Noquemanon Ski Marathon 2018 - our 20th anniversary!

The Noquemanon Ski Marathon ("The Noque") and Half Noque sponsored by UP Health Systems, Frei Chevrolet and mBank, attracts cross country skiers from around the nation and world.  The 2018 edition is a milestone event as it will be the 20th Anniversary Year and it remains a longstanding event on the American Ski Marathon Series as well as the Central Cross Country Ski Association (CXC) Marathon Cup Series.  

Since the inception of the race thousands of skiers have taken the 50K or 24K point-to-point trek from Ishpeming, the birthplace of organized skiing and home to the U.S. National Ski Hall of Fame, to Marquette's Superior Dome, the world's second largest wooden domed stadium along the shores of Lake Superior.

Along with Upper Peninsula hospitality, the Noquemanon weekend is famed for the Upper Peninsula pristine wilderness: hard and soft wood forests, rock outcroppings, lake crossings, bird's eye views of rivers and Lake Superior, plentiful snowfall, waterfalls, and a 1000-foot net descent.  A small army of local service clubs and seasoned volunteers staff aid stations (many in very remote locations) and provide plenty of encouragement along the route.  The Noque is also famous for its volunteer staffed racer services, rugged and remote point-to-point course, and variety of events offered over an entire weekend.  Events include shorter distance ski races, a marathon relay, and even snow shoe racing, skioring, snowbiking, and an Adaptive Ski event.

The marathon and half marathon offer separate classic and freestyle races with both men's and women's divisions. The classic skiers start well in advance of the freestyle. Classic tracks and skating lanes are provided through the entire course. 

The Marquette area has the amenities any visitor would want: a wide variety of hotel accomodations from mom and pops to B&Bs to franchise hotels to a historic hotel to vacation rentals, a great variety of restaurants and craft breweries, many kilometers of groomed ski and snowbike trails, Marquette Mountain downhill ski area, historic downtowns and architecture, airport and rental cars, and a thriving retail trade including excellent ski shops.

Come up and enjoy the scenic Noque course, the amenities of the area, the adventure, and the hospitality of our people. You can't help but enjoy the entire weekend, or more!