Timberline Mountain Run Start

A cool morning with scattered clouds and a breeze greeted runners in this mornings Timberline Mountain Run. After winning the Ashland Hill Climb Run yesterday in Ashland (a 6 hr drive south of here), David Laney was among the first off the line.

Ashland Hill Climb a Big Success!

David Laney and Becka Kem overcame any issues with what little lingering smoke there was to win the Men's and Women's open at the Ashland Hill Climb.

As he does every year, Torsten put on a fantastic event., It was up in the air (literally) if the race would be held. Several large forest fires close to Ashland had pushed the air quality index well into the unhealthy zone by Thursday. Fortunately, cooler weather and a bit of rain, as well as a shift in the wind cleared the smoke by race morning. It was a nail biter for Torsten who ultimately had to make the call on Friday to hold or cancel, just part of the behind the scenes trials and tribulations that race directors face. So many thanks to Torsten and his whole crew for persevering and getting it done!!

My only tribulations involved the SD card in my fancy new camera which got zapped and I have no pictures of the event.

Now with two races in the series completed, I will be tallying rankings in the next day or so and posting them here. Today I'm up at Mt Hood for the Timberline Trail Run. A few intrepid souls who ran Ashland yesterday came up for the race today.

Package Pickup Time for Ashland

Time to pick up your race packet at Rogue Valley Runners. Smoke has really started to clear out and things are looking up for tomorrow's race!

Race is on !

Looks like the race is going to happen!! Please see the official site for details. The race director reserves the right to cancel at the last minutehttp://www.mtashlandrun.com/.

Preliminary Race Report: Granite Man

Beautiful weather and a great course greeted runners at Sunday's Granite Man 10 mile Mountain Race.

A Fast Start, David Laney takes out the pack around Applegate Lake

David Laney, 24, of Ashland handily won the men's open division in a time of 1:11:19. Along with the overall prize money from the race organization, David took home an extra $100 and a pair of shoes thanks to La Sportiva. If you have not heard of David before, you will likely hear more of him the future. In April, David won the Eugene Marathon. If you live near Ashland and shop at Rogue Valley Runners, you will probably see David in the store helping customers make the best choices in running gear.

David Laney Takes the Win

David will be competing in the rest of the ORMS series and also plans on going to the USATF Mountain Running Championships in Cranmore, NH in July.

David Laney at the USATF / La Sportiva Tent

Justin Ricks of Team La Sportiva, finished a strong third overall and first in the men's 30-34 division with a time of 1:13:39.

Justin Ricks Finishes Strong

Don Gallogly, also of Team La Sportiva came in 9th overall with a time of 1:23:10 to take first in the 40-45 men's division.

Don at the Tent

Jenn Shelton of Ashland took the women's overall win in a time 1:23:45. Jenn had remembered to renew her USATF membership just the night before the race. Remember you need to be a USATF member to qualify for the additional prize money.

Jenn Shelton Takes the Win

Jenn stopped by the tent to collect her $100 check and certificate for La Sportiva shoes which she has been wanting to try. We will miss Jenn as she is due to move to Colorado soon.

Jenn's in a good mood after taking the win, the cash, and the shoes!

Thanks to everyone who made the race a great event. I will have complete results and the current ORMS rankings up as soon as I can get everything organized. Ashland is coming up, better hit the hills!

Granite Man Countdown

Just 5 days until the first race in this year's Oregon Mountain Running Series! You still have time to register online (until midnight on 5/30) for $25. Race day registration will be available for an additional $15, but why wait.

Weather is looking great with ehe rain clearing out by Thursday. By Sunday, it will be sunny and warm so prepare accordingly. I am nursing a hamstring strain and will not be racing but will be there to witness the race and festivities and try out my new digital camera. There will be an OMRS tent setup near the registration area, so please stop by. I'll be handing out raffle tickets and checking on USATF eligibility. Bring your USATF card if you have it. If not please go online to the USATF website and look yourself up, then print the page with your info and USATF #. This will make it a lot easier for me come race time.

The top placing male and female USATF eligible runners will win $100 each as well as certificates for La Sportiva shoes! There will also be a raffle for another shoe certificate. You will need to be there to win.

Registration for Ashland Opens April 20th, Will Fill Fast!

The third race in the Oregon Mountain Running Series is the venerable Mt Ashland Hillclimb Run. Registration opens tomorrow, April 20th and will fill up fast so you best set your alarm and get on it early!

Robert Yerex
USATF Oregon
MUT Coordination

Oregon Mountain Running Series 2013

The schedule is nearly finalized! We will be having at least five races and possibly a sixth. This is going to be an exciting series this year. Our major sponsor is again La Sportiva who has been very generous in funding the prize pool as well as providing shoes for winners. I will be posting additional details as they become available. Please spread the word!

June 2nd, 2013 - Granite Man Mountain Run, 10 miles, Applegate Lake, ORhttp://www.granite-man.com/10-mile-mountain-run/This is an exceptional USATF, 10 mile trail run that starts at Hart-Tish Park and crosses Upper Applegate Rd to Collings Mountain Trail. The course follows the length of the Collings Mountain Trail. You’ll encounter an abandoned miner’s cabin and an inactive Sasquatch trap. Several mine adits (tunnels with one entrance) are also found along the trail. You’ll take in excellent panoramic views of Applegate Lake and the Siskiyou Crest at several locations along the trail. While traversing the western slope of Collings Mountain you’ll gain 1,000 feet in elevation. Trees encountered along the trail include old growth Douglas fir, sugar pine, ponderosa pine, Pacific madrone, white oak and Saddler oak. Cross Upper Appelgate Road again and finish downhill to Hart-Tish Park. Breath in the mountain air and smile at your accomplishment!

August 10th - Mt. Ashland Hillclimb Run, 13 miles, Ashland, ORhttp://www.mtashlandrun.com/Now in its 36th year, the Mt. Ashland Hillclimb Run is the oldest continuously run mountain race in Oregon. Starting in downtown Ashland, this race climbs 5600’ over 13 miles to finish on the summit of scenic Mt. Ashland. The course record at this race was set in 1986 by Los Angeles Marathon winner Ric Sayre (1:42). Dolores Bergman set the women’s record in 2004 in a time of 2:13.39.NOTE: This race fills up quickly! Registration opens on April 20th. Go to the website to see ow you can get a guaranteed spot by helping with trail work!

August 11th -Timberline Mountain Run, 6.9 miles, Timberline Lodge, Mt Hood, ORhttp://www.timberlinetrail.com/The day after the Mt. Ashland Hillclimb run, this race will be spectacular! If Ashland is too far to travel, do this one, or if you are hard core, do them both!! Special prize for top finishers who run both races.
September 29th, 2013 - Multnomah Falls Trail Run
http://www.portlandrunner.com/
This year we have a special prize for the first runner to finish in a superhero costume. We will also have a prize for the best costume, as well as all the other awards of 2012. The last two years costume winners received a fifth of McMenamins' Hogshead whiskey. This race features Multnomah, Weisendanger, Ecola, Fairy and Wahkeena Falls. Space is limited to 150 participants, so sign up early.

TBD -  Larison Rock Hillclimb, 6 miles, Oakridge, OR
Race Director – Catrina Davis (catmaried@gmail.com)
I am working with Catrina to see if we can get this race back in the schedule. Those who have run it in the past know this to be a fun small field race.

AWARDS: The title and primary sponsor is La Sportiva, with additional support at events from the USATF Oregon Association. A total of $1,900 in cash prizes will be awarded:overall series participants:

• $100 to the top USATF man and woman at each race.

• $200 to the top USATF man and woman for total series ranking (best 3 races)

• $150 to the top USATF Masters man and woman for total series ranking (best 3 races)

• Trail Running shoes will be awarded at each race to the top USATF man and woman and each race. This year there will also be a pair of shoes for the top runner within category (gender and age category). No doubling up on shoes at a single race.

• Special award for the top USATF man and woman who run in both the Ashland Hill Climb on August 10th AND the Timberline Mtn. Run on August 11th.

ELIGIBILITY: As a USATF Oregon program, the series scoring is limited to individuals who are USATF members. Though all races are open to all runners, USATF membership is required to score and win awards in the series. Some of the other benefits of membership are:

1. Eligibility to score and win prize money in the USATF Oregon Grand Prix and other selected USATF Oregon races.

1. Elite runners who want to make the US Mountain Running Team or the USA 100k Team must first be USATF members.

1. 10% discount in the USATF Online Store, including Nike Dri-FIT gear.

1. Subscription to Fast Forward magazine.

1. Access to enter exclusive members-only contests.

1. Sport accident insurance.

1. Special discounts and offers from over 25 companies.

REGISTRATION: 

• There is no additional registration necessary. If you register for any of the races in the series through the individual race promoters website (or other means they have for registering), and you are a listed USATF athlete before the start of the race, you will be entered in the series.

• Just to be extra clear, to be eligible for prize money from, athletes must have USATF registration/license before the start of a race. Make sure that your registration is viewable on the USATF website as that is where I go to see who is eligible. Its really helpful if you use the same name spelling and address to register for each race as you did when you obtained/renewed your USATF license.

Click here to become a USATF member. If you have additional questions, feel free to email the series coordinator Robert Yerex at ryerex@robert-yerex.com.

Oregon Mountain Running Series for 2013

I am putting the finishing touches on the plans for this summer's race series and will post the schedule by early next week. There will be at least 5 races, and possibly 6. La Sportiva has again been very generous in their support. Look for details soon!