MARQUETTE — The Marquette area’s premier mountain biking event returns this weekend as the Ore to Shore Mountain Bike Epic will take place Saturday in Marquette and Negaunee.

Five races will take place, ranging from the 48-mile Hard Rock for serious riders to the 50-yard Littlest Rock event which focuses on younger bikers.

The first of the five events, the 10-mile Shore Rock race, begins at 8 a.m. Saturday at Lakeview Arena in Marquette. At 9 a.m., the 28-mile Soft Rock gets underway from Lakeview Elementary School in Negaunee. The longest of the races, the 48-mile Hard Rock, starts in downtown Negaunee at 10 a.m.

Afternoon races begin at 4 p.m. at Lakeview Arena when the four-mile Junior Rock starts, followed at 5 p.m. by the Littlest Rock and the one-mile Little Rock race is the last to get underway at 5:15 p.m.

Registration for all of the races is currently open, with registration needing to be completed by Friday, as no day-of registrants will be accepted for the 48-, 28-, and 10-mile races.

A complete list of registration fees can be found online at the Ore to Shore website at www.oretoshore.com.

Ore to Shore late registration, packet pickup and expowill be at Lakeview Arena Friday from 6-9 p.m.

The Spaghetti Feed again will be sponsored by the Negaunee Lions Club at Lakeview Arena from 5-9 p.m. Friday.

Male and female competitors can win prizes of up to $1,600, which is the prize for first place in the 48-mile Hard Rock race. Each competition has cash prizes, with a full list of prizes available online.

An awards ceremony will wrap things up at 2 p.m. Sunday outside of Lakeview Arena near the music and beer tents. Those who have qualified for the cash prizes will be able to pick up their winnings inside of Lakeview Arena following the ceremony. Ore to Shore reminds everyone that they need to present a valid ID to claim their prizes.

The 2022 edition of Ore to Shore will also feature a limited number of campsites for participants in the races, as the city of Negaunee has recently approved a temporary campground site at Jackson Mine Park. The campground will host up to 200 campers throughout the weekend, while providing access to restrooms and garbage disposal, as well as a community bonfire area that will be lit each evening.

Randy Crouch can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 242. His email address is rcrouch@miningjournal.net.