Halloween is my favorite holiday and I love seeing how the running community embraces it. Zombie runs and costumed races are plentiful in October. One of my favorites is a local one in Dayton. On October 11th, XDog Events will be at Heiser Farms for a cross country 5K, complete with a costume contest, kids race, beer and food. This is definitely a family friendly event, and there is plenty of activities to do at…
McCubbin’s Gulch Scramble is not your run of the mill trail run. It is an epic adventure held on Mt. Hood sure to satisfy the adrenaline junkie and adventure lover. With a variety of obstacles and terrain over a 5-6 mile course, this race is said to take the average finisher about 1:15 – 1:30, with the winner typically clocking in at about 45 minutes.
Calling all adventure runners!!! Do you salivate when you see the words ‘slip-n-slide’, ‘mimosas’, bodacious obstacles’, ‘trails’ and ‘fields of grapes (for wine, of course!)‘? If so, keep reading about the Whine on the Vine 5 mile adventure race by the great folks at X-Dog Events! Whine on the Vine is now in its third year! And! Your registration helps support the Newberg High School Lacrosse team. And! You get to tackle an obstacle course on at…
X-Dog Events has proven repeatedly that they know how to do a great trail race. The Dirty Dash was no exception. With only a small fraction of the course occurring on pavement, there were all sorts of adventures to be had on the trails adjacent to Hagg Lake. I doubt that the course was a true 8K, but given my finishing time, it was definitely pretty close. When it comes to race like that, the…
Several years ago, I was lucky enough to do the Warrior Dash at Horning’s Hideout and it was pretty much everything it promised and more. This year’s Havoc at the Hideout takes place at the same venue, but with likely a little less emphasis on the non-running portions of things. It promises 5-6 miles of single track trails (SWOON) and plenty of other fun, non running related activities like fishing and paddle boats to keep…
When an event has ‘dirty’ in the name, it is often a good idea to leave the iPhones and shiny new shoes somewhere safe and dry. That goes doubly true for those managed by X-Dog Events, who seem to enjoy making routes that are true cross country, not in the sense of skimming across golf courses. When some obstacles and terrain force you to juggle the desire for speed with a concern for avoiding injury,…
On Sunday, January 18th I ventured to Mount Hood to participate in the White River Snowshoe race for the second year in a row. The race, which is put on by X-Dog Events, has a 4k and 8k option; of which I participated in the 4k. I met up with six other people from my running group in Vancouver and we carpooled to the start of the race. On the way to Mount Hood we…
Even in cross country, there are courses that are ‘flat and fast’. Designed to eke out top speed and PR attempts, they use this label to attract participants that have a goal in mind. Then there are races like this. Races where you speed (at whatever pace entails speeding for you) among bark dust trails, and find yourself hitting the brakes to make a 300 degree turn while dropping 8 feet. Then doing your best mountain…
Halloween was definitely in the air on a foggy Saturday at the Great Pumpkin 5k at Heiser Farms just outside of Dayton. Many participants were in costume, making me rue the fact that I had decided not to wear my undead Superman shirt. Conditions were perfect for running, low 60s, moist but not soggy ground. Numbers were a little lower than I had expected, but that was because I was comparing it to the Zombie…
X Dog Events has been around for a while, and every time I have encountered them, it has been a good time. What it hasn’t been, is a clean time. Kevin’s Cup is no exception, a cross country 8K in West Linn. Traversing varied terrain, with the notorious wet November weather to boot, this race will probably require a hosing off of the shoes after. I personally have not participated in this race, but watched my…
