Pine Hollow Paddle, Pine Hollow Tri, Mt Hood Scramble

So far, June has been filled with craft-brewed races and real adventure events, with the camping weekends of the Pine Hollow Experience and the Mt Hood Scramble.

It's a rarity that the only family-friendly photos we have to share of the Paddle race at Pine Hollow Reservoir and the two-night karaoke extravaganza lakeside at Angler's are of David Clardy, but there you are. Others rocking the dance floor with the locals were my brother Tom Mann, Tyler "Bam Bam" Peebles, and of course the celebrated  Badass.

Don't ask how my camera fell into the water at Temptation Station during the Paddle, but there were other cameras out there during the weekend, and we should have some photos up of the Pine Hollow Sprint Triathlon, Aquathon, and Pumice Man double triathlon at some point. 

Here's the video of the SUP race. For photos of all the Paddle events, go to the X-Dog Smugmug spot.

As for the Mt Hood Scramble, the original trail race without a trail, there was camping there, too, along with the regular shenanigans. The weather was nippy, and the course was extra gnarly this year. The video of the Mt Hood Scramble is so good, we may just retire while we're ahead. 

From a Sunny Havoc to the Aloha Pine Hollow Experience

The X-Dog Havoc at the Hideout had perfect weather, sandwiched between some thick rainstorms. Dickson, still in a foot cast after elective surgery, lead the course setting the day before mostly by pointing and issuing encouraging words as I drove him around in the Jeep. Foreman and Floyd set most of the course, and we took several breaks throughout the day to enjoy a beverage or two and watch the peacocks. The peacocks weren't dangerous per se, but they looked like they were planning something. 

The race was fast, and fantastic. I got some good shots, and put together the video, which you can check out here.

We're also planning a video for the Pine Hollow Paddle and Pine Hollow Tri. And maybe even a video on the making of the videos.

See you in Pine Hollow.

The Dirty Video

The X-Dog Events' Dirty Duathlon and Dirt Dash enjoyed a record turnout and epic weather. Check out the 2014 video here. 

The full schedule of events for spring and summer is on the Portland Runner calendar.

Also, find us on Twitter @timberlinetrail 

#craftbrewedraces 

Buck Mt Mudslinger

Run Wild Adventure's 2014 Buck Mt Mudslinger did not disappoint. With all the snow gone, the mud was plentiful and of perfect viscosity. 


And here's the link to the official video of the 6.5 mile trail run. 

 Participation sold out for this event, but if you didn't get in, just sign up for the Monument Peak 10 Mile Trail Run in March. 

White River Snowshoe 2014

Volunteering has its benefits. Being on a race crew usually has even more benefits, including occasional weekend trips. 

The X-Dog house up in Welches over the White River Snowshoe weekend included great company, an abundance of beer and pizza, and two hot tubs. 

Posted: No animals in spa or on spa deck. No food or drink in spa or on deck. No diving.

Great weather in January means not wearing your board shorts in the hot tub because you have to save them for the snowshoe race.

The White River Snowshoe also featured the Temptation Station (trademark pending) offering mid-race refreshments.

Happy New Year

The Run Wild Adventures Beer Mile record was broken by Eric Jeffers with a 6:04 January 1, 2014.  Stay tuned for the Hangover Run 3K and Beer Mile video.  Run Wild Adventures has four more races through May, and then their season picks up again with a new race in September.  Run Wild Adventures' last race of 2013 was the Shelburg Falls Trail Run; here's the  video from 2012, and photos from 2013.

We made a little video highlighting the  X-Dog Ho Ho 5K. This is a more urban adventure, but also with record cold temperatures and lots of sweet festivity.  Next up for the X-Dog is the classic White River Snowshoe, the largest and longest-running snowshoe event in the Northwest. (Here's the 2012 video.) And check out the newxdogevents.com website for their 2014 season.

We've been writing about events in the area through portlandrunner.com and managing the best race calendar on the internets since the year 2000. Now, all three Timberline Trail Running Club races are here in one central location, instead of hosting them on three separate websites. They still have their own race page, so just click on the link at the top of the main page to connect. Also, timberlinetrail.com and pinehollowtri.com will redirect to the main page. Our fourth event, the Wildwood City Marathon, does not have its own page because it's merely a fat ass run. Just click on the link and you'll get a history of the fat ass (a term coined by local runner Joe Oakes) and what it entails. Basically, the Wildwood City Marathon is a group run held every Easter Sunday morning just for the hell of it with no fees, no awards, no aid, and no wimps. More info is available on our Race Calendar if you're interested.

The new website is up.

We updated portlandrunner.com to represent all three races of the Timberline Trail Running Club. We will continue to archive content here. Happy 2013, and here's to a prosperous 2014, the Year of the Horse.

Silver Falls Trail Marathon and Kevin's Cup XXII The Year of the Queen

Congratulations to all our fellow competitors and adventurous maniacs. 

The Silver Falls Trail Marathon and Half Marathon had the largest turnout ever, and next year Run Wild Adventures will add a 7-Mile Trail Run and a 50K. 

Also, check out their new official race site: silverfallsmarathon.com.

Our video of the 2013 Silver Falls event can be found here.

Kevin's Cup, the X-Dog Event that set the standard for adventure running 22 years ago, was also a royal success, as 2013 was knighted the Year of the Queen. The Ultimate Footrace included a challenging course, costumes, the Most Precise Campfire Known to Man, birthdays, actual queens, all the pizza and beer you can eat and drink, and the most spectacular raffle / random / non-random prize giveaway of the whole year. 

Our video of the Year of the Queen is right here. 

Sign up to get in on more of the same, as December 2013 brings us back-to-back goodness. December 7 is the Shellburg Falls Trail Run, and December 8 is the Ho-Ho 5K. 

Stay tuned for winter training opportunities geared for our Easter Sunday Wildwood City Marathon.

Find the updated 2013-2014 event schedule at portlandrunner.com. 

Run Wild kicks off their season of Adventures

The Detroit Lake Mud Run kicked off Run Wild Adventures' 2013-2014 season. Mud love and happiness was had by all. See the official video here. 

Check out the rest of Run Wild Adventures' season and all the best local craft-brewed events at the Portland Runner Race Calendar. The Silver Falls Marathon and Half Marathon are sold out, but there's still space left at the Shelburg Falls Trail Run.

The Pine Hollow Tri is already set for June 8, 2014, and you can sign up via athletepath.com or active.com. Join us for the Pine Hollow Experience, including the return of the X-Dog Pine Hollow Paddle on June 7. Sunday's events will also include a (300-meter swim, 5K run) Splash & Dash Aquathon - get in now for just $32, or $20 for USA Triathlon members.

Registration is now open for the Timberline Mt Run August 10, 2014. The Mountain Racing Team Competition is heating up, so get in on the action at the 2013 price. 

Also, registration is up for the 2014 Multnomah Falls Trail Run, the only race that awards the first Superhero to cross the finish line.

See you at the Great Pumpkin XC 5K, and the one that started it all, Kevin's Cup.

Superhero the Multnomah Falls Trail Run

I didn't invent a new word, I just invented the use of a certain word as a verb. That word is superhero. 

It works as a noun, but it also works as a verb, as in when you superhero a race. Superheroing a race is basically when you're the first to cross the finish line wearing a superhero costume. The idea is that, at any given event, there's going to be some competition, and we're always looking for ways to pare down that competition, be it by age categories, weight categories, level of sobriety, etc. I figure anyone who can beat me in a race while wearing a superhero costume deserves something special. And if I'm the first one across that line in a superhero costume, I deserve something special. I might not get it, but that's just my thinking.

I've done this several times, starting with the Starlight Run, years ago. The Starlight is just a 5K fun run, so there's no official times, etc. But there's always a few people trying to win the entire race. Well, we had a little club outing, dressed as superheros, and gave the fast guys a run for their money for the first mile or two. And the crowd loved it. After that, we ran a few races dressed as superheros, even if there wasn't a costume contest. And even if wearing a costume wasn't explicitly encouraged at an event, it was always appreciated.

Well, enter our fun, challenging, and always beautiful fall event, the Multnomah Falls Trail Run, taking place September 29, 2013. For the last two years, we've held a costume contest at the race, and we're continuing that tradition this year, awarding something special for the best and / or sexiest costume. But in addition, we're awarding a superhero award. We've taken the practice of superheroing and made it legit. The first superhero not only gets an authentic trophy, but also a fifth of Hogshead whiskey. (If you're under 21, we'll work something out.) 

Now, any kind of costume can qualify for the costume contest, but you need an actual superhero costume to win the superhero award. How authentic do you have to be? We'll let the audience be the judge. If you're simply wearing a Superman t-shirt, that might not make the cut if someone is fully decked out in a Wonder Woman costume. In other words, if you have the opportunity to wear spandex and / or a cape, don't pass it up.

In addition, this is the last race in the 2013 USATF Oregon Mountain Running Series. If you think you might be the first male or female to finish (with or without costume) be sure to sign up as a member of USATF, because you'll get great additional prizes, such as free cash and Sportiva mountain running shoes. You should probably look into being a member anyway, since it's a great group, and it's a great series.

Remember, the start and finish is at Wahkeena Falls trailhead, and event check-in and registration is at the shelter in the park, adjacent to the Columbia River Highway. So park inside the Wahkeena day-use area (and not at Multnomah Falls). Also, if you want to carpool, that would be super! If you want to use the word superhero as an adjective or adverb, that's up to you.

The 2013 Timberline Mt Run, with its updated 6.97 mile course, was a great success.

David Laney took the men's race at 50:10, after winning the Ashland Hill Climb the day before. This seals his lead in the La Sportiva 2013 USATF Oregon Mountain Running Series, which includes the Ashland Hill Climb and the Timberline Mt Run. The first three finishers, David Laney, Ryan Ghelfi, and TJ Hooks, are all from Ashland, and made the 6-hour drive to Mt Hood Sunday morning. 

Male and female winners of each race in the Series (who are members of USATF) get $100 cash and a pair of Sportivas; you just need to sign up with USATF Oregon before the race. Annual membership is inexpensive, and you can usually sign up the day of the race. Rumor has it USATF Oregon MUT Director Robert Yerex has something special planned for the Insane Double Mountain members who competed in both the Ashland Hill Climb and the Timberline Mt Run. 

The top three guys from Ashland were not, however, entered in the Mountain Running Team Championships, as each team needs to have at least one female member. That brings us to Fourth and Fifth place, with Eric Dolezal earning 9 points for Oregon Active and Thomas Ferrell earning 7 points for Team X-Dog. Don Gallogly took Sixth overall with a time of 59:33, beating out Mike Tyler for the Masters' spot and securing his lead in the Series in the Masters' competition. 

 Mike Tyler's Ninth overall spot earned 5 points for Team X-Dog, and the Female Champion, Molly McCluskey, came in at 1:02:28 to grab 3 points for Oregon Active. Molly, a repeat champion of the women's race, competed after organizing the Hybrid Adventure Games the previous day. Molly and Devin led their team up the mountain Sunday morning after competing in the Urban Decathlon Saturday.  

Shanda Button came in Eleventh overall, netting a Second Place finish in the women's race, plus 2 points for Team X-Dog. Johannah Ludington finished Fourteenth overall, walking away with the Third Place trophy. 

The Team Competition also featured Team Caffeine, the Mountain Milers, and Team Sloth, but the win came down to the number of members beyond fifth place earning another point every time they crossed the line. It was close, but Team X-Dog came out ahead, besting the 2012 Team Champion Oregon Active. 

We want to thank all the participants for coming out and making this the best year ever. We had nine different states represented, including Team Caffeine from Houston, Texas, and Kathryn from Beacon, New York, who each went home with a pound of freshly-roasted coffee courtesy of Small Town Roasters. Thanks also to Back in Motion, and to Timberline Lodge for providing such a great venue. Also, Ricky Hower and Kris Plew at Timberline Lodge put up a temporary fix on the stairway banister just for us, so we could have easy access to the upstairs patio. That's great service!

Many thanks goes out to our Crew, starring Tom, Sam, Stacey, Ben, Andrew, Kriss, Heather, Doug, Mark, Kalvi, Eric, and most of all Kevin. Kevin came up with the original course as an X-Dog event back in 2008 as the NW Mountain Running Championships / Great NW Mt Run. It no longer fit in the X-Dog schedule, but it was one of his favorite courses (and ours, too!) and he didn't want to see it go away. So we took over the event for him in 2012 as a Timberline Trail Running Club event, renaming it the Timberline Mt Run. Kevin has helped with logistics, and set and cleared a good part of the race for the past two years, so it wouldn't have been possible without him. 

We also want to thank Oregon Active for their continuing support. They're a great not-for-profit organization that provides adventure while helping out those in need. They not only bring a competitive team up to compete in the race, they also provide volunteers to man the aid stations on the course. They're our official race beneficiary, and it's great to work with them. When one of their largest events, the Hybrid Adventure Games, had to be moved to a different location and date, they still pulled through, put on a great event, and made it up to the mountain the next day to join in and help out.

Check out the full results here, and remember our next race (the last race in the La Sportiva 2013 USATF Oregon Mountain Running Series,) is the Multnomah Falls Trail Run. And if you think you might win the overall male or female race, make sure you're a member of USATF in order to qualify for extra prizes!

The Hand-Crafted Races of Summer

Summer is in full swing, and races abound. But the best of the best are brought to you by X-Dog Events, Run Wild Adventures, and the Timberline Trail Running Club. Why? Because we're among those local organizations who have devoted themselves to the artistry of the perfect course.

Many events claim to be exciting and tough. Many claim to be the world's toughest endeavor known to man. But simply making something tough is easy. Buckets of marbles will make a flat road race tougher, but for the wrong reasons. Running through electrically-charged wire will make the course tougher, but not more enjoyable. If an obstacle slows you down because it keeps you from running, then that defeats the purpose of having a race. Obstacles, natural or man-made, should be on the course to challenge participants, but not slow them to the point they can't keep going.

For example, when working on Ole's Astoria Assault, there's hundreds of trees that cross the path, and these natural obstacles add to the charm and difficulty of all the unnatural, man-made ones. There's also a lot of brush and undergrowth that's trimmed down. It's not necessary to clear away all the brush from the trail, but leaving a solid mass of greenery there so participants would have to push and swim their way through would slow the momentum, and make it less of a race. And sometimes, there's a thin line between too much and too little. Too many vines, stickers, or thorns at ankle length, or dangerous branches or rocks along the path that may trip people up -- that adds difficulty, but not enjoyability. If we simply made the course no longer runnable, well, that's no challenge at all. The purpose is to push the participant while allowing them to keep pushing themselves.

Just look at the Whine on the Vine. The H is in the 'wine' because it's supposed to be tough, with five obstacles and a nice trail run. Sure, there could be 50 man-made obstacles, but for a 5-mile race, there would no longer be any running - just standing in line, waiting, from one obstacle to the other.

Ultimately, each race course has its own character and unique properties. Recognizing and expanding on those unique properties is what makes it great. There are a lot of flat road races out there that are great events that serve a specific purpose. But anyone can design a flat 10K, marathon, or half marathon; what gives a flat race its character is the city or town it's in. But races that offer truly unique courses are ones that can't be duplicated. And being true to a race's character should result in a better event.

This is true with the Timberline Mt Run. It had a figure-8 course with two whole miles scrambling through the timber. A simple re-alignment of the course replaced those miles of cross-country through the forest with solid miles on trail. Now, there's more ascent, more descent, and more overall mileage. It's one clockwise loop below and above the timberline, so it's simpler, and the consistent trail aspect holds true to the nature of a high-elevation mountain run.

So sign up, and catch what we're calling perfection. The X-Dog Whine on the Vine is August 4, the Timberline Trail Running Club's Timberline Mt Run is August 11, and the second annual Detroit Mud Run kicks off the Run Wild Adventure 2013-2014 calendar on October 12. The Multnomah Falls Trail Run is September 29, after Ole's Assault and Maupin's Ride Row Run.

The 2013 Pine Hollow Experience

The weekend extravaganza was a big success! It all started Saturday, June 1, with the X-Dog Pine Hollow Paddle. 

A record number of paddlers came out to compete, show off, and splash around under the warm, blue sky. Was there wind? No, there was no wind, although Jeff was reportedly slowed when a competitor handed him a bottle of wine mid-race, which he then felt compelled to finish off. Robin Yokour paddled admirably to win a first-place dog tag in the open category, and Harlan Brock took the open category in his rocket-shaped kayak, while Tony Nelson and Jen Dimaggio rocked first place in the Stand-Up Paddle. The Pine Hollow locals, once again, dominated the fun float in speed and spirit.

The post-party awards featured a keg of Redhook, country beans and New York hot dogs cooked up by Andrew, and free schwag from NextAdventure, Back in Motion, and Small Town Roasters. Even the local Sherrif got into the spirit and donned a pair of vintage sunglasses from Next Adventure. Click here for photos.

After the keg was finished off, we ventured into Angler's for more celebration and karaoke. Photos not available.

At 8:30 Sunday morning, the Pumice Man double triathlon kicked off the 2013 Pine Hollow Tri, with the Sprint Triathlon and Redneck Aquathon following close behind. Thanks goes out to Kevin and Dave for, among other things, transporting the bike racks and setting up the transition areas and the run turn-around, covering the entire course, and taking a lot of great photos. Marlon did a lot race morning setting-things-up, sweeping gravel from the course, and, along with Mark and Andrew, piloting a water-safety kayak. Thanks also to Andrew for bringing out a handful of boats and for Doug and Mark for hooking up the Redhook.

Doug, Megan, Tom, and Sam were phenomenal at registration and the finish line, and Gina and Brad were an awesome team setting up and dispensing aid at the transition area. Jeanne and Gary also helped out a lot, (and Gary made the hand-crafted awards, including the arrowheads on the Pumice Man trophies,) and more thanks goes out to the Pine Hollow Fire Department and the First Responders for all their support out on the course, and making sure everyone got safe. Thanks also to Kim at Anglers, and Frank at the Campground for being a big part of the event.

After spending all Saturday working the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Ted (from Back in Motion) and Laura came out to play with us and get in on the tri action. Many particants hailed from southern, central, and northern-central Oregon to compete with the those of the greater Portland area, including the Sisters Athletic Club, and of course there was the annual representation from the MAC.

Last year Marie Young won style points for doing the Sprint in a sundress and sandals, and this year she took the first place woman Redneck Aquathon Championship belt, which was a leopard-print beer belt. The camo-colored Redneck Aquathon Championship beer belt went to Eric Helser, who Three-peated this year, having won the Pumice Man in 2012 and the Sprint Triathlon in 2011. Max Mann (14) beat his Aquathon contenders out of the water in his first-ever multisport race, and Dane Rauschenberg (52 marathons in 52 weeks) was on hand after medalling in the Aquathon to sign copies of his book, 138,336 Feet to Pure Bliss.

There were many familiar names in the field, including T-Roy Brown and Sheila Donahoe, who took home the Pumice Man trophies, and Curtis Brawner and Bridget Dawson, who earned the Sprint Triathlon championship trucker hats. Also, Jeff Peters returned this year with two future triathlets, Ken Chard and Ralph Williams, for a Pumice Man Relay Team.

Thanks to Small Town Roasters, Next Adventure, and the Historic Balch Hotel for the fantastic raffle prizes. Also, thanks to Whitney and Athletepath for their continued support!

Next up for the Timberline Trail Running Club is the Timberline Mt Run August 11, a fun event that's all about getting your altitude on with hot dogs, cold beer, and lots of sun in a blooming alpine wonderland. But, if you're worried about a little bit of elevation sapping your performance, not to worry. Bring a few friends and sign up as a team. There's no size limit for teams; you just need at least one woman, and at least two people total. Scoring is based on placement and participation, so the bigger your team, the better your chances of winning. You can walk up those hills and still be a mountain running champion!

Also, we'll be changing our three event websites to reflect one page at portlandrunner.com. Our other urls, timberlinetrail.com and pinehollowtri.com, will simply point to one page, where all your event info is just a click away.

See you June 16 for the X-Dog Mt Hood Scramble!

Epic Summer Weekend Events 2013

Mai Tai Snow Cones, kegs of Redhook, aloha shirts and grass skirts: summer has arrived at Horning's Hideout. Camping and partying commences Saturday, May 18, for Sunday's race. 

The Hawaiian theme lasts through the first weekend of June for the Pine Hollow Experience. Stand-Up Paddling, kayaking, and outrageously costumed rowing competitions Saturday June 1 at the Pine Hollow Paddle will be topped off by a night of epic karaoke after a lakeside bbq, and then followed by the Pine Hollow Tri Sprint Triathlon, Pumice Man double triathlon, and Redneck Aquathon Sunday, June 2. Camping available Lakeside! 

June brings us another camping weekend at the year's largest X-Dog race. The Mt Hood Scramble is just about full, but there's still plenty of room for camping, which will also be hosted by Redhook. 

Camping continues in July with the ever-popular Creek Streak & McCubbin's Gulch Scramble, one of the biggest and baddest parties of the year. Chef Andrew will once again smoke up some precious vittles, including an entire swine. For those of you who are vegetarian, we do have a vegan pig: his name is Floyd.*

The next camping adventure is September 14 and 15, with live coastal salmon flopping upriver and not-so-live coastal salmon grilled to perfection at Ole's Assault, mile for mile the most challenging obstacle race on the planet. Then it's September 21 and 22 on the banks of the Deschutes for Maupin's three-stage adventure race, the Ride Row Run. 

Video? Maybe we'll have more video this year, as I'm installing a cup-holder on my camera. Here's a little McCubbin's footage to tide you over, brought to you by Smoovberg and XDEfilm.

* Just kidding: Floyd is not a vegan.

The Oregon Mountain Running Series

The 2013 La Sportiva / USATF Oregon Mountain Running Series calendar has been announced, more or less. We're still waiting to see if Larison Rock Hillclimb will join in, but five races have made the cut, and two of those races are directed by the Timberline Trail Running Club. 

The link with all the details is here, on the Oregon MUT blog, but I can say that there will be cash prizes. And lots of La Sportiva trail shoes. Robert Yerex, the Mountain, Ultra, and Trail coordinator for USATF-Oregon, points out that "though all races are open to all runners, USATF membership is required to score and win awards in the series." 

So $100 to the top USATF man and woman at each race, $200 to the best USATF man and woman in the series, which is the Best of Three (out of 5 or 6) races, $150 to the top USATF masters man and woman, etc. And lots of trail shoes, courtesy of La Sportiva. (The Oregon MUT blog also has info on how to register with USATF, and the additional benefits thereof. If you're a USATF member before the start of the race, you're automatically in the Series.)

April 27th starts off the Series with the brand-new 15-mile Smith Rock Ascent. 

Then, the 10-Mile Granite Man is on June 2. We'll be at the Pine Hollow Experience June 1 and June 2 for the Pine Hollow Paddle, Pine Hollow Sprint Triathlon, Pumice Man double triathlon, and the premier Redneck Aquathon, in a joint celebration of X-Dog Events and the Timberline Trail Running Club. So, we'll have to miss this one. But not to worry, as the Series is the best out of three races.

Next up is the Mt Ashland Hillclimb Run Saturday, August 10. This classic race is now in its 36th year, and is the day before our Timberline Mt Run Sunday, August 11. Again, you only need to compete in three races, so you could do one or the other. However, the Series will Award the top USATF man and woman who run both the Ashland Hillclimb AND the Timberline Mt Run. In fact, in addition to the top-finishers Series Award, we might just give you a special prize of our own just for doing our race on Sunday after doing the Hillclimb in Ashland. Let's just say the trip to Timberline Lodge will be worth it. It's also my birthday, so there will be lots of cold beer.

So, the 6.97-Mile Timberline Mt Run on August 11 is the fourth race in the Series, and remember that we have a special award for the Mt Running Team Champion. The beauty of this is that the team points are weighted toward participation, so the more people on your team, the more points you get. This year there's only one category, which is Open/Mixed teams, so the only prerequisite is you have to have at least one female on your team. Simply write down your team name when you register, and you're in. Last year the Cropdusters and Oregon Active were both Mt Running Champions.

The next race in the Series is the 5.6-Mile Multnomah Falls Trail Run Sunday, September 29. We will again award the best costume, which is open to participants in the 5.6-Mile Race and the 5.6-Mile Walk. In addition, we are awarding a special prize to the first runner to finish wearing a Superhero costume. 

I've been Superheroing races for some time. I think it started at the Starlight Run 12 or 13 years ago, where I dressed as Batman, and just tried to be the first to finish wearing a costume. It was tough, but not impossible. It's great if you can win or place overall, or win your age group, but sometimes running a race in a Superhero costume gives you that extra edge, because how many other people will be racing seriously in a costume? So in addition to giving out the standard awards for top three male and female, and first in each age category, we'll be awarding the first Superhero.

This weekend we'll be in Pine Hollow readying the bike racks for the X-Dog Dirty Du and Dirt Dash at Hagg Lake April 14. 

And tonight kicks off the Oregon Active Springtime Urban Trail Series. 

See you there!

Winter Training Schedule

Here's the schedule so far leading up to the Wildwood City Marathon Easter Sunday:



Feb 9, 8:00am: 18 miles on Wildwood Trail from Mile 0, at the Zoo

Feb 10, 9:00am: 12 miles on Herman Creek Trail with the Lizards (click here for details and directions)

Feb 16,  8:00am: 22 miles on Leif Erickson from the Thurman end

Feb 23, 8:00am: 20 miles on Wildwood Trail from Mile 0, at the Zoo

March 2, 8:00am: 24 miles on Leif Erickson from the Thurman end

March 9, 10:00am: Buck Mt Mudslinger

March 16, 8:00am: 26 miles on Leif Erickson from the Thurman end

March 17, 7:40am: Shamrock Run

March 23, 8:00am: 15 miles on Wildwood Trail from Mile 0, at the Zoo

March 31, 8:00am  Wildwood City Marathon

Schedule subject to change and / or corruption. 

Starting in April, we hit the Gorge. 

This public service message was sponsored by the Pine Hollow Tri  and the brand new Redneck Aquathon!

Winter Training Program

Groundhog Day marks our first (free) group run in our Winter Training Program, 9:00am Saturday, February 2, at the Thurman Road end of Leif Erickson. Thanksgiving, X-Mas, and New Year's have come and gone, and now it's time to get in shape for the 2013 season. Check out the best races around on our Race Calendar.

Want to train for the Shamrock 15K? or the 5K or 8K on St Patrick's Day, March 17? (Team Registration deadline is January 31, and individual entry fees increase on Feb 1.) Shamrock Run Portland  And / or, do you want to train for the (free, Fat Ass style group run) Wildwood City Marathon? Why not kick off the season with an urban, very Portland, not flat, trail marathon course that you run just for the hell of it? 

Some of you may have already experienced the warm and sunny 2013 White River Snowshoe, the oldest and largest snowshoe run in the west. If not, you can check out the video here.

Starting in April, we'll shift the training runs into the Gorge. Right now, there's a bit of snow and ice.

2013 Registration up for Pine Hollow Tri

The Pine Hollow Tri 2013 registration is now online. In addition to the Pumice Man, now starting at 8:30am, and the Sprint Triathlon, starting at 9:00am, we have a new event, the Redneck Aquathon, starting at 9:30am. This all happens Sunday, June 2, 2013, the day after X-Dog's Pine Hollow Paddle.

Lock in a super deal from active.com now.

Updates to Portland Runner Calendar

The Portland Runner Race Calendar has been updated. Notice the Sagebrush Skedaddle is the last weekend in August, and not on Labor Day weekend. Run Wild's 2012-2013, October-May calendar year starts with the first annual Detroit Lake Mud Run. Also, the third, fourth, and fifth weekend in September are filled with three great races in a row: Ole's Assault, Ride Row Run, and Multnomah Falls Trail Run.

I'm not sure why, but you heard it here first.

Just finished reading Racing Through the Dark, by David Millar, (the 2012 US version by Simon and Schuster.) I'll be writing a full review in the Oregon Distance Runner, but I just wanted to say that it's the best book I've read all year, and one of the best books on professional racing in any sport. Go out and buy David Millar's book right now, during the Tour de France, you'll be cheering for Team Garmin/Sharp/Barracuda/Slipstream and Team Sky, as they're apparently the only professional cycling teams that test their own riders and support athletes who race without injecting themselves with vitamins, drugs, or anything. 

It's especially timely now, since Lace Armstrong is fighting doping allegations dating back to his days on the US Postal Service and Discovery teams following his protege, Alberto Contador, who finally recently got busted for doping. (According to the BBC Sport link, cycling legend Eddy Merckx said the Alberto Contador doping investigation was "excessive"...but he also said Contador's explanation of eating tainted meat was "not credible." Merckx is basically saying that it surprised him it took the anti-doping agencies this long to follow through with a 2010 test, especially since he won the Tour in 2007 and 2009.)

Everyone blames the anti-doping agencies; these agencies obviously can't keep up with the cutting edge in biological science that's submerged in that gray area between finding the winning edge and cheating, so it's up to cycling teams and athletes to change the sport. 

David Millar, currently riding with Team Garmin in the Tour de France under the British flag, never accuses Lance or Alberto in his book, and really has nothing for respect for them both. But he did approach Lance, who used to ride with him on the Confidis team, and attempted to obtain his help in cleaning up the sport of professional cycling. He thought Lance could use his celebrity status to help move the sport forward. However, Lance (not unlike Floyd Landis) thought the sport could not be saved.