Mohican Trail 100, or MO100, is in its 28th year. It’s the fifth oldest and one of the most respected 100 mile races in the nation.
“The 50-mile race was added a little later and this is the seventh year for the trail marathon,” O’Dell said. “We’ve had the top ultra runners in the world here.”
The Mohican Trail 100 is again a qualifying race for the 2018 Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run. Runners who finish the MO100 in the 32-hour cutoff time qualify for the Western States lottery.
“Western States is still the most widely-recognized ultra-running event,” O’Dell said, “but Mohican has a similar level of respect.”
