How was Gorges? I have a friend that saw a video of it on instagram and now really wants to do it. I think she wants to do the 50k, but I'm trying to convince her to do a non lottery race.
****2023 Trail and Ultra Running****
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Last: 3 mo ago by TRD-Ferguson
i plan on doing a longer write-up, but...its a great race. its hard AF though. much more difficult than we expected. That said, wife went from "this is a one and done" to talking about potentially wanting to go back, and it only took a couple days. 50K has the lottery, but from what i noticed, the waitlist continually cleared, so seems to be pretty easy to get in if you join the waitlist.
i'll write more later.
i'll write more later.
Wild Canyons 50k
I did this race yesterday. It was beautiful but it was a hard course. If I had done the 25k, I would have been solid middle of the pack. I ended up next to last for the 50k. There were some people behind me, but there were dnf's in every distance.
Even though AggieOO told me about the climb, I didn't really understand what it was going to be. In the middle of the race, you pretty much scale the side of a plateau. There isn't really a trail. You are climbing rocks up to the top. Then you run a short way, and go back down. The down was also challenging, but it was on a rocky trail. I had the benefit of at least knowing about it, but most of the runners I talked to knew what was coming. The cutoff for the 50k was 9 hours. The 100k was I think 23. The cutoffs were not very generous for the course. You could not make the cutoff if your plan was to power hike most of it. They kept telling people this wasn't a PR course and if you saw bison, you need to stop and wait for them. Some people had to wait a good bit of time for them to move. Yes, I know that you should be safe at all times, but it sounded like some people made some questionable decisions just trying to make time.
I couldn't imagine having to try that climb in the dark. The downhill would have been just as bad. One guy that I talked to this morning at the hotel said that he got to the top just in time for the sunset, but then he had to make the descent. He didn't make it in until midnight, so the last half of the course probably took him at least 4 hours. I'm slow and that was my time for the entire first loop.
I had done their road races before, and they run their ultras almost exactly the same way. They don't change anything up at the aid stations. You went through the aid stations twice per loop. Before I say this next part, I know that I shouldn't rely on aid stations and be as self sufficient as possible. I try to do that as best I can, but I do generally only carry gels and get real food at the aid stations, especially when they advertise fully stocked stations manned by fellow ultra runners. By the time I made it back to the aid stations on my first loop, they were out of salty snacks. It was just a bit of a disappointment for me after doing some races with amazing volunteers and support. By the time I finished, there were only 2 aid station workers at the start/finish, and there were still the 75k and 100k runners out on the course.
I will run their road races, but I probably won't do any more of their ultras. I think this was the last race their current RD is doing, so maybe things will change. If I did this race again, I would set up my own stations at the start/finish, however, the day before during packet pickup, some bison ran right through the area, almost took out somebody's tent and ran into a truck. On their website, they rated this a moderate course. There were definitely runnable parts, but I think they should have described the climbs a little better. I am kind of afraid of heights and it almost paralyzed me the first loop. Luckily some very nice ladies waited for me at the top of the hardest part to make sure I was ok.
All in all, I had fun, made some new friends, and saw some great scenery. It was super hard and I learned quite a bit. On to the next.
I did this race yesterday. It was beautiful but it was a hard course. If I had done the 25k, I would have been solid middle of the pack. I ended up next to last for the 50k. There were some people behind me, but there were dnf's in every distance.
Even though AggieOO told me about the climb, I didn't really understand what it was going to be. In the middle of the race, you pretty much scale the side of a plateau. There isn't really a trail. You are climbing rocks up to the top. Then you run a short way, and go back down. The down was also challenging, but it was on a rocky trail. I had the benefit of at least knowing about it, but most of the runners I talked to knew what was coming. The cutoff for the 50k was 9 hours. The 100k was I think 23. The cutoffs were not very generous for the course. You could not make the cutoff if your plan was to power hike most of it. They kept telling people this wasn't a PR course and if you saw bison, you need to stop and wait for them. Some people had to wait a good bit of time for them to move. Yes, I know that you should be safe at all times, but it sounded like some people made some questionable decisions just trying to make time.
I couldn't imagine having to try that climb in the dark. The downhill would have been just as bad. One guy that I talked to this morning at the hotel said that he got to the top just in time for the sunset, but then he had to make the descent. He didn't make it in until midnight, so the last half of the course probably took him at least 4 hours. I'm slow and that was my time for the entire first loop.
I had done their road races before, and they run their ultras almost exactly the same way. They don't change anything up at the aid stations. You went through the aid stations twice per loop. Before I say this next part, I know that I shouldn't rely on aid stations and be as self sufficient as possible. I try to do that as best I can, but I do generally only carry gels and get real food at the aid stations, especially when they advertise fully stocked stations manned by fellow ultra runners. By the time I made it back to the aid stations on my first loop, they were out of salty snacks. It was just a bit of a disappointment for me after doing some races with amazing volunteers and support. By the time I finished, there were only 2 aid station workers at the start/finish, and there were still the 75k and 100k runners out on the course.
I will run their road races, but I probably won't do any more of their ultras. I think this was the last race their current RD is doing, so maybe things will change. If I did this race again, I would set up my own stations at the start/finish, however, the day before during packet pickup, some bison ran right through the area, almost took out somebody's tent and ran into a truck. On their website, they rated this a moderate course. There were definitely runnable parts, but I think they should have described the climbs a little better. I am kind of afraid of heights and it almost paralyzed me the first loop. Luckily some very nice ladies waited for me at the top of the hardest part to make sure I was ok.
All in all, I had fun, made some new friends, and saw some great scenery. It was super hard and I learned quite a bit. On to the next.
Did you all start with road marathons before getting into trail races?
I had no idea these 50k/100k trail races with elevation existed. I hike (not run) a 7.5 mile out and back 2.5K feet summit nearby occasionally and noticed a trail runner ran the route twice when I did this yesterday (was coming up again on my way down). She must have been training for one of these races, because she told me she was doing repeats.
You all must have incredibly low body fat % to do these races. I imagine these are much more intense than road marathons?
I had no idea these 50k/100k trail races with elevation existed. I hike (not run) a 7.5 mile out and back 2.5K feet summit nearby occasionally and noticed a trail runner ran the route twice when I did this yesterday (was coming up again on my way down). She must have been training for one of these races, because she told me she was doing repeats.
You all must have incredibly low body fat % to do these races. I imagine these are much more intense than road marathons?
-Ben There/R.C.
You see people of all types doing these races, especially the ones with more generous cutoffs - all body types and all ages.Ghost of Bisbee said:
Did you all start with road marathons before getting into trail races?
I had no idea these 50k/100k trail races with elevation existed. I hike (not run) a 7.5 mile out and back 2.5K feet summit nearby occasionally and noticed a trail runner ran the route twice when I did this yesterday (was coming up again on my way down). She must have been training for one of these races, because she told me she was doing repeats.
You all must have incredibly low body fat % to do these races. I imagine these are much more intense than road marathons?
I did a bunch of road stuff before getting into trail racing. I completely lost interest in road racing once i started doing trail races. You'll see all types of people out at trail races. While trail races can be more intense, the ultras are typically run at lower intensity bc you are out there much longer.
Congrats! Was hoping you'd do a write up.
AggieOO said:
I did a bunch of road stuff before getting into trail racing. I completely lost interest in road racing once i started doing trail races. You'll see all types of people out at trail races. While trail races can be more intense, the ultras are typically run at lower intensity bc you are out there much longer.
Lower intensity for me is probably 29 min miles for every 500 feet of elevation. Yours is probably half that
-Ben There/R.C.
I think there's also a misconception that everyone doing trail races is doing ultras. A lot of races have 5k, 10k, and half marathons.Ghost of Bisbee said:AggieOO said:
I did a bunch of road stuff before getting into trail racing. I completely lost interest in road racing once i started doing trail races. You'll see all types of people out at trail races. While trail races can be more intense, the ultras are typically run at lower intensity bc you are out there much longer.
Lower intensity for me is probably 29 min miles for every 500 feet of elevation. Yours is probably half that
Cirque Series are just 6-9 miles although 2-3.5K vert. Short but intense.
Sub ultra is gaining a lot of traction, especially amongst the pros.
finally getting around to typing up a bit about Gorge Waterfalls 100k (pacing/crewing).
My wife and her brother both ran the Gorge Waterfalls 100k, and I was along to crew and then pace my wife in the last 13 miles. The cut-off for the race is 16 hours, but you can do an early start to get 17 hours. My wife and her brother elected to do the regular start, which added some excitement later in the race. First, as you might be aware, the west coast has been hammered with rain, so the course was wet. This amount of precipitation is even out of the ordinary for Oregon. It rained or snowed for about 10 days leading up to race day. Forecast for the race was 100% chance of rain/snow/sleet with a high of about 47. The course for the 100K is two out and backs with the start/finish being in the middle. I was able to see my runners at mile 6, and then not again until mile 33. It basically rained on/off all day, so i'll spare you with details of all the rain. Forgot to mention that the course has 11,000 feet of climbing. After mile 6, the course goes out just past Multnomah Falls, then climbs up and over the top of the falls and returns. While I waited on them to get from mile 6 to 33, I took a nap and then went to Thunder Island Brewing. The mile 38 aid station was up on the hill in Cascade Locks, so after seeing them at 30, i went back to town and walked up to the aid station. At this point, i was still unsure if my wife was going to want me to pace her back in from mile 47, but when she arrived, she was more than looking forward to company. However, she was more worried about how I was going to get out to mile 47. I was solo, so if i drove out there, i'd have to figure out a way to get back to get the car. Cascade Locks is small, so there's not rideshare and taxis aren't exactly easy to come by. I told her not to worry about it, I'd see her at the next aid station. I waited for my brother in law, who was only a few minutes behind. After he headed out, I walked back down to the hotel, changed clothes and started running on the road. I had driven the route from the hotel to mile 47 earlier in the day to make sure it was runnable and safe. I made the 7 mile run out to the aid station and waited in the cold rain. about an hour later, my wife came in and it was time for me to pace her in the last 15 miles. We saw her brother as we were leaving. In that last 15 miles, it rarely stopped raining. The worst was once the sun set, there were many periods of sleet and snow, which made it very difficult to see with a headlamp, as the light was reflected back into our eyes. The course was pretty technical and seemed to constantly go up and down. By the time we got to the final aid stations (same as mile 38), my wife was only 14 minutes under the cutoff, but she had another hour+ to run the last 3 miles. She ended up finishing with about 30 minutes to spare. Her brother was less than a minute back.
Overall, even though i didn't run it, I think it was a great race.
Pros: the Columbia River Gorge is gorge-ous (pun intended). There are endless water falls. Double out and make makes it it somewhat easy logistically. Breweries in town. Everything in town is walking distance, including to the start/finish.
Cons: its way more technical than we were expecting. That plus the 11K feet of climbing makes it a tough course. Unless you are front of the middle of the pack, i'd suggest an early start. Wife would have been comfortably under cut-offs at most races. She was getting nervous with some of these cutoffs. About half the field DNF'd...most of those missing cutoffs. If you are looking for great swag, this isn't the race for you. If you don't have 2 or more crew, pacing can be challenging. There are also back-to-back 10 mile segments between aid stations late in the race. That's tough mentally.
My wife and her brother both ran the Gorge Waterfalls 100k, and I was along to crew and then pace my wife in the last 13 miles. The cut-off for the race is 16 hours, but you can do an early start to get 17 hours. My wife and her brother elected to do the regular start, which added some excitement later in the race. First, as you might be aware, the west coast has been hammered with rain, so the course was wet. This amount of precipitation is even out of the ordinary for Oregon. It rained or snowed for about 10 days leading up to race day. Forecast for the race was 100% chance of rain/snow/sleet with a high of about 47. The course for the 100K is two out and backs with the start/finish being in the middle. I was able to see my runners at mile 6, and then not again until mile 33. It basically rained on/off all day, so i'll spare you with details of all the rain. Forgot to mention that the course has 11,000 feet of climbing. After mile 6, the course goes out just past Multnomah Falls, then climbs up and over the top of the falls and returns. While I waited on them to get from mile 6 to 33, I took a nap and then went to Thunder Island Brewing. The mile 38 aid station was up on the hill in Cascade Locks, so after seeing them at 30, i went back to town and walked up to the aid station. At this point, i was still unsure if my wife was going to want me to pace her back in from mile 47, but when she arrived, she was more than looking forward to company. However, she was more worried about how I was going to get out to mile 47. I was solo, so if i drove out there, i'd have to figure out a way to get back to get the car. Cascade Locks is small, so there's not rideshare and taxis aren't exactly easy to come by. I told her not to worry about it, I'd see her at the next aid station. I waited for my brother in law, who was only a few minutes behind. After he headed out, I walked back down to the hotel, changed clothes and started running on the road. I had driven the route from the hotel to mile 47 earlier in the day to make sure it was runnable and safe. I made the 7 mile run out to the aid station and waited in the cold rain. about an hour later, my wife came in and it was time for me to pace her in the last 15 miles. We saw her brother as we were leaving. In that last 15 miles, it rarely stopped raining. The worst was once the sun set, there were many periods of sleet and snow, which made it very difficult to see with a headlamp, as the light was reflected back into our eyes. The course was pretty technical and seemed to constantly go up and down. By the time we got to the final aid stations (same as mile 38), my wife was only 14 minutes under the cutoff, but she had another hour+ to run the last 3 miles. She ended up finishing with about 30 minutes to spare. Her brother was less than a minute back.
Overall, even though i didn't run it, I think it was a great race.
Pros: the Columbia River Gorge is gorge-ous (pun intended). There are endless water falls. Double out and make makes it it somewhat easy logistically. Breweries in town. Everything in town is walking distance, including to the start/finish.
Cons: its way more technical than we were expecting. That plus the 11K feet of climbing makes it a tough course. Unless you are front of the middle of the pack, i'd suggest an early start. Wife would have been comfortably under cut-offs at most races. She was getting nervous with some of these cutoffs. About half the field DNF'd...most of those missing cutoffs. If you are looking for great swag, this isn't the race for you. If you don't have 2 or more crew, pacing can be challenging. There are also back-to-back 10 mile segments between aid stations late in the race. That's tough mentally.
I saw all the DNFs and wondered if it was the cutoffs and the weather. Glad they both made it in! They both looked like they were having a good time, even if they weren't.
Cocodona and Canyons (last golden ticket race) both this weekend...well, cocodona is all week, starting sunday.
both have live coverage. i'm looking forward to following along.
both have live coverage. i'm looking forward to following along.
There's a guy running both.AggieOO said:
Cocodona and Canyons (last golden ticket race) both this weekend...well, cocodona is all week, starting sunday.
both have live coverage. i'm looking forward to following along.
that's dumb. but whatever makes him happy.
Yea, we'll see what happens. His name is Andrew Glaze (@amglaze on instagram).AggieOO said:
that's dumb. but whatever makes him happy.
AggieOO said:
that's dumb. but whatever makes him happy.
Would be interested in why you think it's "dumb". I, myself, would be more inclined to say bad ass…
Andy is a top .1% miler on Strava.
it can be both badass and dumb...notice the smiley face icon. that's what a lot of ultra running is.
I do dumb things all the time.
I do dumb things all the time.
He's done Cocodona twice, so I think he has that on his side. He finished Canyons in 27:52.
pretty impressed with the coverage for Cocodona so far. I think it's improved from last year. I know it's probably pretty difficult in those remote locations.
work has been crazy, finally getting to tune it. i like that they have local time/temp on the screen. don't remember that last year.
though, all i've seen so far is an aid station, and an aerial view of a trail with no runners...and some super boring commentary about smoothies.
though, all i've seen so far is an aid station, and an aerial view of a trail with no runners...and some super boring commentary about smoothies.
They had an aid station at mile 11 earlier that was pretty entertaining and Kam ran up to mile 17 and was showing the runners go by. I think it hit a lull after that. I haven't checked in in a while, but I figured it would pick back up a little later. One of the commentators had to leave to go to his real job.
The first place woman is gaining ground on the top two men, but there's obviously still a lot of race left.
It's super interesting watching these guys go through the aid stations.
It's super interesting watching these guys go through the aid stations.
DNFs are starting to rack up at Cocodona. Should be some more as they start hitting some cutoffs today.
Cocodona is extremely close. The leader is at mile 210 now. There are only about 7 miles in between 1st and 8th place.
this thread is basically a conversation between aggiespartan and myself at this point, but...
where is everyone keeping up with trail/ultra events these days? My main two sources were Mountain Outhouse and ultrarunnerpodcast.com, but the former is done for and the latter seems to only get updated every couple weeks or so at this point. I still look at irunfar, but their coverage is original content and race results. Its good, but far from comprehensive on what's going on in the world of trail and ultra.
i do listen to a number of podcasts as well, but i like have something i can just pull up and scan through.
where is everyone keeping up with trail/ultra events these days? My main two sources were Mountain Outhouse and ultrarunnerpodcast.com, but the former is done for and the latter seems to only get updated every couple weeks or so at this point. I still look at irunfar, but their coverage is original content and race results. Its good, but far from comprehensive on what's going on in the world of trail and ultra.
i do listen to a number of podcasts as well, but i like have something i can just pull up and scan through.
Same sources for me. What do you mean about Mountain Outpost being done for?
Referring to mountain outhouse news specifically. Jam Jam hasn't done one in 11 months, and only a couple at that. Before those, it was almost a year gap. Unless I'm missing something.
Ah you're right. I haven't really noticed because life has been too busy for me to be consuming all the ultra content that I used to.
There's some folks who are good Twitter follows for ultra content. Jason Koop off the top of my head. I'll dig up a few more tomorrow.
There's some folks who are good Twitter follows for ultra content. Jason Koop off the top of my head. I'll dig up a few more tomorrow.
I'm still here but haven't posted in forever. Knee started hurting the week after a good race for me at colorado bend in December. Couldn't run for a couple months then it was only a mile or two a week for a while. Now, 6 months later finally getting some decent runs in and hoping to start doing a few half marathon distance noght races this summer.
Really hoping to stay healthy this summer and fall and do the rocky 50 in 2024. I'll be 40…only last ran/finished rocky 50 when I was 20…hope it works out for me this year!
Really hoping to stay healthy this summer and fall and do the rocky 50 in 2024. I'll be 40…only last ran/finished rocky 50 when I was 20…hope it works out for me this year!
I usually rely on the trail and ultra thread on TexAgs for my updates, but I don't keep up with what's going on in the pro world so race reports from fellow ags is enough news for me.
I typically only post when I have a race coming up to see if anyone else is going. See y'all again when captain carls starts back up
I typically only post when I have a race coming up to see if anyone else is going. See y'all again when captain carls starts back up
I get the little updates from ultra signup, but everything else comes from random instagram people. I listen to the Adventure Jogger podcast. Sometimes they have really good people on, but a lot of times it's just interesting stories. As much as I like seeing the elites, I like hearing from the middle and back of the pack too.
i also like a good mix, which is why irunfar isn't the best resource for me. I liked the mix i got when i could read ultrarunnerpodcast and watch mountain outhouse news. Those plus my podcasts usually did the job.aggiespartan said:
I get the little updates from ultra signup, but everything else comes from random instagram people. I listen to the Adventure Jogger podcast. Sometimes they have really good people on, but a lot of times it's just interesting stories. As much as I like seeing the elites, I like hearing from the middle and back of the pack too.
During the cocodona coverage, it really seemed like Jam Jam was too busy doing aravaipa stuff to do much of anything else. They kept commenting about how he wanted to run, but didn't have time. I watched the Mountain Outpost youtube, but like you said, they've been few and far between.
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