GTF to the Siskiyou Out Back Running Festival

There is something about these races at the Siskiyou Out Back Running Festival (SOB) that exemplifies the vibe of trail running. Maybe it is the views, the food, the multiple race distances, but this event aims (and succeeds) at feeling like a festival.

Yes, we go for the run, but with so much extra going on over this weekend of races, the experience is so much more than the race itself. On Friday night, there is a dinner and film festival that only ends when participants crawl into their tents among the majestic forest that houses this event. On Saturday morning, for the interested and hungry runner, is a breakfast to help fuel the day. The races start bright and early the next morning, but if your nerves (or the previous night’s festivities) have a different plan, the ability to drop to a shorter distance is always available.

The courses are designed to showcase the mountainous landscape of southern Oregon. The start at Mount Ashland Lodge is located at 6500 feet. Each distance runs along sections of the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) and includes views of Mt. Shasta, Mt. McLaughlin, and the Siskiyou and Cascade mountain ranges.

• 100K Course – This race is a Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB) indexed / Western States Endurance Race qualifying race and with a total elevation gain of 10,500 feet is well deserving of this esteemed designation. This course bobs up and down in elevation, then drops from 7,000 feet to about 3,000 feet and then back up to the top of Mt. Ashland at over 7,000 feet to give this race the grand finale finish it deserves.
• 50M Course – This race is also a UTMB indexed race and includes 8,400 feet of elevation gain. This course also follows the 50K course for a time before heading North on Split Rock Trail. The finish is the same at the 100K and leaves the climb of Mt. Ashland for the last 8 or so miles.
• 50K Course – This race is worth 2 UTMB points and has 4,200 feet of climbing. The 50K course begins at the Mt. Ashland Ski Area parking lot and runs to meet the PCT. Then, at the Willamette Meridian aid station, climbs to meet views of Mt. Shasta and Mt. Eddy. This course has two large elevation drops (both about 1500 feet in 3 miles) and two elevation gains (both about 1500 feet over 3-6 miles. Since this is an out and back course, what goes down, must go back up.

• 15K Course – The 15K course begins at the Mt. Ashland Ski Area parking lot and runs to meet the PCT. This out-and-back course climbs to 7,500 ft. At mile 4 and then descends back to the ski area parking lot from mile 6 to the finish.
• 8k Course – The 8k takes runners to Grouse Gap and circles back to the finish on the PCT. It’s flat to start with some gentle rolling hills and a climb up to wrap things up.

Post race, there will be many refreshments and food to refuel and recover.

The Siskiyou Out Back (SOB) is a non-profit organization and all profits benefit local non-profit organizations. In total, we have given over $200,000 to various non-profits in the last ten years.