Wet weather early made for a tough go at the Superior Trail 100 Mile Race Sept. 9-10, which drew hundreds of trail runners from around the nation and Midwest.

"One of the big things that stuck out was a manic couple of days of weather," said race director John Storkamp. "That's what makes or breaks an event. Especially when you are talking about the 100-mile distance. There are only so many variables, and one of the big ones ends up being the weather. When the trail is dry and the weather is perfect it just takes out such huge variables for runners."

Storkamp said the dew point and humidity Friday, when the 100-milers started, made for tough conditions.

"It felt ungodly hot out there" into the evening, he said. Rain late Friday and into Saturday morning also made for slow going on the trail and forced runners to adapt. The 100-mile race started in Gooseberry Falls and finished at Lutsen Mountain. The 100-mile race had 217 starters; 138 finished the race.

Mallory Richard of Winnipeg topped the women's field for third consecutive year, winning in 23 hours, 51 minutes and setting a new course record. She was fifth overall among men and women.

The men's winner, Frank Pipp of Longmont, Colo., crossed the line in 20 hours, 23 minutes and 15 seconds. A former cyclist, Pipp's time was the second-fastest ever on the modern 100-mile course, Storkamp said.

The 50-mile and marathon runners set off Saturday, with 125 runners in the 50-miler and 263 starters in the marathon (26.2 miles).

The storied race began in 1991.

Find more details on all the races online at superiorfalltrailrace.com.