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 Saturday, May 24th for the Oregon Trail Game 5k. The race is now under new ownership, so show some support! The Oregon City Schools Foundation is producing the race and all proceeds benefit Oregon City Schools.
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.
Will you make it or will you die of dysentery? Will you make it across the river or die in the process. Each decision you make along the trail will determine your ultimate fate.
The following pictures were taken during our participation in previous year’s events with previous RD’s, so there are likely to be modifications for this upcoming event. But you get the gist.
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 Coffee Rush in downtown Oregon City. There’s a chaperoned kid’s race too, which is free and it starts at 10:00AM.
Register soon or it’ll be Game Over!