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MARQUETTE -- Participants of the Noquemanon Ski Marathon are getting their equipment waxed and ready to ride.

Several layers of wax get applied to the cross country skis. It's then dried and scraped off. The final layer gets brushed on until it's shiny and ready for skiing.

Waxing skis gives participants a faster stride in the competition.

"It may not sound like a lot to have a couple of seconds per kilometer, but when you have that upper 50K, that's a couple of minutes and that's in or out of the money," said Jeremiah Johnston of Downwind Sports. "The detail that goes into the race wax can make a big, big difference in how you finish the race."

The waxing process takes approximately an hour per pair of skis.

Downwind Sports employees say the days preceding the Noquemanon, they work 10-hour shifts due to the high amount of competitors that come into the area.