Chuckanut 50k

On the last weekend of winter, I was able to get at least one more shot at snow at the Chuckanut 50k. Concerns were high in advance, as the Chuckanuts were holding snow and ice for the last few weeks. RD extraodinaire Krissy opened things up with an early start and moved the cutoffs back by an hour, and I needed all of that time to get the course done. So, rough day out there, but a beautiful day and lots of friends sighted.

I ran my first Chuckanut in 2004. I remember signing up the year or two before that, and backing out. The distance seemed overwhelming. I ran into a few runners beforehand, from out of town, who were making this their first 50k, as so many have. It's been several years though since I last ran C-nut, though I'm up on these trails all the time.

The trails were fine until Cleator Road. As the picture above shows, snow presented somewhere up on the climb. There was a bit of a boot track, with mud spots, which made it not so bad. Much easier than a couple weeks ago, when I was marching around up there. The ridge was pretty clear--no latent ice. The third aid station was moved to the junction at Dan's Traverse, run by Doug, race founder and all around good guy. Snow on the back side, slushy.

I got passed by everyone. It became a little amusing the things people called me:  Sir (?), Bro, Brother, Chief, Boss...  I was basically doing the long walk, with intermittent jogging. I felt stiff, and I made a dozen rookie mistakes in gear, prep, etc. Familiarity may do you in. More training would help, of course. Maybe I can use the experience to learn from, although right now as I ache I'm looking forward to an old fashioned 10k.

Friends were everywhere, volunteering. Krissy as RD, of course--great job, all around. So many smiles. Dean, Terry, and Kevin at AS 1. Adam at AS 2. Doug at AS 3. After that, things went foggy for me. Actually, Glenn on Chinscraper. Great to see Dean and Terry again at AS 5. Terry was all business, warning me about cutoffs. Dean was cracking jokes. Gretchen and Kevin at the end, helping out. Good peeps, these. Thanks to all that made it happen.

The course seems to change slightly year to year. This year there was a brief detour through the 100 Acre Woods to the finish line. Aid stations were moved. Most notably--and maybe this has been the case for years--the final descent was on the Fragrance Lake trail and the last aid station was at that gate.

Views were great from up high.

Deception Pass 50k

The Deception Pass 50k and 25ks are new races put on by Rainshadow Running aka James, Candice and volunteers.  Total winners.  They’ll probably sell out on the first day next year.  How cool is it to finish up a 50k, along a beach, to the sound of the tide coming in?  Or run on a bluff, above the Pacific, or alone on single track through old growth forest?  And here, all in the same day.

Deception Pass is the most visited state park in Washington, sitting on Whidbey Island near Oak Harbor and the Whidbey Island Navy Base.  I felt like I had to do the race, despite a messed up hamstring, since the race is only a half hour away from my home, and I had a really good sense of what to expect of the trails.

The 50k consists of 7 lollipop loops on cliffs above the sea, beachside trails, through old growth and second growth forests, with trips each way across the famous Deception Pass bridge. The cool thing about the lollipops was I kept seeing some most excellent people, running ahead of me most typically.  Lots of hellos and best wishes, coming and going.

The 50k and 25ks are on the same course for the first half--mostly ocean viewing on the west of the bridge, with a stiff climb around mile 13 straight up over Goose Rock. The 50k then adds a double loop trip around the Hoypus Point National Forest lands, out past Cornet Bay. Woods, ships, and another bay.

Most of the course is quite runnable, if you're healthy.  A bit rocky and rooty, here and there, but basically fast single track. Elevation gain was probably b/w 4000 and 5000 feet, maybe.  I thought it was kind of similar to Chuckanut in terms of effort exerted.  

I should’ve ran the 25k, in light of my lame hamstring, but that was a lot like trying to practice restraint at the Thanksgiving dinner table.  Basically, I exercised poor judgment, deciding to see the whole trail and course, figuring I’d get through it, one way or another. And I did, but it seems the hamstring issue is not going away—I’m going to need to do something. The scenery and friends more than made up for my struggles, though I miss running easy.

And, so great to see so many friends on the trails.  It was truly a happy, supportive scene.  Joe, Roger, Eric, Laura, and SETH!, volunteering.  Many many others running.  Like the shirt too.  Patagonia lightweight capilene. 

I need to get a new Ipod Shuffle—lost the last one in Nepal.  All day I had Taylor Swift’s “Why you got to be so Mean?” stuck in my head.  Not good.  I tried a couple times to get some Pearl Jam going, but every time, “Some day, I’ll be, living in a big old city…”.

The day started with a lunar eclipse on the way to the run.  Pretty cool to watch the full moon disappear, as I drove out to Whidbey, coffee in hand.

Chuckanut

I really looked forward to not running Chuckanut this past week.  Usually I do run the event, and it is always a great early-year measure of fitness. RDs Krissy, Ellen and their crew put together an amazing event, with smiles everywhere to be seen. Chuckanut was my very first ultra. This year, I opted instead to run two 50ks earlier in the month, and then take the opportunity to watch the "track meet" which this race has become, and volunteer as needed. I've never really done this.

I showed up around 7:30 AM and chattered with friends before the start. Good pre-race chatter. Great weather--a little wind, no rain, 40s during the day, a little cold at the start. Once everyone took off, friend Rich and I zipped down to Aid Station 1, aka Dean's Place, to watch the leaders come through.  Thereafter, we grabbed the Topeka Scramble at Tony's, and then rushed back to Clayton Beach to watch the leaders come through again. And then off to the finish.

It's amazing how fast the leaders were, with 10 persons under 4 hours and new course records for both men and women. The whole thing was VERY fun to watch unfold, and had us racing up and down Chuckanut Drive in the morning, just to see the leaders come through at different locations. It was exciting.

Later in the day I worked the walkie talkie, calling in the numbers of finishers, and watching the runners come around the last corner to the finish. I really enjoyed this too. I've had my tough days and good ones at C-nut, and I know the wonderful feeling you get coming around that *last* corner towards Fairhaven Park, no matter how you've ran. Especially for the first-timers, of which there are many in this race. My first year I "ran" with a sprained ankle, determined to finish no matter how slow or bad (and I was both), after signing up and backing out for different reasons the previous two years. 

Pics mostly of volunteer friends below, as well as the winners finishing. More photos of the race at this link.

Gorge Waterfalls 50k

I had a great time at the the brand new Gorge Waterfalls 50k on Saturday. At the start, James said it may well be the most beautiful 50k in the U.S. It is as gorgeous as any I've run. Simply spectacular, really.

The course is point-to-point, about an hour east of Portland, and includes a shuttle bus in the morning from the finish to the start line. Since I stayed in Portland with Rich, it was an early rise to get to the start. Beware of the Chevron gas station, midway, that advertises low gas prices, but has a fine print sign below that says the price is applicable "with car wash." Music was Talking Heads "Take Me To The River" and Drive By Truckers "Lookout Mountain."

So, you start the race. The trail climbs up and down the Oregon side of the Columbia River Gorge, from Wahkeena Falls east to Wyeth Campground. There is a big 1500 foot climb right at the start. I pretty much walked this, very much towards the back. For the day, probably somewhere between 5000 and 6000 feet elevation gain, and equal amount of loss. So, a fair amount of up and down.

Waterfalls everywhere. Unreal. There are probably 20 waterfalls in the first third of the course alone, some very big. You run by them on narrow trails, maybe over a little footbridge, and then do it again, and again. One waterfall you run behind, as in the picture below. I brought a camera, but it didn't do the greatest job, Casio. There should have been a division for finishers with cameras, and those without, because if you had one, you had to stop and try to take pics.

Rocky single track. Sometimes very rocky, the kind of trail where the rocks eat ankles. Sometimes it is cliff running, with steep falloffs to the left. I worried a bit about catching a toe, because you could fall a long way, sometimes. The Columbia River was frequently in view.

James and his crew simply did an amazing job. He picked a great place for a run, and then totally delivered, with great markings, support, and a post-race fire with finisher cowbell to boot. Every finish line should always have a cowbell--well done.

I spent the first 10 miles in tourist mode, stopping to take pictures liberally. When the rain kicked in--and it really did--I started to pick it up. My hamstrings stayed tight most the day, but I was able to move faster for the last 20. My time was already scorched, but The Course made sure I got a good workout just the same. This is a pretty tough course, for all its natural beauty. I think it is basically an hour slower than Chuckanut.

I had to be in Portland for work, and so the race was a natural for me to do. Pretty cool to see that so many other friends made it, including the Skagit crowd. Glad I caught up with Seth, who is going to be gone for a while. And there was a wonderful little celebration involving the world's biggest bag of Skittles. And really good cookies at the Finish Line.

Vancouver New Year's Day FA 50k

I started the year off by heading up to Vancouver with friend Rich to "run" the Vancouver New Year’s Day Fat Ass 50k. I’ve wanted to check this out for many years, and Rich made it happen by saying he was game. Sometimes I need someone to help me get to the start line. The event is put on by Vancouver’s Club Fat Ass. Hopefully I’ll get up north a few times this year, to enjoy some of their other events.

The 50k out-and-back starts in Stanley Park, winds through the park a bit, hits the seawall, and then skirts the Burrard Inlet shoreline for many kilometers, eventually veering off into Pacific Spirit Park, before you turn around. The route is a mix of wide trail, sidewalk, and road. Technically no aid, but there were a few folks out there providing support. Thank you, and thanks to Ean and Sybelle for hosting.

This is probably one of the great urban runs in the world, because of the amazing saltwater waterfront, the constant views of mountains that shoot up straight from the sea to snow covered peaks, and the old growth cedars filling the two city parks. And we got really lucky---the day was reportedly the best in the 18 years of the event. Very chilly though--I ran in sweats and layers.

I got lost, a bunch. My own fault, and I didn't care too much. I ran about five minutes and saw this beautiful frozen lake in Stanley Park, and decided to take a picture. Then, I saw a bird nest, and had to look at that. That put me at the back of the pack. Then I had to pee--it was cold out--and so I lost the back of the pack. I remember the moment, asking myself, do I stick with them?, or do I chance losing them if I pee?

This was still in Stanley Park. I am not sure what I did. I don’t think I was supposed to climb and descend as many times as I did. After a while, I just headed down to the seawall, the obvious ultimate goal.

Two hours in, I found Rich, who had been eating some snacks for a half hour, wondering where I was. He was hanging with John M., and ready to turn around, but once I turned up, he was game for more. Rich did more than he expected on the day, and I actually didn't know if I'd do the whole 50k when we started.

We headed up into Pacific Spirit Park---immediately missed our first turn--and sometime later reconnected with the proper route. Very cool park--it's big, with lots of old growth and a variety of trail types.

We walked a lot on the way back, the ultrarunner dork walk, sort of leaning foward.  The end to this event was very weird, as we were wandering through crowds. Occasionally random people would cheer us on. Nice day out, and so the seawall and beach trails were filled with Vancouver peoples, in their holiday attire. Some people thought we were The Amazing Race or a scavenger race—we heard this--with our vests, sweats, and hurried walks. We finished to the cheers of no one, in perfect fatass style.

There was a great party in North Vancouver afterwards, which we found after getting a bit lost (again), and then we grabbed some Chinese food before heading back to the border. No waits on either side. Also of note---a spectacular sunset, many shades of red, as sometimes happens with cold northern skies.

More pics here.

"Tacoma Rich"

Frozen lake in Stanley Park-my first stop

Inushuk statue

Seawall in Stanley Park

Vancouver skyline

Seawall below Burrard Bridge, Stanley Park in distance

Late sunset-the pic doesn't do it justice