Growing up in Portland, Oregon, I knew the story of the Tillamook Burns – repeated forest fires started by careless human actions. A massive replanting effort took place starting in the 1950s, and later the Tillamook State Forest was formed. It is now home to my some of my favorite running trails, notably the Gales Creek, Elk-Kings and Wilson River trails.
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Race Report – Escape from Prison Hill Half Marathon
On April 23, 2016, I escaped a thick blanket of late new snow to run the Escape from Prison Hill Half Marathon, produced by one of our neighbor running clubs, the Tahoe Mountain Milers, in Carson City, Nevada. This was my first time on the course and it didn’t disappoint.
Your next longest ultramarthon: going the distance
Going the distance is the very essence of ultrarunning. My dear friend Lesley is celebrating her 50th year by running her first 50 miler. She is apprehensive and asked me how she will get through those last miles. Indeed, those miles from your previous longest distance to your new longest distance are the mystery. That mystery is part of the adventure.
Race Report – Gold Rush Skate Ski Marathon
It’s not as much fun to write a race report when the day didn’t go as well as you hoped. The Gold Rush skate ski race is 3 laps of a hilly course, each lap starting with a ripping downhill and ending with a climb back to Summit Station at Royal Gorge.
I was enjoying seeing friends before the start and I felt fine in the start coral, so I didn’t see the train wreck coming. They changed the direction of the loop this year, going down the steeper side of the loop and coming back up the more gradual climb.
Race Report – Marin Ultra Challenge (MUC) 25k
Let me be clear: this race report is about my Coach, Peter Fain, of Run on Dirt Coaching, because my MUC 25k story has a lot do to with him.
Several Run on Dirt athletes toed the line at MUC this morning. At the finish, we compared Coach Peter’s individualized pre-race instructions. Dan ran a 50k PR and proudly finished with not much left in the tank. Chaz, who is training for Western States, had specific orders on how to approach each section of the course and finished first in his age group.
Race Report – The Great Ski Race
The fresh, uneven snow on the long descent to Truckee made it more challenging than usual. Actually, it’s challenging in a different way every time, and I thought to myself, “That’s what makes it Great. That’s why it’s called The Great Ski Race.” And it had been a Great adventure even before the race start.