The race committee has made the decision that there will be no delay of the start time of the 50K. The 1K Junior Noque on Friday remains cancelled however the 3K and 5K will continue as scheduled. All races will begin at their scheduled time. Please reference the racer bulletin and the schedule page on the race website for more details on race start times.
The National Weather Service (NWS) forecast has been consistent over the last two days regarding Friday night and Saturday morning temperatures so we were able to make the call a little earlier than planned. We have been consulting with our contact at the NWS office in Marquette and all signs continue to point to a Saturday morning temperature of -10F at the start with rapid “warming” over the next two hours to -5F. That gives us enough confidence to move forward without a delay and notify our volunteers, solidify the bus schedules, and finalize the race bulletin.
Conditions this year are forecasted to be somewhat similar to 2014 (the polar vortex year) except this year the starting ambient temperature will be lower than in 2014 however the wind chill this year will be “warmer” than it was in 2014 (-30F windchill and high gusty winds). Wind speeds are expected to be somewhat lower at 8 mph of the southwest. The afternoon high is expected to be a few degrees warmer than in 2014. I don’t know if that is comforting or not…if you skied the Noque in 2014, you can make that call yourself.
All of that said, we are looking forward to a great day out on the Noquemanon trail! Cover up exposed skin, eat, drink, take some hand warmers with you, and be kind to volunteers and other skiers. If you see a skier in trouble, please give assistance and notify medical staff at the closest aid station.
Remember…you are outside for a few hours. Our volunteers are outside all day.