Run from Dysentery at the Oregon Trail Games 5k

One of my first memories of computers was playing “The Oregon Trail” in elementary school on those ancient black screens in the computer room. (Side note: thanks to the Internet Archive, you can still play it!)

Check out our recap of the inaugural event!

But whether or not computer games are your thing, there’s an alternative that’s just as fun, if not more. Join Oregon City on Sunday, October 1st for the 8th 2023 Oregon Trail Game 5k.

This is an obstacle course race of sorts, except that instead of crawling through mud or doing stuff like that, racers will have to make decisions as if they were pioneers making the journey from Missouri to Oregon:

Can you make it to Oregon or will you die of dysentery? Each decision you make along the trail will determine your ultimate fate. Runners receive a timed score as well as a game score.

The race will be chip-timed, but racers will also get a “game score” that’s based on the decisions they make. Obviously, with the game choices to plow through, this is unlikely to be a fast course, and it also includes a 223-step climb up stairs at one point. Some highlights:

• Start and finish on historic Main Street in Downtown Oregon City
• Run past the iconic 99-year-old Municipal Elevator
• Beautiful views overlooking the Willamette River and Willamette Falls
• Run through the historic McLoughlin neighborhood and past attractions including Carnegie Library, McLoughlin House and Barclay House
• Run through Waterboard Park’s beautiful wooded natural area

The race, described as “fun yet challenging” starts at 8:00AM at the Downtown Oregon City Association. There’s a chaperoned 1 mile kid’s race too, which is free and it starts at 10:00AM.

Register soon or it’ll be Game Over!