Race Preview: 2015 Vortex Half Marathon and 10k

It's no secret that I am a fan of Run Wild Adventures. This Salem-area winter running series takes runners to some great locations and puts on a solid race and great experience all rolled into one. Over the past few years, they have expanded with new races like the Dirty Dozen adventure race in Albany, the Detroit Lake Mud Run, and new this year - the Vortex Half Marathon in Estacada on Saturday, March 28. So why "Vortex", you may ask. Were you aware that there was a rock music festival in Milo McIver State Park in the 1970's? From Wikipedia:

Vortex was a week-long rock festival sponsored by the Portland counterculture community with help from the U.S. state of Oregon, and held in 1970 in Clackamas County near Portland. Held in order to demonstrate the positive side of the anti-War Movement and to prevent violent protests during a planned Richard Nixon appearance in the state, it remains the only state-sponsored rock festival in United States history.

That sounds nice, but…

The festival was held from August 28 through September 3, at the same time as the American Legion convention. Between 30,000 and 100,000 people attended the event, held at Milo McIver State Park, near the city of Estacada. Admission was free of charge, so the gates to the event were not monitored (and an accurate attendance figure is not available). On the busiest day of the festival, a line of automobiles ran 18 miles from the park gates to southeast Portland.

Per agreement with the governor, the police and the Oregon National Guard largely ignored non-violent offenses such as drug use and public nudity, both of which were present at the festival. The festival became known as “The Governor’s Pot Party”.

In 2015 though, you can don your best 70’s get-up and get some fresh air in at the Vortex Half and 10k. The half will run essentially the entire length of the park and feature a total of about 2000 feet of elevation gain. The 10k will have some hills but only about 800 feet of gain. Both courses will be on single track trails and have the potential to be muddy. The half will feature 3 aid stations.

This race was featured as part of our “Race on the Cheap” post, and you can register for only $40 for the half.

Stick around and enjoy a beer garden, raffle prizes, food, and music – a Run Wild version of the Vortex.

Vortex Half Mara!hon and 10k (Estacada)

When: Saturday, March 28, 2015 at 9a

Where: Milo McIver State Park

Register: Online here

10K – $20 ONLINE; $30 DAY OF RACE

HALF MARATHON – $40 ONLINE; $50 DAY OF RACE