With the flowers starting to bloom in my neighborhood, I have been finding myself thinking about the movie Elf. Specifically the part when Buddy is so excited about Santa coming to visit the kids in the department store. “Santa!!! I know him!” Buddy declares. And as I see all these budding signs of spring I keep shouting to anyone who will listen: “Spring!!! I know it!” Part of my spring traditions includes the Spring Classic…
Running and racing in Central Oregon certainly has its perks. The views out here are out of this world, especially the closer you get to the mountains. One such place to experience Central Oregon for all its beauty is in the town of Sisters, located just a couple hours east of Portland, Salem and Eugene. One such race to experience is the Sisters Better Half Marathon, a family friendly event that features a flat, fast…
This past weekend, I took part in the quintessential Portland area Mother’s Day weekend tradition called Hippie Chick, put on by Hood to Coast race series. The event is an all-women’s race to celebrate the ladies. Participants could choose to run the half-marathon, quarter marathon or the 15K. To be honest, I hadn’t heard the term “quarter marathon” before this race, and for good reason as it is a distance that isn’t too common. It’s…
Have you run one of Oregon’s oldest half marathons? The Goat Mountain Gallop Half Marathon on April 15th is turning 34 this year, so why don’t you come out and celebrate the best way us runners know how? This race is organized by and benefits the Molalla High School Track Team so this is a great way to “pay it forward” to the next generation of runners. There are two pricing options depending on if you…
I ran the ORRC Vernonia Half Marathon for the first time in 2006 and it was a small race of maybe 100 participants. The course began in Vernonia’s Anderson Park, and they raffled off homemade pies at the end of the race. The organizers were really welcoming and the course was beautiful, (though muddy and rainy that day.) I ran it again in 2016 and found that 10 years really makes a difference! There is…
One of the lowest-cost spring half marathons in the Pacific NW is the Wheatfield Half Marathon, scheduled for March 25 in The Dalles. This event also offers an 8k and a 3k. All proceeds from the event support The Dalles High School’s Cross Country team. The courses are all out-and-backs, with a slight hill around the 4k-mark that turns into a lovely downhill on the way to the finish. There are two aid stations on course. Even…
Maybe you’re itching to run a quick 5k or perhaps you want to challenge yourself to a Half Marathon. Maybe you even want to try both in one weekend. If so, you’re in luck because you can find it all in Eugene on the last weekend of March. The 2nd Annual Bring In Spring 5k will take place on Saturday, March 25th and will be followed Sunday, March 26th with the McKenzie River Half Marathon.…
The weather for the 11th Annual Vernonia Marathon and Half couldn’t have been better—no rain, no wind, and overcast skies made for fantastic race day conditions. The 670 runners participating in the event this year were as friendly and supportive as always, which is one of the main reasons why members of the running community love to participate in ORRC events. For Nikki Mueller, the run was the complete opposite of her previous distance race,…
Newport should definitely be on your list of “places in Oregon to do a race,” so I wanted to be sure to give everyone advance notice on this event. The Twisted Pine Half Marathon and 5-miler, scheduled for Sunday, May 1 at South Beach State Park, is a unique race for a number of reasons. I’m going to just get right down to these reasons, because you can see for yourself why they’re awesome: It’s in South…
New courses for the 2016 Volcano Valley Half Marathon, 10k and 5k put the start and the finish right in Willamette Mission State Park, which is a change from the 2015 race in which participants parked at the Volcanoes Stadium finish line and were shuttled to the start. This year, all courses are out-and-back and participants will be able to park right there at the start/finish area. When: Sunday, May 1, 2016 What time: 8a Where:…
