Meet the Ornery Mule Racing Crew — Porkies Wilderness Race

Meet the Team Bringing the Porkies Wilderness Race to Life

Every race starts with an idea. The Porkies Wilderness Race started with a place.

Michele Hartwig- Race Director and, Founder of

Ornery Mule Racing, started running when her kids were young and quickly found her passion on the trails. She began putting on races on her hometown trails, and over time, Ornery Mule Racing grew beyond them.

Michele found herself drawn to places she wanted to explore and, just as importantly, places she felt other runners needed to experience.

The Porcupine Mountains were one of those places.

Michele first fell in love with this part of Michigan while helping a friend attempt an FKT on the North Country Trail. The rugged terrain, remote wilderness and stunning beauty of the area stuck with her. She zeroed in on the Porkies, and the idea for a race began to take shape.

Of course, an idea this big takes a team.

Royal Hartwig | Director of Operations

If Michele is dreaming up where Ornery Mule Racing might go next, Royal Hartwig is one of the people figuring out how to make it happen.

Royal, Michele’s son and a graduate of Butler University in Indiana, serves as OMR’s Director of Operations. He works incredibly hard behind the scenes on the pieces that keep our races moving: websites, spreadsheets, logistics, race setup and teardown, planning, and a very long list of things most runners never see.

He is an essential part of not only the Porkies Wilderness Race, but Ornery Mule Racing as a whole.

Sid Wegener | Course Director

Sid Wegener comes to the Porkies after Course Directing two of Ornery Mule Racing’s biggest events, theKettle Moraine 100 and Midwest States 100.

At Porkies, Sid will serve as a second Course Director while also taking on some new race-day responsibilities.

You’ll find Sid at Lake of the Clouds on race day, checking runners in and helping make sure everything continues moving smoothly out on the course.

Sid brings years of OMR race experience to our newest event, and having him alongside Kyle gives us an experienced course team for the unique challenges of a wilderness race.

Kyle Braund | Course Director

Kyle Braund first joined Ornery Mule Racing as an apprentice while attending Judson University in Illinois. Originally from Wisconsin, he now lives in Michigan and works at Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park.

For the Porkies Wilderness Race, Kyle is our feet on the ground.

He has been instrumental in course planning and will lead our course-marking volunteers, help keep the course running smoothly on race day, and organize the sweepers who make their way through behind our runners.

Having someone who lives and works in the area has been incredibly valuable as we prepare for our first year in the Porkies.

And We Need You

Michele, Royal, Kyle and Sid may be part of the core team, but it will take a much bigger crew to bring the Porkies Wilderness Race to life.

We need volunteers for course marking, aid stations, sweeping, race-day operations and so much more.

Most importantly, we are new to this area and would love to connect with the community.

If you know these trails, love the Porkies, want to support runners, or are simply curious about what goes into putting on a trail race, we would love to have you join us.

You don't have to be a runner or have race experience. There is a place for you on our crew.

Come be part of the first Porkies Wilderness Race.

Volunteer with us:
https://www.porkiestrailrace.com/volunteer

More Than Race Day

A race like the Porkies takes far more than what you see on race day.

There are months of planning, countless emails and spreadsheets, trips back and forth to the Porkies, hours spent on the trails, permits, maps, course planning, volunteer coordination, equipment, supplies, storage, transportation, setup, teardown, and plenty of problem solving along the way.

At the center of all of it is one goal: to create a safe, well-organized event that gives runners an incredible experience while respecting and taking care of this very special place.

We are incredibly grateful for this team. Everyone brings something different to the table, but what they share is a genuine passion for trail running, the outdoors, and the communities that make these events possible.

For all of us, this is a labor of love.

We hope that when runners arrive at the Porkies, most of this work is invisible. They simply get to run, explore, challenge themselves, and experience an extraordinary place.

That is what all the work is for.

Stay tuned….we have more to share about all that help us!