Bright sunny skies treated runners-- unusual for Running Fit's Trail Marathon and Half Marathon. Photo by Carter Sherling / Frog Prince Studios

PINCKNEY STATE RECREATION AREA (4/27/03) -- There's danger thrusting skyward on the course of the Potawatomie Trail Marathon and Half-Marathon.

Race-director Randy Step may need to cancel an event he founded in 1988, when 56 runners took off into the rain to conquer those hills and valleys.

Clearly geological activity is proceeding at a rapid rate. Tectonic plates are colliding, one sliding under another, the one on top lifting up, up, up, creating mountains where just a few years ago there were hills, and steep, steep descents where once there were gradual declines.

Or at least it seemed that way to a veteran of The Pot, as its fans call the trail, who returned this year after missing last year. Though, glancing around the finish line, no one else seemed panicked. And looking at the winning times, the front-runners seemed not to have encountered any new mountains. Hmm. Magic at work?

Robert Mitchell, 24, of Jackson, worked his magic in the half-marathon, running in a small pack till six miles, then suddenly beep-beeping into another gear and pulling away. "He took off and schooled us big time," said runnerup Andrew Schupp, 22, of Caledonia. "He took us out of the race in about 100 meters."

"I just cruised," said Mitchell. "I felt really good."

Mitchell finished first in the field of just more than 500 in 1:21:56 (6:15 pace on that treacherous terrain), with Schupp coming in at 1:24:01 and Grant Woodman, 29, of East Lansing, another 24 seconds back.

Amy Bork, 26, of Pontiac, worked some serious sorcery in the half- marathon as well. She disappeared, then suddenly was there again and nearly pulled out the win, finishing just a second behind Cheryl Klotkowski, 27, of Dearborn, who won in 1:39:11, a 7:34/mile pace.

The two women came flying toward the finish line, with the crowd going wild, but Bork couldn't close anymore on a gap she had whittled dramatically in the late going.

"(Bork) totally surprised me," said Klotkowski. "I kept looking back and I didn't see her anywhere."

"I thought (Klotkowski) was about four minutes ahead of me," Bork said. "I didn't see her the whole race until about three-quarters of a mile to go. I tried to catch her but I was a tad short."

There was no catching P.F. Potvin, 27, of Cadillac, who beat a field of 145 in the two-loop marathon. "It went really well," he said. "I started off trying to break three hours. It got warm and I couldn't do it, but I still managed to hold the lead."

Potvin faded after a 1:30:26 first-half split to finish in 3:13:40, but his slowing may have been due to those tectonic plates at work. Dylan Clark, 27, finished second, nearly three minutes back. Masters champ Duane Dye, 44, placed third overall in 3:17:34. Jaime Kosurak, 42, of Windsor, was runnerup master in 3:24:22.

Jodi Mullet, 31, of Ann Arbor, smoked the women's field, hitting a 1:54:01 split en route to a 4:02:45, good for 18th overall and nearly a 13- minute lead over Susan Thompson, 40, of Novi. Sue Kempema, 45, of Grand Rapids, was third in 4:18:44, with yet another master, Deb Webster, 46, of West Olive, fourth in 4:19:21.

Fifty-somethings dominated the half-marathon male masters, with Jerry Proctor, 53, of Valparaiso, Ind., finishing 20th overall in 1:34:49, and Mark Zitzelsberger, 50, of Mt. Pleasant, 23rd overall in 1:35:33.

Wanda Gunderson, 44, of Whitmore Lake and a veteran here, was top woman master in 1:45:46, good for more than a nine-minute win in the division.

And how about Hayden Smith, 55, of Albion, who was 31st overall in 1:36:55, good for more an 11-minute win in the 55-59 division? He must have missed those tectonic mountains, too.

The only thing marring the day was that, for the second time in three years, the West Bloomfield Half-Marathon went head-to-head with The Pot, cutting into entry totals for both. It would be nice if these popular, early-season long races were scheduled different days, so runners could do them both.

But more than balancing that was the glorious weather on The Pot, normally known for wind, rain, mud and all the nasty stuff trails can throw runners' way.

The day started out crisp, in the mid-30s, but a sun burning down from a crystal-clear sky warmed things in a hurry.

"There must be some mistake," said Step. "In 16 years, it's the first time I think I've seen the sun here. It's like cheating on a day like this for a race director."

Want to check out that sun and racing? There's a video feed of The Pot at www.michiganrunner.tv.