HOUGHTON — Isle Royale National Park became the site of a record-breaking endurance feat this month when Michigan Technological University assistant Nordic ski coach Kristen Monahan set the fastest known time by a woman on the park’s Greenstone Ridge Trail.

Per a Sept. 23 news release, Monahan finished the 40.6-mile route in 8 hours and 4 minutes, nearly three hours faster than the previous women’s record of 11 hours and 2 minutes set in 2021 by Alice Held.

She was joined by her partner and fellow MTU Nordic ski coach Thomas Smith, who posted the second-fastest men’s time ever recorded on the trail.

The pair completed the self-supported effort while carrying their own supplies, filtering water along the route and navigating the park’s remote backcountry.

“This was more than just a race

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