The Arrowhead 135 starts in International Falls and winds through 135 miles of roads, snowmobile trails, massive hills and lakes and ends at Fortune Bay Casino in Tower, Minn. The distance for the race is not that unusual for an ultra marathon. Sure, it's long, but there are longer ultras out there. The thing that makes this race particularly challenging are the elements. While the warm conditions at this year's race were an anomaly, it's standard fare to find starting time temperatures hovering around 20 below with athletes braving conditions that reach near 50 below at other points in the course. That's without the wind chill folks.

Another interesting tidbit about this race is that you can either run, bike or ski the 135 miles. Since conditions can get so extreme and checkpoints are often many miles apart, race officials require competitors to carry the following on them at all times: -20 degree Fahrenheit sleeping bag or colder rating, insulated sleeping pad, bivy sack or tent, fire starter, stove, eight ounces of fuel, a pot, two quarts of water in an insulated container, headlamp or flashlight, flashing LED lights on both the front and back of your sled or bike or on your back if you're skiing, whistle to call for your help "because your mouth is too numb to yell" and one day's worth of food at all-time, which amounts to 3,200 calories.

The race officials have good reasons for requiring all of that. With conditions averaging many degrees below zero, things can go wrong quickly in places that are miles from another human, warm shelter or road. For example, the shortest distance between checkpoints is 25 miles and the longest is 35 miles. You don't want to be stuck out in the wilderness without protection.

This year the weather was not so extreme.  Overnight lows dipped into only the teens and some sections of the race saw temperatures 60+ degrees warmer than last year. I was assigned to shoot the race for Minnesota Public Radio and was up pretty early Tuesday morning to catch racers making their way across frozen Elephant Lake to the Melgeorge's checkpoint. It was definitely fun to see how a race like this works and to see the amazing things these athletes were accomplishing. Here are a few of my favorite photos from this year's Arrowhead 135.

An Arrowhead 135 competitor makes his way across Elephant Lake early Tuesday morning near the Melgeorge's check-in point about 70 miles into the race.

Garrett Mulrooney of St. Paul, Minn. makes his way across Elephant Lake early Tuesday morning near the Melgeorge's check-in point about 70 miles into the race.

Chris Peters of Iowa makes his way across Elephant Lake early Tuesday morning near the Melgeorge's check-in point about 70 miles into the race. Peters dropped out of the race at Melgeorge's.

Chris Peters of Iowa makes his way across Elephant Lake early Tuesday morning near the Melgeorge's check-in point about 70 miles into the race. Peters dropped out of the race at Melgeorge's.

Jason Boon of St. Paul, Minn. makes his way across Elephant Lake early Tuesday morning near the Melgeorge's check-in point and the halfway mark of the Arrowhead 135 ultra marathon.

Heidi Peter of Lacey, Wash. makes her way across Elephant Lake early Tuesday morning near the Melgeorge's check-in point about 70 miles into the race.

Heidi Peter of Lacey, Wash. makes her way across Elephant Lake early Tuesday morning near the Melgeorge's check-in point about 70 miles into the race.

Runners, bikers and skiers sleep, eat, drink, talk and recover at a cabin serving as the check-in point at the Melgeorge's resort early Tuesday morning near Elephant Lake about ten miles north of Orr, Minn.

Lee Petyon of Edinburgh, United Kingdom gingerly takes off his socks to the site of a larger blister underneath the toenail on his big toe Tuesday morning at a cabin serving as the check-in point at the Melgeorge's resort early Tuesday morning near Elephant Lake about ten miles north of Orr, Minn. At this point, Peyton was 70 miles into the 135-mile race.

Lee Peyton's blistered and bruised feet after 70 miles of running over snow, ice and rocks during the Arrowhead 135 ultra marathon.

Lee Peyton of Edinburgh, United Kingdom winces as Sabine Couteau, a nurse from Grenoble, France, lances the toenail on the big toe of his left foot so fluid could drain from a blister beneath the toenail. A few minutes later, Couteau did the same for the big toe on Peyton's right foot. Petyon was recovering and resting at a cabin serving as the check-in point at the Melgeorge's resort early Tuesday morning near Elephant Lake about ten miles north of Orr, Minn.

LEFT: Chris Bollinger of Alaska approaches the finish line of the Arrowhead 135 ultra marathon Tuesday afternoon at Fortune Bay Casino in Tower, Minn. RIGHT: A light snowfall left snow behind on a mask situated atop a trail marker near the Ski Pulk checkpoint Tuesday afternoon during the Arrowhead 15 ultra marathon.

Charlie Farrow of Duluth, Minn. approaches the finish line of the Arrowhead 135 ultra marathon Tuesday afternoon at Fortune Bay Casino in Tower, Minn.

Charlie Farrow of Duluth, Minn. rests for a second after finishing the Arrowhead 135 ultra marathon Tuesday afternoon at Fortune Bay Casino in Tower, Minn.

Tom Lais (left) of Milwaukee, Wisc. and Craig Irving (right) of Cedar Rapids, Iowa approach the Ski Pulk checkpoint Tuesday afternoon during the Arrowhead 135 ultra marathon. The Ski Pulk checkpoint is 110 miles into the race and the last checkpoint before the finish.

Craig Irving of Cedar Rapids, Iowa had no issue with taking a few bites out of a burger from his backpack Tuesday afternoon at the Ski Pulk checkpoint. Irving bought the burger 26 hours before and 76 miles ago at the Gateway Store.

So it was a bonus that my wife is a soccer coach at St. Scholastica. Double bonus that her team is really really good. In between shooting lots of weddings and engagements in the fall, I could transition to something a little different than couples in love. Maybe not so different. I would imagine the first photo below might look like an engagement session in a mosh pit. Maybe?

Anyway, the Saints women's soccer team wrapped up their season this past weekend in San Antonio at the NCAA Division 3 soccer championships. After winning their seventh straight regular season conference championship, the Saints defeated Bethany Lutheran and the University of Minnesota-Morris to advance to their fourth NCAA tournament in five years. Their first round opponent this year was no. 3 ranked Trinity University (20-0). The Saints played the Tigers tough as they entered halftime down 3-2. Those two goals were half as many as the Tigers had allowed during the entire season. In the end, Trinity prevailed 5-2, but it was another solid season for the Saints.

Congrats to seniors Bailey Mahlum, Molly Bergmann, Megan Flesvig and Malia Grosskreutz on being part of an outstanding senior class that never lost a conference game, compiled a record of 68-17-5 overall and 51-0-3 in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference and qualified for three NCAA tournaments.

Appleton Fox' Derek Montgomery (left) and the Brewers' Julio Machado (right)

I've been a baseball fan since the days of Gorman Thomas and Moose Haas.  I even sat on the lap of the infamous Julio Machado during a Brewers picture day in the early 1990s.  Throughout my time as a baseball fan, the Brewers have been my team and as long as I can remember, the Brewers have generally struggled while the Minnesota Twins have excelled.  This season, things are a lot different.  Milwaukee is currently tied with the St. Louis Cardinals atop the N.L. Central while the Twins are 8.5 games back of the Detroit Tigers in the A.L. Central.  For most of my formative years, these situations were completely turned around.

The youth movement the Brewers assembled through the ugly early 2000s have matured and are leading a team with one of the most potent offenses in baseball.  Free agency has created one of the most formidable pitching staffs in the majors and for one of the first times in years, the pitching has not been a crux of this team.

This team also has tremendous personality.  Nyjer Morgan is a gigantic ball of energy while John Axford has lit the baseball world up with his remarkable play this year and delighted fans with his tales of moustache mayhem.  The great play by players like Rickie Weeks, Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder have also given fans more reasons to believe this is one special year.

So it was definitely fun to shoot three games between the Brewers and the Twins.  Miller Park is a great place for baseball and one of the hardest places to play in all of sports.  The Brewers hold a 29-11 record at home, which is the best in baseball.  During my time in Milwaukee, I tried to capture a mix of action and personality and I think you will see that below.  Enjoy.

Prince Fielder talks to reporters following the Brewers' 4-3 win over the Twins to open up the series.

Nyjer Morgan (left) and Rickie Weeks (right) celebrate after Morgan scored on a Prince Fielder double that put the Brewers ahead of the Twins 4-3 on Friday, June 24th, 2011 at Miller Park in Milwaukee, Wisc.

Francisco Liriano pitches for the Twins.

Prince Fielder celebrates his two-run double that put the Brewers ahead of the Twins 4-3 on Friday, June 24th, 2011 at Miller Park in Milwaukee, Wisc.

Corey Hart (left) and Ryan Braun (center) listen to manager Ron Roenicke during Sunday's game.

Nyjer Morgan gets into it during the singing of "God Bless America" during the Brewers 11-1 victory over the Twins on Saturday, June 25th, 2011 at Miller Park in Milwaukee, Wisc.

Joe Mauer hits a single during the Twins 11-1 loss to the Brewers on Saturday, June 25th, 2011 at Miller Park in Milwaukee, Wisc.

Yovani Gallardo pitches against the Twins.

Ryan Braun celebrates with his teammates after scoring against the Twins.

LEFT: Nyjer Morgan @TheRealTPlush does his thing before a game against the Twins. RIGHT: Braun walks toward the dugout after striking out against the Twins.

Nyjer Morgan reacts after Josh Wilson's catch in the stands was ruled an out ending an 11-1 Brewers victory over the Minnesota Twins Saturday, June 25th, 2011 at Miller Park in Milwaukee, Wisc.

Nyjer Morgan reacts after Josh Wilson's catch in the stands was ruled an out ending an 11-1 Brewers victory over the Minnesota Twins Saturday, June 25th, 2011 at Miller Park in Milwaukee, Wisc.

Yovani Gallardo pitches against the Twins.

Prince Fielder (right) keeps Joe Mauer (left) close to the bag during a game between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Minnesota Twins on Saturday, June 25th, 2011 at Miller Park in Milwaukee, Wisc.

Yuniesky Betancourt gets some congrats from Jonathan Lucroy after Betancourt hit an inside-the-park homerun against the Twins.

The Brewers' Casey McGehee was tagged out at home by Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer during the opening game of the series on Friday, June 24th, 2011 at Miller Park in Milwaukee, Wisc.

All eyes are on John Axford as he works in the series finale Sunday, June 26th, 2011 at Miller Park in Milwaukee, Wisc.

Prince Fielder swings against the Minnesota Twins.

LEFT: Carlos Gomez celebrates a homerun against the Twins. RIGHT: Prince Fielder smiles after knocking in two runs with a double to put the Brewers up 4-3 against the Twins.

Nyjer Morgan can't handle a deep fly ball that bounced off the wall.

Corey Hart celebrates his homerun with teammates during an 11-1 Brewers victory against the Minnesota Twins.

John Axford pitches a scoreless ninth to cap off a sweep of the Minnesota Twins on Sunday, June 26th, 2011 at Miller Park in Milwaukee, Wisc.

Also different from year's past was a photo finish in the full marathon.  Kenyan Christopher Kipyego edged past Ethiopia's Tekly Deneke by 0.2 seconds to improve upon his 2010 runner-up finish in the same race.  Both Kipyego and Deneke's finishing times are listed as 2:12:17.  Typically the winner comes in 30-45 seconds or longer ahead of the runner-up.

Sorry folks  you won't see any photo finish photos here or pictures of a course record being shattered.  For the second year in a row, I was asked to cover the start and portions of the course up to 40th Avenue East and London Road.  That meant lots of fan photos, people cheering, trying to stay dry, drinking beer, doing keg stands, that type of thing.  Basically find action, capture action.

I absolutely love this race from a photographic standpoint and from running it.  Back in 2003, I ran the race and left Duluth thinking how in the hell do these people get up those streets downtown in the winter.  Little did I know, the race would become an annual part of my life and hopefully I'll run it again one day, but in the meantime, I'm having too much fun capturing it with a camera.

Here are a few of my images from Saturday's race...

Runners take off from the start of Grandma's Marathon Saturday morning in Two Harbors.

Denny Jordan of Roseville, Minn. bundled up to stay dry before running Grandma's Marathon Saturday morning in Two Harbors, Minn.

LEFT: Dan Falbo of Eagan, Minn. stays warm and dry before by using a variety of bags before the start of Grandma's Marathon. RIGHT: Jered Nyquist of St. Cloud, Minn. attempts to stay dry Saturday morning before the start of Grandma's Marathon.

Runners pass the intersection of Homestead Road and Scenic Highway 61 Saturday morning during Grandma's Marathon.

LEFT: Jen Houck, a former St. Scholastica runner, finished 5th overall in the women's race. CENTER: Yihunlish Bekele Delelecha won the women's race. LEFT: 2009 winner Christopher Raabe dropped out of this year's race sometime after 13.1 miles.

A race fan holds a sign near Homestead Road and Scenic Highway 61 Saturday morning during Grandma's Marathon.

LEFT: Jill Hylla of Buffalo, Minn. cheers the runners near the intersection of Homestead Road and Scenic Highway 61 Saturday afternoon during Grandma's Marathon. RIGHT: Sara Muniz of Elk River watches Grandma's Marathon in the rain Saturday morning.

Matt Gibbons (blue shirt, center) offers a beer bong to runners along Londron Road during Grandma's Marathon Saturday morning.

Numerous runners stopped for beer, keg stands and beer bongs near the intersection of 40th Avenue East and London Road Saturday morning during Grandma's Marathon.

Tanner Skillings (right) of Minneota, Minn. gets a beer bong from Matt Gibbons (left) while running along London Road during Grandma's Marathon in Duluth.

More beerbongs!!!

Derek Ingvalson of St. Louis Park, Minn. does a keg stand with the help of some college students along London Road during Grandma's Marathon in Duluth.

From left: Ray Skoglund, Jim Collette and Barb Collette stand along London Road with over 200 trolls they put out on the curb to wish the runners good luck Saturday morning during Grandma's Marathon in Duluth.

My favorite hockey player and former UMD Bulldog, Brett Hull.

So it would seem like a snowball's chance in hell that I would end up living in a hockey crazed town shooting dozens of games a year and slowly, but surely figuring out why everyone is so crazy about this sport. I'll admit it's hard for me to really get into any sport that I can't directly participate in. I don't know how to skate and the next closest thing that I can get involved in, Broomball, isn't quite the same. Despite all this, I've been keenly watching this year's University of Minnesota Duluth men's hockey team. They started the season on a tear earning the top ranking in D1 college hockey back in November before fading a bit in the second half, but they got hot at the right time.

After dispatching Union 2-0 in the first round of the NCAA tournament, the Bulldogs faced top seed Yale for a spot in the Frozen Four and outgunned the lesser Bulldogs 5-3 to advance to their first Frozen Four since the 2003-04 season. Not since the 1983-84 season have the Bulldogs advanced to the NCAA finals and that is the only time in school history they've done that. I'm sure UMD fans haven't forgotten that game either. The Bulldogs lost a 5-4 decision in four overtimes to Bowling Green. Ouch.

This year UMD will face Michigan in the finals. Winners of nine NCAA hockey championships, the Wolverines will be looking to push that number to double digits. However, UMD will be looking to bring home their first ever NCAA hockey championship. If that happens, in this city obsessed with hockey, it would truly be a momentous occasion. Think rioting in Detroit after the Pistons won their NBA title, but instead replace the fire with Mojakka and people starting the fires with Duluthians singing "We Didn't Start the Fire..." Ok so there is not going to be any rioting here, but if they can repeat a performance like the one illustrated in the photos below, Duluth is going to be a happy place for quite some time.

UMD goaltender Kenny Reiter (right) and Wade Bergman (left) watch a puck Reiter deflected sail over the head of Notre Dame's David Gerths Thursday evening during an NCAA semifinal hockey game at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn.

UMD goaltender Kenny Reiter deflects a Notre Dame shot Thursday afternoon in the NCAA semifinals at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn.

UMD players line up during the playing of the national anthem before their NCAA semifinal game against Notre Dame.

UMD students Matt Morris (left) and Andy Fondrick (right) cheer on the Bulldogs during introductions before the start of their NCAA semifinal hockey game against Notre Dame Thursday afternoon at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn. Fondrick is a freshman at UMD while Morris is a junior.

UMD's Kenny Reiter watches Notre Dame players celebrate after they scored a first period goal Thursday evening during an NCAA semifinal hockey game at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn.

UMD's Justin Fontaine (right) couldn't get his shot past Notre Dame goaltender Mike Johnson (2nd from right) Thursday evening during an NCAA semifinal hockey game at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn. UMD's Jack Connolly (2nd from left) couldn't put the rebound in while being defended by Notre Dame's Stephen Johns (left, 28).

UMD goaltender Kenny Reiter looks around during a break in action.

UMD's Kyle Schmidt (right) celebrates his first period goal in front of Notre Dame's Kevin Lind (center, 25) and goaltender Mike Johnson (25) Thursday evening during an NCAA semifinal hockey game at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn. Schmidt's goal tied the score at 2-2.

UMD's Kyle Schmidt (left, 7) celebrates his goal with teammates Thursday afternoon during an NCAA semifinal hockey game at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn.

UMD goaltender Kenny Reiter (left) blocks a shot from Notre Dame's Ben Ryan (2nd from left) while being defended by Justin Faulk (25) and J.T. Brown (right, 23) Thursday evening during an NCAA semifinal hockey game at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn.

UMD's Kenny Reiter was beat by Notre Dame's Calle Ridderwall in the third period to cut the score to 4-3 in favor of UMD.

UMD's Trent Palm (right) battles Notre Dame's Nick Larson (left) for the puck Thursday afternoon during an NCAA semifinal hockey game at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn.

UMD players celebrate with Mike Connolly (center) after his first period goal put the Bulldogs up 3-2 over Notre Dame Thursday afternoon during an NCAA semifinal hockey game at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn.

UMD's Brady Lamb (bottom) and Notre Dame's Riley Sheahan (top) got tangled up on the ice during their NCAA semifinal hockey game at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn.

UMD's Kyle Schmidt (top, 7) and J.T. Brown (bottom, 23) pursue Notre Dame's Riley Sheahan (middle, 4) Thursday evening during an NCAA semifinal hockey game at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn.

LEFT: UMD's J.T. Brown celebrates his first period goal against Notre Dame during an NCAA semifinal hockey game Thursday afternoon at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn. RIGHT: UMD's Jack Connolly (left) celebrates his second period goal with teammate Justin Fontaine (right) to put UMD up 4-2.

UMD's Justin Faulk (right) kept the puck away from goaltender Kenny Reiter (left) and from Notre Dame's Nick Larson (center, on ice) during an NCAA semifinal hockey game Thursday afternoon at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn.

TOP: A UMD fan reacts after the Bulldogs went up 4-2 against Notre Dame. BOTTOM: A UMD fan reacts after Notre Dame cut the lead to 4-3 shortly into the third period.

UMD players Justin Fontaine (37), Kenny Reiter (35) and Mike Connolly (22) celebrate their 4-3 victory NCAA semifinal victory over Notre Dame with team manager Dale Haagenson Thursday evening at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn.