Last year was a year of firsts for me, including my first 50 miler on this very course. It is a course I have grown to love for many reasons, and it never ceases to amaze me with how tough, and yet how beautiful this area is. Run The Rock trail races were started in 2017 by my friends at Alpine Running, and in just a couple quick turns of the calendar, the race has…
Every year, new races pop up all over the place while some go away. This fall, there’s a trail race happening in the Columbia River Gorge, being put on by a new race director, that is sure to get your attention … if you like hills. The 25K has 4,300 feet of gain, while the 50K has 7,300 feet of gain. And while runners of ultras know that hills are often part of the bargain,…
Outside of a little town called Glide, there is a trailhead called Swiftwater – located a mere 25 minutes northeast of Roseburg. The trailhead gets its name from the quick current running downstream from Deadline Falls, which happens to be right next to the starting point of the NUT 100K/50K trail race, put on Go Beyond Racing. The NUT was first introduced to us in 2015, and met with much enthusiasm as a premier ultra…
Trail races abound in Oregon, from east to west, from north to south; every distance you want is out there, pretty much. Some are much tougher than others, some offer stunning scenery, and some even have amazing race organizers and volunteers. However, few offer all that and more like you’ll find at Ochoco Trail Runs from Alpine Running. Last year at Ochoco, I completed my first 50K. Why in the world did I attempt a…
If you know your Beatles music, you know the lyrics to this song. Interestingly, one of the best lines (in my opinion) is in the first verse. John Lennon writes “Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see…” In the world of running, especially off road, running with your eyes closed would surely find you face first in the dirt. As John rattles on, looping back to the chorus, singing about how “nothing…
Run Oregon had a few bloggers out for Alpine Running‘s Run The Rock at Smith Rock State Park. Read on for their accounts, then go here for the 2018 results, here for the 50M/50K photos, and here for the half marathon photos! Bobi Jo: Less than a week has passed and we’re still on our runner’s high over here at Run Oregon from our weekend spent at Smith Rock! It was a full on adventure, with the 50M and 50K…
Every race has something special, from costumes to scenery, from finisher medals to beer, from elevation gain to fast times. Each of us has those memorable races we can look back on that had something extra few races could compare to. Silver Falls Trail Runs is like that for me; a course unlike nearly any other I have raced on, filled with waterfalls, sweet single-track trail, a fun little hill at the end, and a…
Have you ever heard of Mary’s Peak in Blodgett, OR? Honestly, neither had I, but those that have been there have told me it’s beautiful. And it should be a memorable day on June 16th when the 2018 Mary’s Peak 50 Mile/50k/25k Trail Run takes place. This will be my very first ultra marathon and I am so looking forward to the adventure. Mary’s Peak, part of Siuslaw National Forest, is only about 20 minutes…
One of the biggest perk to running is exploring gorgeous areas and one perk to running up steep hills is the incredible views at the top. The Smith Rock Ascent 50K, 15 mile and 4 mile race offers all these things, climbing, stunning views, and scenery you won’t find anywhere else. Each of the races promises to take you high in the gorgeous trials along the rock faces. From the trails you can see breathtaking…
The 6th annual Shotgun Trail Blast (and second event in the Run Big Trail Series) is hosted by Level 32 Racing and will be held on Saturday, April 7, 2017. Per usual, the event will feature a 50K, 25K, 10K and 5K in Marcola – a few miles on the outskirts of Eugene. The base for each event is a 5.2 mile loop (5K-ers will do an out and back; we promise it’s not a…
