Carson 10 and Carson 2
Race Day Information
Since 1989, the event has generally held on the last Saturday of October;
however, in 2008, on its 40th anniversary, the race will revert back to its
original spring date. In 2008, the race will be held on May 31. Race day
registration starts 6:45 a.m. and the races begin at 8:30 a.m.
The shuttle buses taking the runners to the start of the 10 mile course leave
Carson Park at 7:45 a.m. The
awards ceremony follows the conclusion of the races. Food and beverages are available after the race.
Race Director:
Karen Schoenrock,
715.894.0166
Course Description
The
starting line for 2 mile course is next to the Pine Pavilion in
Carson Park. The course is lollipop-shaped with a large lolli
and a short stick. It follows the bike
paths around Carson Park. The runners encounter some hills at
the beginning and end of the course but the middle is flat.
The Carson 10 starts at the wayside park on State Highway 85 and follows the Chippewa River State Recreational Trail into Eau Claire. The course is comparatively flat until the runners enter Carson Park where they are treated to one challenging climb and some rolling terrain.
Course Maps (click to enlarge) Coming soon!!
Carson 2 Carson 10
History
The Carson 10 is the oldest of the ITC races, having its maiden run in the spring of 1969. Except for 2 years in the 70s, its home has remained at Carson Park, Eau Claire, Wisconsin. The original 10 mile course required runners to complete 5 loops plus another 4,338 feet, all within the confines of Carson Park. Joan and David Angell measured the original course with a one hundred foot steel tape because the club had no measuring wheel at that time.
The club wanted the best possible field of runners for the first race so Dave Angell called Ron Dawes, from the Twin Cities Track Club, explained the situation, and asked him if he would compete. At the time, Ron Dawes was the top American finisher in the 1969 Boston Marathon, finishing in 4th place that year. He won the first Twin Cities Marathon (then known as the Land of Lakes Marathon) in 1963 beating out a total field of 5 other runners, and represented the US in the 1968 Mexico City Olympics marathon. He graciously accepted Dave Angell's invitation in 1969 and brought several other runners with him. Thirty-five runners finished the first Carson 10. Ron Dawes led the entire race and finished in 52:34. There were no women runners in this first race and wouldn’t be until 1974.
Bob Fitts,
the 1970 National Marathon Champion, won the 3rd annual Carson 10 in 1971.
His time of 49:54 was one of two sub-50 minute times ever recorded in the
history of the race. It is the only official sub-50 minute time because road
construction necessitated a slightly altered course in the later race. There
were 32 runners who ran the 10 mile race that year. The 1971 event also included
the first running of the Joggers 2-Mile race and the Ladies 1-Mile race.
Dan
Conway of Owen, Wisconsin, won the 2-Mile that year in 11:53; and Toni St.
Pierre of Hopkins, Minnesota, was first to finish the Ladies 1-mile race with a
time of 5:46. Toni St. Pierre was an outstanding runner in track and cross
country, setting the national record in the half-mile. She fought a legal battle
with Minnesota State High School League for equal opportunities for female
athletes, and won. She was a pioneer in the era of emerging girls programs.
Also new in 1971, the Earl Matthes Award was given to the top male (and in later years, female) Masters (40+) finishers of the 10 mile race. Earl Matthes was one the of the founding members of the ITC. An outstanding athlete, Earl died of cancer in 1971 while in his mid-40's. His wife, Harriet, established the Earl Matthes Award in his honor. The trophy originally was a traveling one. These days, the Earl Matthes Award winners are given a smaller trophy to keep. Bill Andberg, "The Gray Ghost" of Anoka, Minnesota, was the first recipient with a time of 62:03.
The year
of 1974 was notable because
Jan Arenz was the first woman to run the 10 mile
race. Her time was 67:35.
Steve Hoag, who would finish 2nd in the Boston
marathon in 1975, was the 1st place finisher with 49:47. However, the course had
been slightly altered because of road construction. There were 8 runners over
40. Alex Ratelle won the Earl Matthes award in a time of 57:49. Alex Ratelle
still holds the
Grandma's Marathon 55-59 age group record of 2:30:40, set in 1981, and the
Grandma's Marathon 60-64 age group record
of 2:48:20, set in 1985.
In 1977, Jerry Foote added a twist and held a Jogger's Predicted Time 2 mile run. The winner was the racer whose actual time was closest to his of her predicted time.
Two Olympic runners participated in the 1979 race. Ron Dawes returned and placed 3rd overall, winning the 40-50 age group. He brought along his friend, Lorraine Moller, a National Champion and future four-time Olympian marathon runner from New Zealand. Finishing 6th overall in 58:13, she set a race record for women which still stands although Karen Schoenrock would come within 3 seconds of it in 1986.
The notes from one of the race directors in 1981, either Jerry Foote or Roger Hubbard, indicated that "Barney Klecker, world record holder for the 50 mile run, ran away from the field to win the 10 mile in 51:45. Barney is an Indianhead Track Club member from Hopkins, Minnesota."
The 1993 race was supposed to include the new Chippewa River Trail, but this change was postponed a year because of flood damage. Since then the course has incorporated the Chippewa River State Recreational Trail south of Eau Claire which provides the 10 mile runners with a scenic view of the broad meanders of the Chippewa River.
Harvest Fest 10 Miler replaced the Carson Park 10 Miler in 1995. Race Director Judy Gehrman hoped the new course and new format would increase participation. The new course began west of town and finished in Owen Park. Then in 1996, the race name was changed again to Norwest Leaf Peeper 10 Mile Run. Finally, the name returned to Carson Park 10 Road Run in 1997. Starting ten miles out of town, runners finished once again in Carson Park.
Race Records
| Carson 2 | Carson 10 | |
| Male | Scott Jansky (2001) 9:49 | Bob Fitts (1971) 49:54 |
| Female | DeAnna Pasch (2001) 13:03 | Lorraine Moller (1979), 58:13 |
Course Records
| Carson 2 | Carson 10 | |
| Male | Scott Jansky (2001) 9:49 | Vince Temu (2005) 52:40 |
| Female | DeAnna Pasch (2001) 13:03 | Karen Schoenrock (2005), 63:44 |
Results: 2007 • 2006 • 2005 • 2004 • 2003 • 2002 • 2001 • 2000