Contributor of the Year: Jeff Crumbaugh

By Charles Douglas McEwen

When running on the wooded trails near his home in northeastern Wisconsin, Jeff Crumbaugh generally enjoys getting close to nature. But on one occasion nature got too close to him: Crumbaugh almost ran into a bear.

“We both stood there for a few seconds,” he said. “Then the bear went up a tree and I went the other way!”

Participants in the trail runs that Crumbaugh coordinates for the Great Lakes Endurance Series don’t have to worry too much about bears. But they might catch a glimpse of an eagle soaring or a fawn with her mother (if they’re really quiet).

The Endurance Series, which Crumbaugh founded, now consists of four challenging trail runs that delve deep into the woodlands of northeastern Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

They include the Navarino Snowshoe Adventure Feb. 27 and Navarino Trail Run April 18 at the Navarino State Wildlife Area in Shiocton, Wisc. In Michigan, the Grand Island Trail Marathon takes place Aug. 1 near Munising and the Taqua Trail Run is Aug. 15 at Taquamenon Falls State Park.

For a decade, Crumbaugh also directed the Keweenaw Trail Running Festival on the U.P.’s Keweenaw Peninsula. The three-race series, praised by Runner’s World, Trail Runner and Michigan Runner magazines, was retired this year.

“It was a wonderful race,” Crumbaugh said. “But it was a long way away from where we live and a lot of work to get up there and put it on. Ten years seem like a good time to move on to something else. And we’re working on new events.”

Crumbaugh generally limits race entries to a few hundred people. (He has gone as high as 500 at Grand Island.)

“We keep our races small and try to find routes that are truly beautiful,” he said. “We want to create an experience for runners that connects them with nature, and we want to do it in as ecologically-sensitive way as possible.”

Runners can bring small cameras and take pictures. But Crumbaugh wants everyone to leave behind only footprints.

He requires runners to bring their own water bottles, which are filled at aid stations so that no paper or Styrofoam cups are used. Race t-shirts are made from organic materials that are easily recyclable.

“In the pre-run packets we give out, you get a bib and a shirt,” he said. “After the runs you get food. And we compost all our food waste.”

Crumbaugh emphasizes communing with nature over competition, but Endurance Series races do give memorable awards.

“We work with local artists, farmers and food producers to provide unique gifts, in the process supporting the area’s economy,” Crumbaugh said.

Endurance Series trail runs have given out hand-made medallions and ceramic bowls, wild forest jams, honey, blocks of cheese and more.

Before he began directing trail runs, Crumbaugh ran cross country for Hope College in Holland. While competing in road races in the 1980s, he ran PRs of 16:06 for 5K, 32:48 for 10K and 2:36:12 for the marathon.

While living in Ann Arbor, he developed a passion for trail running at the nearby Pinckney Recreation Area. He also spent happy hours on trails near Mammoth Falls, Calif., when he lived there.

Crumbaugh now teaches chemistry and physics at Clintonville High School, where he is head coach of the cross country team and long-distance coach for track.

“I’m really honored by this,” he said of his MR Contributor of the Year award. “I grew up in Michigan. And I’ve been reading Michigan Runner since the 1970s, when I circled races on the calendar that I wanted to run.”

What does he hope runners take away from an Endurance Series trail run?

“I hope they have an inspiring experience in a natural environment,” Crumbaugh said. “I hope they have an opportunity to meet like-minded people in a positive social environment. And I want it to be a great experience for kids.” (The series offers kids races at all events.) MR