Are you ready for some mud? Info on the 2012 Hagg Lake Mud Runs

FROM THE RACE DIRECTORS:

This email is full of information of what we currently have set for the 2012 ORRC Hagg Lake Ultras. We are still finalizing some details but we are excited about the 2012 edition of the Hagg Lake Mud Runs ... let's hope for rain up until race day, and then sunshine and mild temps!

 

Note we have added another race director, Marianne Jones. Marianne is joining us to gain some race directing experience and to help us out, as the husband and wife pair on the Hagg Lake Team (Eric & Kelly Barten) are expecting and will be more than 7 months pregnant on race day!

 

Please read through this information and if you still have questions, you can contact us at hagglakemud@gmail.com.

 

2012 Hagg Lake Dates

 

The 2012 Hagg Lake Mud Runs are scheduled for the 3rd weekend in February 2012. The 50k will run on Saturday, February 18, 2012 and the 25k will run on Sunday, February 19, 2012. There is no 25k option on Saturday.

 

We will be updating our website soon with new information about parking, our refund and transfer policy, and more information. 

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2012 Hagg Lake Registration

 

We anticipate that registration will open around November 1, 2011 for the 2012 Hagg Lake 50k and 25k. Based on previous year's registration numbers and interest shown this year we expect the 25k will fill within one week. The 50k has not historically sold out but we appreciate it when you sign up ahead of time so we can accurately place our shirt order.

 

If you have received this email directly, you are already on the notification email list and will receive a direct link when registration is open.

 

If you received this email from a friend, and you want to get yourself on the list, you can sign yourself up by choosing "2012 Notification" from the options on our newsletter sign-up page.

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2012 Hagg Lake Newsletters

 

We want to make it easy for you to get the information that you need for the 2012 Hagg Lake Ultras.

 

Each registered runner will automatically be added to an email list for the race they are running. You can also choose to be added to any of four additional newsletters by clicking here and signing up:

 

Trail Work Days

Training Opportunities

Volunteers

Hagg Lake Newbies

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2012 Hagg Lake Training Runs

 

Saturday, October 22 8a - Forest Park at 53rd 

Sunday, November 20 8:30a - Hagg Lake Picnic Area

Sunday, December 18  8a - Forest Park at 53rd 

Saturday, January 21 8:30a  - 8:30a - Hagg Lake Picnic Area

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Links

Hagg Lake Mud Runs website

National Champion Shines at Hagg Lake 50k

The Oregon Trail Ultramarathon Series kicked off yesterday with the Hagg Lake 25k / 50k Trail Runs. USA Trail Marathon Champion Max King (pictured) won the 50k by 15 minutes in a time of 3:26:54. Max was followed by another Central Oregon speedster Andy Martin (3:41:31) and FitRight NW employee Ruben Galbraith (3:42:00). On the ladies side Pam Smith finished 8th overall in 4:18:34.

The 25k race was won by the only person to run a faster per mile time than 50k winner Max King (6:40). Dave Harkin's 6:24 pace gave him the race win in 1:39:06. Dave was followed by Nathan Smith (1:43:54) and Richard Bolt (1:44:52). The first woman to cross the lakeside finishline of the 25k race was 41 year old Kristin Lynn (2:11:05).

Complete results can be found at: http://www.haggmud.com/default.aspx
Photos courtesy of Brian Conaghan Photography

Hagg Lake 50K Race Report from Neil Olsen

February in the Willamette Valley predictably means rain, so I was mentally preparing myself for a long cold soggy windy mud-fest like last year. The weather report even the day before predicted rain at least into the morning. But weather forecasters, like national security advisers, somehow keep their jobs even when their predictions are wrong. It was crisp at first, but clear skies, no wind to speak of, and beautiful.

Unlike last year, I was determined to be at the starting line before the race started. I set three 3 alarms- one mistakenly for 6:30 PM, one I didn't hear, and thankfully one that got me up. I didn't linger over breakfast at mother-in-law's in McMinnville, but instead ate a big cup of cheerios in the car on the way.

Don't ask me where this came from, but they have a skirt competition at the start. Sean Meissner (Peterson Ridge RD from Sisters) looked as cute as ever, but I thought the stocky guy in the jumper took it up a notch.

Sean had a bit of laryngitis, but he's still great company. We watched some guys go out fast on the dirt road out-and-back. By the dam they had about a 1 minute lead. I did some mental math and figured it would take 7:20 miles to hit the course record. On a muddy day that wouldn't be plausible, but there were long stretches with good footing and little mud. We were on pace and I felt good, so I started shooting for that. From the 1st to 2nd aid stations I drafted off of Rod Bien (from Bend). He shared advice from longer runs. We caught up to the leaders about half way through, and other than some hamstring tightness I was still feeling good, so I put in a little surge to stay ahead of that 7:20 average. Shortly after this I got a boost from catching my friend from Central Point, John Lotts, who had taken an early start for his first trail 50k.

True to it's advertising, there was still mud. It was only shortly after the "Abandon All Hope" trail sign that I gave up keeping my shoes clean and dry, and this is where I took my first fall. My next was on a bridge after the start of the second loop. Somewhere around 400 runners had crossed that bridge at least once, and they transferred just enough mud to make it slippery. I reached my hand out in time to squash open the gu packet I had been carrying in the palm of my glove and got gu all over my glove and GPS watch. I got road rash and a bruise on my shoulder. My other battle scar came later from a blackberry bush to my thigh as I swung wide to pass a 25k runner. I feared for another skin problem as well, but it has now been 2 days and no poison oak has shown up yet. A huge amount of trail work must have gone into getting the trails ready.

The 2nd lap I was able to hold fairly steady, ticking off each mile on my GPS watch, which only lost satellite connection a couple brief times. The flats I was able to go well below pace, and the hills and winding sections generally are fairly short at a time. I ran somewhat negative splits, so I was confident I had the race, and with a couple of miles left I knew I wouldn't die hard enough to keep from going under the record. I saw 2 other friends from Central Point, Brett Mitchell and Ken Ellgen doing the 25k. I saw a bunch of other 25k runners, and hope I didn't surprise them by coming up fast from behind. I know I surprised the guy working the finishing chute, because at first he tried to send me on for another lap.

Half the fun of these runs are the quality people. The aid station folks were wonderful. Cheepskate that I am, I just used a walmart water bottle, but they were able to fill it through it's narrow neck before I even had my 2nd handful of m&m's. And I hadn't tried pumpkin bread on a run before, but it was quite good. kudos to them, the race directors, those that did all the trail work, and the other volunteers. -Neil