Have you ever been to Hermiston? No? You should seriously consider the trip to check out this awesome town that sits just south of the Tri-City area in North Eastern Oregon. Tucked in next to the Columbia River along I-84, Hermiston is mostly an agricultural town and is well-known for its watermelons! (You didn’t know you could come to a running blog for THAT kind of information, did you?!) Yes it’s true, Hermiston is full of cowboys and ranchers, but there’s also a bunch of runners there too! In fact, the Butte Challenge is now in its 16th year!
On top of being the longest running event in the area, the races are very affordable. $20.00 (plus a $2.95 fee) gets you into the 5K run or walk or the 10K run and includes a tech shirt for everyone registered online by April 25th. Personally, I think you should get a free watermelon.
This gives me an idea for a new race…this would be the tech shirt.
Seriously though, the race benefits the Hermiston Cross Country team and continues to be supported by the Hermiston Herald among many other local businesses. The course is right in town, around Hermiston Butte and Butte Park and down neighborhood streets. The 5K is a single loop while the 10K is 2 loops. Following the race there will be awards, a raffle and a running clinic put on by the cross-country team. There’s also a kids Butte Scoot that starts just before the main races and encourages very young kids to run!
Every year the race gets bigger and becomes a total community event, making it fun just to be out there. Families come down from Tri-Cities or over from Pendleton to participate and given the list of awards to be handed out, who can blame them!
When: Saturday, May 9th. Races start at 9am
Where: Hermiston Butte Park in Hermiston, OR
Cost/Register: $20.00 (+$2.95 registration fee). Kids race = $10.00. Register here.
