Go Beyond Racing presents another excellent opportunity to get in some stellar trail racing before winter arrives. On Saturday, October 17, 2015, choose to participate in the Elk-Kings 25k or 50k trail races, occurring in the gorgeous Tillamook State Forest. The 25k event begins at 9:30 a.m. at the Elk Creek Campground. You will need to take the shuttle to arrive to the 25k start line. Do not drive to the start line. Instead, park…
Oh my word. Mary’s Peak nearly destroyed me last year, when it ran it in 2014. It wasn’t pretty. Not one piece of the race was pretty for me last year. It was so not-pretty, that my right foot is proof of the destruction bestowed by Mary’s Peak upon me – I have two toe nails that still aren’t fully back, and one toe that is still numb, more than a year later. Needless to…
I will never forget my experience racing in the Mary’s Peak 25k event last year, in 2014. It was brutal. The most mentally challenging race I had ever persevered through at that time. So of course, like a lot of us runners do, we look challenge straight in the eye and … want to do it all over again. Yep betcha! And you better believe I am! I’m registered for the 25k Mary’s Peak this year,…
The second event of the Run Big Trail Series, Shotgun Trail Blast, was held on Saturday, April 4, 2015. I am a huge fan of the Run Big Trail Series, which is a collection of six trail races by Level 32 Racing which are spread-out over the year, all occurring in the Eugene/Springfield area (or within a short drive). Having participated in this race last year, and taking, at the time, was an almost epic tumble,…
It’s time to get registered for the 2nd event (of 6) occurring in the 2015 Run Big Trail Series by Level 32 Racing. On Saturday, April 4, 2015, I’ll meet you at the start line of the Shotgun Trail Blast occurring at Shotgun Creek Recreation Area near Marcola, Oregon. The Shogun Trail Blast will feature four distances to choose from; a 50k, 25k, 10k and 5k. Last year I participated in the 10k, and I…
Saturday, February 7, 2015 was the kick-off to my favorite trail running series, the Run Big Trail Series by Level 32 Racing. In 2014, I was able to participate in two of the Run Big Trail Series events; Bristow Trail Runs and Shotgun Trail Blast. Both were well managed, fun, good course markings, and just a blast through and through. The 2014 events really “got my feet wet” with trail racing, and I quickly realized how…
The week leading up to the Mary’s Peak 50k/25k race, race director, Mike Ripley of Oregon Trail Runs, was sending out event information to race participants. As I had just raced in the Vancouver USA Half Marathon the Sunday prior to this race (this race occurred Saturday, June 21, 2014), I was a little giddy about the prospect of running a half marathon Sunday, then a 25k trail run the following Saturday. Giddy, more accurately…
Are you like me, and the entire week leading up to a race, you are constantly checking the weather apps on your smartphone attempting to gauge what the weather conditions will be for race day? If you are guilty of this behavior like I am, then you know how discouraging it came be to see the forecast for race day look dismal, with no hope of it getting better. That was the situation I faced…
Registration is open (open, open, open!) for the Oregon Trail Runs “Mary’s Peak 50k/25k“, which takes place on June 21. After parking in Blodgett, racers will depart the parking area via bus and be driven to the base of Mary’s Peak. All racers 50k racers will run 16 miles in the Siuslaw National Forest, through Starker Forest, and cruise into a nice finish at Blodgett School. For those of us participating in the 25k, we’ll…
Epic! Without going into the play-by-play details of the Bristow Trail Run on February 16, just know that it was truly epic. And I don’t use that word lightly. The Bristow Trail Run, originally scheduled to occur on Saturday, February 8, was rescheduled due to severe snow/ice conditions at Elijah Bristow State Park, where the race took place. At first I was quite disappointed, but the day the race was originally scheduled for, even my…
