Del Scharffenberg
The race director Kip is an ultrarunner who has completed the Badwater Run
in Death Valley and is trying to format his event similar to that epic. It
looks like a grand idea, but has not had much local publicity. And the
website must be the slowest one in the universe! Here is a posting to the
ultra running list by Michael Sweney about a month ago:
"I found out about this race from a flyer at one of the running stores. I
wrote to the RD and got some questions answered and an invite to run an
orientation run this past Saturday that traversed 14 miles of the course.
This is an amended version of a report on that run I sent to some of my
runner friends if anyone is interested in what the first part of the course
was like:
We went 14-16 miles from a point west of Warm Springs on Tenino Road to
Peter's Pasture, crossing over the top of Shitike Butte on the way. It was
asphalt road to the Shitike Butte cut-off, and then dirt and gravel surface
from there to the pasture.
Kip Buck, the RD, is a nice man in person with a lot of empathy for the
runners (he is an experienced ultra-runner himself w/two Badwater journeys
under his belt). The course was marked superbly (like the McD Forest in
this regard), because he says, he was briefly lost once himself as a racer
at the Leadville 100, and does not want to see anybody get into that
predicament if he can help it. There were ribbons and green spray painted
arrows at all the intersections that conceivably could cause doubts if
unmarked...even I had no problems. He had also placed "runners ahead" signs
out on the paved road at half-mile intervals.
Saturday's course had some stunning views. We started east of the race day
start but on race day itself, one would run through town and then up a long
lightly tree-ed semi-arid valley, that emerges up on to a rolling tableland
that is primarily forested. It wasn't the high desert I thought it would be.
One is running straight for Mt. Jefferson but because of the trees are not
aware of it until somewhere around mile 18 or so and then bang! a clearing
on the right appears and with it the mountain! It literally stopped me in
my tracks. It was sheathed in snow and rising out of white clouds at its
base, truely a vision...
You then head up to the top of Shitike Butte, a forested cone. The wind up
there was coming right off Jeff's snowfields and was cold! More fabulous
views of Jeff which by now is quite close. The climb is not onerous at
all...not at least compared with Dog Mtn. From the top, you head down a
very welcome sustained downhill that goes for 2-3 miles I would guess, down
into a lushly forested valley with a mountain stream (pretty big one at
that) running through it: this is Peter's Pasture and what a different
ecosystem from Warm Springs. It will feel good to get there come July when
W.S. might be baking.
The course then heads north and up to Warms Springs Meadow, Simnasho, and
points-east until it loops back to the start. The orientation run's
furthest point was at the pasture, but there had been a good deal of scenery
already by that stage.
I think the course as a whole is going to be pretty varied: with the views
of Jefferson and Hood, the long forest roads, the drier Mutton Mtns area and
the high desert near Kahnetah: a good mix of Eastern Oregon type scenery.
The total elevation gain for the 105 miler is less than 9,000 feet which is
good for a beginner like myself.
There is also a 52 miler event that runs to Peter's Pasture and back,
climbing Shitike Butte twice. I think that is going to be a great run,
since after the summit on the return leg, its mostly flat or downhill for 22
miles to the finish!
There's a good website: www.warmspringsenduranceseries.com with more info on
it if anyone is interested."
----- Original Message -----
From: "Chris Brandt" <chris_br-@hotmail.com>
Hey there MTB'ers,
This sounds like a really cool Oregon event! At least the website makes
it look professional. It's a 100 mile mtb relay race next weekend...
and, YIKES! ... $290 to enter for a 4 person team, $250 for 2 person
teams, and $220 for soloists. Oh, and there's no ability level
categories, just "open".
http://www.warmspringsenduranceseries.com/
Who is promoting it? Where, when, or how does one learn about it??? I
don't know if anyone else out there has even heard about this event. I
know I haven't seen any flyers or word of it, and I would consider
myself kind of an "in-the-know" person when it comes to oregon mtb'ing.
Reading the race website schedule, it says that the deadline to register
is "saturday july 1st 2004"... Isn't today (thursday) the first of July?
Any OBRA members out there that have more information, it would be great
to share that to the list! Thanks.
Chris Brandt