By Wendy Colsen
Runners gathered along the Lake Michigan shoreline on September 12 for the Mt. Baldhead Challenge, the Midwest’s Ultimate Multi-Terrain Race™.
The course wound through both Saugatuck and Douglas, sending athletes from the start at Oval Beach, through wooded sand dune trails and city streets with waterfront views of the Kalamazoo River and Lake Michigan, up the 302 steps of the historic Mt. Baldhead stairs, and finished at Coghlin Park downtown Saugatuck.
Volunteers lined the course offering encouragement and hydration along the way, and the race ended in celebration with merriment and nourishment in the park.
Proceeds from race registration fees support free after school and summer programming for children in the Saugatuck-Douglas community.
According to the race website, “In addition to bib fees and donations, our sponsor dollars go directly to the critical services provided by the Boys & Girls Club at Saugatuck Douglas for the direct benefit of hundreds of local youth[s] and their families. One hundred forty-four students [are] enrolled in the B&G club at Douglas Elementary School, and 75 youth attend the club on average.”
