Caesar was killed in the Ides of March, on March 15, 44BC. 2,058 years later, the inaugural “Ides of March 5M” was hosted by Columbia Gorge Running Club in Stevenson, WA, and since this year it will be run on March 15th, it has been aptly renamed the “Almost the Ides of March 5M” run.
The race starts at the Stevenson City Hall at the bottom of the hill of NW Kanaka Creek Rd and heads north from there. As you’re making your way up the 800ft elevation gain over the first two miles, you may wish for Brutus to swoop in to put you out of your misery. However, once you reach the top and think you can relax, you’re taking a sharp left to run downhill on Loop Rd at nearly the same degree of steepness (800ft loss over 3 miles).
This race had a very small field of runners in 2014 with only 21 finishers. Split times are posted for the two mile mark (top of the hill) and finish time.
Stay updated on race news on the CGRC Facebook page and the race’s event page.
Ides of March 5M elevation chart
