Quality Quest

Michelle’s Grande Ass Marathon

2008-09-09T16:23:00.000-07:00

August 31 – Puyallup WA

One nice thing I have stumbled across since I began peeking into the Marathon Maniac’s twisted little world is the “homegrown Marathon”. At about mile 10 during the Redmond Watershed Marathon Brian said “nature abhors a vacuum and Maniacs abhors a weekend without a marathon” (he also said “time flies like fruit and fruit flies likes bananas”; it took me several mile to sort that out). Maniacs like to run marathons EVERY weekend and occasionally there is a date that would require travelling quite far to get the weekly distance fix. So , Maniacs study the race calendar and organize their own events on the off dates. These marathons are really interesting in that each reflects the personality of its creator; of the two I have run one started at the director’s house and was entirely in the park near his house and the other had a coffee theme. Also, the field is usually small (approx. 30 participants), the support is minimal (the runners have to plan for much of their own logistics and supplies), and there is often a fair amount of route finding. Theses characteristics make the events low stress but might make things difficult for novice runners.

Michelle’s Grande Ass Marathon is certainly is one of these homegrown events. There were about 30 runners; Michelle says they are coffee drinkers with a running problem. The run started at a Starbucks in Puyallup and ran Starbucks to Starbucks through Sumner, Fife, and to the Ruston neighborhood in Tacoma. At each Starbucks (5 total) we arrived to have our photo taken for check-in.

They had water, some gels, and even two or three people cheering! The many (…many) route intersections had white chalk arrows and the particularly tricky corners actually had the race’s “route director” pointing the way.

And of course, there are often many things to see over the course of 26 miles. Most of my running is on trails and offers tremendous Pacific Northwest scenery, but this one was all in and between towns. Nevertheless, among the many interesting sights was a fish feeding frenzy – it appears to have been opening day beginning the frenzied attack against some unsuspecting of species of river swimmer; sure looks like fun (of course the rod wielders were probably looking just as us runners with the same lack of connection)! Finally, I cannot underestimate the interesting sights that urban running offers. A wilderness runner can find himself fascinated peering into store fronts and reading billboards. Thumbs up for Michelle’s Grande Ass Marathon!

For info: http://marathonfreak.com/grandeass/

Tunnel Marathon

2008-08-28T13:30:00.000-07:00

August 19 - Light at the End of the Tunnel Marathon – North Bend WA

The Light at the End of the Tunnel Marathon is certainly is a fun course with just the size field I like, about 100 runners and self serve aid stations. The course has plenty of scenery and novelty; the run follows a “rail to trail” old railroad bed. The event is named after the 2 mile long tunnel near the start (yes, you’d better bring a flashlight). There is an elevation loss of 2500 feet from start to finish. Many runners look towards this event to run a pace that will qualify them for Boston! The event was well organized and is a lot of fun; I highly recommend it! http://www.littlemarathon.com/Tunnel/default.asp

I was talking with a friend yesterday and she shared with me an observation about some of her Marathon Maniac friends (http://www.marathonmaniacs.com/ ); it occurred to her that when they start stringing marathons together their perspective of what is normal begins to creep. When most of their friends are spending every weekend running marathons (unless they are running an ultra), their view of normal is most likely quite abnormal!

Having pondered that, I am not sure if the Tunnel Marathon is a deceiving run, or if it is actually the easy run I though it would be and my minimal recovery from the Haulin Aspen Marathon the Sunday before skewed my view… nevertheless, I anticipated being able to run with a consistent pace but found myself in a moderate survival mode towards the end.

Haulin' Aspen

2008-08-28T13:03:00.000-07:00

August 10 – Haulin’ Aspen Marathon - Bend, Oregon

I love cramming so much activity into two days of vacation that it feels like a week, and if I combine the days with a weekend I can actually have a mini-adventure! RF and I rode to Bend OR to run the Haulin Aspen Marathon. We left on Friday just before noon and headed south on WA 9 to US 2, US 97 over Blewett Pass to WA 821(the Yakima River Canyon Highway). The last time I was on this road was for the Yakima River Canyon Marathon on April 5th ( http://www.ontherunevents.com/yrcm/ )(the third in my string of seven marathons in seven months). After discussing motorcycles with some friends over dinner in Yakima we continued south on US 97 over Satus Pass (3100 feet) to Goldendale. It sure is nice to get away from traffic and just enjoy the ride!! An unsuccessful search for a hotel room in the Dalles forced us to ride to Madras that night. US 197 from the Dalles to Madras seamed like a very interesting road with lots of curves and a few small towns at the bottom of tight switch backs. But we only had mili-second glimpses of the landscape in the occasional flash of lightning from the storm that lurked to the west over eastern flank of Mt Hood.

Bend is the geographic center if the state and is at 3625 feet elevation. The location is the boundary between the high desert to the east and the forested, snow capped Cascade Mountains to the west. The recreation opportunities in the Bend area seem to be unlimited: rock climbing at Smith Rock, Mountaineering, Skiing at Mt Bachelor, white water rivers, trail running and hiking… speaking of trail running, that’s why Rodger and I were in Bend. Some amazing things to do around Bend include a visit to or a climb in Red Rocks Park and a visit to lava tube.

The Haulin’ Aspen Marathon is a fantastic trail run that is totally on trail just west of town. The route climbs 2500 feet on forest road and then looses the elevation on single track trail (not too technical). Bend is a wonderful city, the trip to central Oregon is very scenic, the event is unique and well organized; it is a must do! http://www.freshairsports.com/events/haulin_aspen/index.php

August 3 - Ptarmigan Ridge

2008-08-06T00:53:00.000-07:00

This run could easily be a Runners’ World “Rave Run”. The trail starts high above the top of the Mount Baker Ski Area at the Artist Point parking lot. There is PLENTY of snow still in the mountains. The trail starts at the west end of the parking lot at about 5000’ (the trail head is a little tricky to find; don’t get started on the Table Mountain trail.) The parking lot and trail are very popular, so try to find an odd time to arrive; I began the run at 5:30 PM and most people were already off the trail, I only encountered about five hikers (mostly skiers coming down from the high snowfields). This trail is has many steep snowfields and should be approached with extra caution. Furthermore, mountain weather could quickly make this trail run into a survival experience. Having given sufficient warning disclaimers, let me say that the scenery is unparalleled for the 1000’ elevation gain over the four miles. I ran to the saddle just past Coleman Pinnacle; there is another mile towards the mountain but I chose to turn back because of the late hour (sunset is just after 8:30 now.)

I had to include this picture for my “ride to run” partner. We are nuts about riding our motorcycles on fantastic roads to run on fantastic trails… you can see how much fun the ride after the run was!!

For details about the trail visit the Forest Service site:
http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/mbs/recreation/activities/trails/mbrd/mbrd_0682_1.htm

or

Washington Trails Association site: http://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes-of-the-week/artist-point/?searchterm=ptarmigan%20ridge

August 2 - Raptor Ridge

2008-08-06T00:37:00.001-07:00

Another favorite run… am I allowed to call every run “my favorite”? I guess it is often my most recent run that is my favorite. This one certainly has all of the characteristics to be in the favorite category: it is close to town and is very accessible, even in winter; it is challenging, it climbs 1500 feet in four miles, it has a little bit of technical trail along the way; and it has a true turn-around destination at Raptor Ridge.

I usually begin the run at Fairhaven Park just south of the middle school at the north end of Chuckanut Drive. The trail heads east then turns south to Arroyo Park, flowing the start of the Interurban Trail. After crossing Padden Creek and climbing a couple of switchbacks the route takes a left onto Hemlock Trail and the climb begins.. Hemlock follows old logging roads, passing several trail junctions with excellent options into the Chuckanut Ridge trail complex. The actual Raptor Ridge trail is only 4/10 of a mile long, but is has many delights: a plan bridge, remnants of old growth, stone steps, unusual tree growth, and more… let the fun begin!

July 26 - Ragnar Relay

2008-08-06T00:25:00.000-07:00

Okay, I was only a spectator this time; I only learned about the event a few days before it took place. But I scoped it out pretty well. I watched C.B. begin the run for his “ultra” team, six team members instead of the twelve most teams had. The race started in Blaine and ended at the south end of Whidbey Island, 185 miles. I followed C.B. for his two segments and then found him at 3:00 AM at Deception Pass for his last two segments. I am going to have to think about putting a team together next year. I like the team component, the complex logistics, and the all night endurance...

For more info link to http://www.ragnarrelay.com/northwestpassage/index.php

Crescent Forest Marathon = 2 Stars!

2008-08-06T00:06:00.000-07:00

July 19

The Crescent Forest marathon was my sixth in six months, earning me a second star with Marathon Maniacs (http://www.marathonmaniacs.com/ ). It all began in February at the Death Valley Trail Marathon, then the Chuckanut 50K, Yakima Canyon Marathon, Capital City Marathon, San Juan Island Marathon, and number six was at the Crescent Forest. Number six was in
Gig Harbor with a small field of thirty runners and was a great experience.

Galbraith Mountain

2008-07-17T11:25:00.000-07:00

Galbraith Mtn in Bellingham provides seemingly unlimited options for "fringe rural " trail runs. The best overview of the area is on http://www.galbraithmt.com/index.html (fee for info). Listen closely for mtn bikers on the technical trails; no headphones! This is the heart of radical bike country, the home of the WHIMPS (Whatcom Independent Mountain Peddlers) http://www.whimpsmtb.com/ . There is even public art along the way!

Occasional great views of Bellingham and Mt Baker, lots of distance, plenty of fire road for non-tech running and lots of mtn bike trail for banked, twisty turns. Of course, Rodger and I "rode to run".

Eagle Creek Trail

2008-07-11T11:37:00.000-07:00

A truly Rave Run... Eagle Creek OR. Eagle Creek is accessible as an exit off I-84 eastbound a few miles east of Bonneville Dam and flows north into the Columbia River. The trail follows the creek and has an unbelievable sequence of natural and man-made wonders; waterfalls, cliff-side trails, even a tunnel behind a 200’ waterfall!! The trail gains 300’ in the first 3 miles, 600’ in the next 3 miles, then becomes more primitive and a bit less steep after Tunnel Falls. Arrive early for a parking space, it a very popular hike for Portlanders. Also, while there are a few runners that frequent Eagle Creek, please keep in mind that the lower portion is a family hiking trail with a steep drop off. We runners are the intruders in this family zone... be courteous and don’t freak out the youngsters! A forest pass is needed in the parking area (the fee goes towards maintaining the area). Finally, be aware of the poison oak that flourishes in this area .