Slow and Steady was the mission at the 2016 Willamette Mission Trail Challenge
- Detroit Lake Mud Run (2016 registration is open!)
- Silver Falls 7-miler
- Hangover Run
- Vortex Half Marathon
But this also means that the trails are a little quieter on race day. I ran this event in 2015 and had this to say:
My participation in 2013 and this year [2015] provided a dry and sure-footed atmosphere, with only a few sections of mud along the way.
While this year’s event was filled with bright blue skies, the wet winter actually provided significant mud – for really the first time in recent memory. Within the first 200 yards, the narrow starting trails were made a little more congested due to people trying not to get their feet soaked with still 3-6 miles to go. As we headed under the tree canopy, there were multiple big mud areas that necessitated muddy shoes. I even saw one gentleman fall trying to navigate one such area. It’s not a true trail race until someone splats in the mud, right?!
Personally, I was just keeping a nice and easy pace and stopped to take a lot of pictures. I jumped up on hills to take panoramas and took pictures and walked / waded without concern ankle-deep in mud just because I could. I have participated in this race at least 4 times now and it was fun to not even care about my time and just enjoy the weather, the trails, and being outside in nature – something that I have missed with all this wet weather.
Following the race, there was Seven Brides beer, homemade soup and Great Harvest Bread, as well as a solid raffle to finish off the race series. I’m pretty sure everyone went home happy. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – RWA is great and this race is a perfect combination of trail running, beautiful location, and low-key (yet competitive) atmosphere. Not to mention that it’s typically only $20 or $25.
For those who ran, photos can be purchased here (only .99 for a digital copy) and results can be found here.
See you in October RWA (October 8 to be exact)!