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/.

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.

Mt. Ashland Hillclimb - USATF Results

Here are the results for USATF members who raced in the Mt. Ashland Hillclimb held earlier this month.  Mt. Ashland was the 3rd race in the 2011 La Sportiva / USATF-Oregon Mountain Running Series.  Series scoring will be updated in the next post on this blog.


USATF Place Name Age City/St Time
1 Erik Skaggs 29 Ashland, OR 1:51:54
2 Tim Van Orden 43 Bennington, VT 1:53:24
3 Hal Koerner 35 Ashland, OR 2:01:42
4 Richard Bolt 41 Portland, OR 2:04:24
6 Stephanie Howe 28 Bend, OR 2:11:40
5 Robert Julian 43 Medford, OR 2:17:39
7 Joe Griffin 51 Central Point, OR 2:20:39
8 Shawn Donley 41 Portland, OR 2:23:57
9 Jeff Olsen 26 Ashland, OR 2:33:37
10 Laura Raber 33 Eagle Point, OR 2:35:51
11 Shahid Ali 26 Ashland, OR 2:40:07
12 Lela Stemple 14 Talent, OR 3:03:57

Complete race results can be found here:
http://ultrasignup.com/results_event.aspx?did=10633

Mt. Ashland Hillclimb Run - Pre-race notes

More wisdom and final thoughts from Race Director Torsten before this Saturday's race:

Wow, the weather forecast is excellent, the fire danger is relatively low, enough snow has melted to have a clear path: the race deities seem to be looking kindly on us this year. We've consulted sheep entrails, tea leaves and an old Magic 8 ball I bought at a garage sale and all signs augur well for an exceptional Mt Ashland Hill Climb Run this Saturday. 

Race packet pickup the day before the race is at Rogue Valley Runners (161 East Main Street in downtown Ashland), from 12-6. I know, I mentioned this already. Department of Redundancy Dept. We like it when people pick up their packets the day before.

Race packet pick up on race day is at the race start, between 6:15 and 7:15. 

The race start is near the bottom of Lithia Park on Winburn St near "the plaza", across the street from Sesame restaurant, near the frequently headless Abe Lincoln statue, and approximately 42° 11.792'N, 122° 42.963'W.

Start Time is 7:30am. We like to be prompt. And, this year I will make sure to have the microphone on when I say "go!"

No Early Starts. I know, you have the best intentions, but have you heard about the destination of the road paved in that manner? Read the FAQ for some of the reasons why we don't allow this (but know this: my timers are math-challenged and adding an hour to your time might put them over the top).

Race Day is Saturday. (Someone who will remain nameless, Cynthia, called me on Sunday one year wondering where everyone was!).

Not showing? There's still time to tell me--without repercussions--if you're not coming (thanks to those who already have). It's less food to buy.

No dogs, snapping turtles or reticulated pythons. Lots of requests for dogs this year. This is not the Iditarod. 

Hiking Poles. Hiking Slavs and Hungarians are OK. Hiking poles, on the other hand, are relegated to the back of the pack. I'm sure there is a joke here about Reverse Polish Notation, but I can't think of the punch line. 

Drinks. Speaking of punch, we serve various electrolyte beverages on course, usually Gatorade but sometimes Heed. It tends to be cool or cold which is what most people seem to want. If you want something else (warm tea, espresso, margarita, etc), you should bring it yourself. We'll have some stuff to eat too, but it's not a gourmet feast. Just setting expectations...

If you want clothes brought to the summit, please put them in a well-marked bag and bring that to the sign-in desk on Saturday. The summit is the top, the apex, the zenith, not the lodge. If you only make it to the lodge, your bag of clothes will be at the summit and will come down only when the aid station closes. We are not responsible for your bag. 

The bus is full.

The race is full.

Leftover stuff. If you leave your crap possessions at the event, I may or may not decide to bring it to my house. Honestly, the stuff you folks leave there astounds me. And, no, don't leave your children, because I won't take them home, not even for "just a week."

Pre-Race Things To Do:

It's too late to start training, so on Friday, go to Dagoba (1105 Benson Way in Asland), taste, then buy some chocolate and then go to a local winery, taste some red wine, and then buy some. Great combo for Saturday evening. Savor the flavors.

Go to Rogue Valley Runners. Pick up your packet and buy the stuff we won't have at the race. I don't think buying shoes the day before is such a good idea though.

Post Race things to do:

Go jump in the lake. Actually, go jump in the reservoir at the top of Lithia Park. Great way to cool off those muscles, reduce inflammation, etc.

Eat at Standing Stone. You locals might want to wait a few days so we don't all descend on them the same day. Remember that theater-goers tend to eat between 6 and 8.

Embrace adversity,

Torsten Heycke

Mt. Ashland Hillclimb - pre-race message from race director

A message from Torsten Heycke (Chief race mucky muck - pictured above):


We're just a week and a half away from the Mt Ashland Hillclimb Run (Sat, Aug 6). Below is some important information that might help you and us:

1. Reminder: This is an extremely challenging event.
You already signed a waiver telling us that you acknowledge this. You can't plead insanity, because that is already assumed. Seriously, though, if you are not physically able, you should not participate. It could be extremely cold and/or hot. Additionally it could be windy or completely still. There are unmarked hazards including loose rocks, holes, and branches. There may be wild animals on the course. Speaking of, there may be mountain bikers riding on various roads and trails (though we have asked local shops to inform riders to please refrain).

2. If you know you're not going to make it to the event, please tell us as soon as possible. Race directors are reporting 20-25% no-shows at their events. No-tell no-shows result in a huge waste of resources, including food and drink, and people's time. It also messes with the random draw prizes. We know that stuff comes up: forgot to train, root canal scheduled for that day, have to clean the garage, etc. Just tell us: there is no embarrassment in that. The consequences of "no-tell, no show" are likely to be most heinous: I haven't decided whether to pass the list on to other race directors or feed the information to a tele-sales organization.

By the way, if you pick up your race packet, we are assuming you will show up at the race. Please notify us if you are not going to participate. It hurts our feelers if we go searching for you on the course and find out you didn't start.

3. There are no refunds, exchanges, credits, etc.
Check the FAQ for more on this.

4. Pre-Race Training. 
Run up Mt Ashland from town and get a ride back. You can do this by arranging with the Ashland Mountain Adventure folks for a shuttle ride from Mt Ashland down to town. You will want to coordinate with their existing shuttle schedule . 541.499.2298

5. Friday Packet Pickup is at Rogue Valley Runners, 161 E. Main St, from 12- 6pm.
Great place to pick up some stuff while you're there. You can also pick up your packet on race day at the race start (at the bottom of Lithia Park, on Winburn Way near "the plaza") after 6:15am and before 7:15am. Please don't show up at 7:20.

6. Race numbers. Wear them where finish line people can see them. If you wear your number on your butt, make sure you go through the finish line butt first. We'd prefer that you wore your number in front, but that's your prerogative. We apologize if this messes with your fashion statement. If we can see your number, we will give you a race time. The corollary to this is: we will give you a time when we see your number--even if it's several minutes after you finished. Also, please make sure you're wearing your number and not your spouse's, friend's, grandmother's, etc. It really messes with the results when a 21-year old guy wins the women's 60-69 division.

7. Race Day: Dropping out and aid station cut-off times.
If you drop out, please notify someone at an aid station. Make sure they write down your number (or better yet, give them your number). If you are asked to stop, please do so. Many people stop at the lodge and that's a good choice (food, drink, beer maybe).

-- Four Corners (~6.6 miles) by 10:30am
-- Bull Gap (~10.5 miles) by 11:30am
-- The Lodge (~12.8 miles) by 12:15pm.

IMPORTANT: the summit aid station will close at 1pm and there will be no transportation down after that time. If you continue past the lodge at 12:14 and decide to linger to marvel at the extraordinary wildflowers on the way up to the summit, you just might miss the aid station. Great wildflowers, though.

8. Race Day: Getting Down from Mt Ashland Summit to the Lodge
We will have vehicles driving down from the summit on a narrow, bumpy, dusty road. You may find that you are faster if you just walk down. We appreciate if you can do this.

9. Race Day: Spectators
The best place for spectators is at the Mt Ashland lodge. Please do not drive the narrow, bumpy, dusty road to the summit. Spectators who drive to the summit delay our shuttle vehicles, which also delays results, emergency care, and water and food delivery. There is nothing worse than delaying water and food to thirsty and hungry runners. Please tell your spouses, significant others, fan club, etc that you (the participant) risk disqualification, or worse: public humiliation, by their driving up to the summit. Spectators can walk to the summit if they want (but please don't walk up the road!)

10. Race Day: The Course
No one has gotten lost yet; well at least, everyone has eventually shown up. Please read the website course directions. Look at the maps there. We do minimal course marking (mainly at the locations where you might be confused... but, really, who are we to know when you will get confused? Sometimes I can't remember why I went into the garage, so confusion might arise at any time and anywhere.) Be responsible, read the course description. www.mtashlandrun.com/course.html

Also, Mt Ashland still has snow in places, but not on our course. So, if you're walking in the snow, you're off course.

11. Race Day: Awards and Random Draw Prizes
Race day awards will be shortly after 11. If you arrive at the lodge parking lot after that, you can still collect your prize. (These are first place prizes for age groups and overall men's and women's winners).

Random prize winners can pick up their item(s) at the lodge parking lot. Must be present to win. Hmm, words to live by.

Thanks for reading,

Torsten Heycke
Chief race mucky muck

Mt. Ashland Hillclimb - Registration Opens April 15

Join the action on Saturday August 6th, 2011 for the 34th Annual Mt. Ashland Hillclimb Run. This 13.3 mile event begins in downtown Ashland's beautiful Lithia Park (el 1900') and climbs on tree-canopied dirt roads and trails to finish on the Mt. Ashland summit (7533'), for a total of 5,600' of climbing--that's over a vertical mile!

Registration will open April 15.

The Mt Ashland Hill Climb Run has the second most elevation gain of any continuous hill climb in the continental United States. The Pikes Peak Ascent in Colorado is the only event with more--7,800 feet. We have more elevation gain than even the Mt Washington Road Race in New Hampshire (4,727').

For more information visit:
http://mtashlandrun.com

2010 Mt Ashland Hillclimb - Results & Post Race Wrap-up

Race Director Torsten Heycke and his crew put on a great 33rd edition of the ever popular Mt. Ashland Hillclimb Run.  The 13.3 mile race climbs 5600' from Lithia Park to the summit of Mt. Ashland.  This year Bend speedster and newly minted member of the US Mountain Running Team Max King broke the course record set back in 1982.  Here are post event comments from the race director:

By now you may have seen results in the Medford Mail Tribune or online. We enjoyed great weather and fast(er) times. Max King set a new course record of 1 hour, 41 minutes, 50 seconds. Many of you had personal bests.

Andy Atkinson photos from the race are now up. The early photos show that Max King doesn't so much run as float up the hill.

It's fun to see people from far and wide participating in this event--Vermont, Utah, Hawaii, Massachusetts--and yet it's equally gratifying to see lots of local faces. This remains a community event. We have many locals who participate each year; Larry Zowada ran in the first hill climb back in 1978 and is still running.

By the way, if you have old results, we'd be interested in them.

Sponsors and Volunteers
To pull this event off requires considerable help from a lot of people. We enjoyed the assistance of 36 volunteers. Additionally, we enjoyed the stalwart support of the folks at Standing Stone Brewing Company, notably Alex Amarotico (who, by the way, ran on Saturday with no training). We thank the folks at Therapeutic Associates Physical Therapy, who gave us, among other things, the BPA-free water bottles (remember to take out the paper from inside them before you use them!). And, of course, Rogue Valley Runners pitched in as usual. Thank them for the $600 worth of GPS watches given as random draw prizes. Dagoba Chocolate came through again as well.

More spots next year.
We filled up extremely early this year and many people could not enter who wanted to. The Forest Service has tentatively granted us the right to expand next year and we will to some degree.

You can help make this event better.
We are exploring ways to improve this event. You can help by participating in a really quick survey (takes a minute or two). Two people will be randomly chosen from survey takers (who leave us optional contact information) for prizes (gift certificates to Apple Cellar bakery). You have through August 23rd to participate.

Thanks and see you next year,
The Mt A minions

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

You can find a great first hand account of the race by Dave Dunham.  
http://ddmountainrunr.blogspot.com/2010/08/mt-ashland-hill-climb-08-07-10.html
Dave finished 2nd at the World Mountain Running Championships in Gap, France and has been a multiple winner of the Mt. Washington Road Race.

2009 Mt. Ashland Hillclimb Run - Results

Joe Gray (Lakewood, WA) came south to run in his first Mt. Ashland Hillclimb Run thinking that MAYBE he could break Rick Sayre's record from 1986. A stout record of 1:42:?? was set the same year Rick won the Los Angeles Marathon. Coming off his recent victory at the USA Mountain Running Championships Joe had a shot at the record but could he overcome the heat, smoke from forest fires and not knowing the course?

Finishing in the second fastest time ever run (1:47:29) Joe won the 2009 edition of the Mt. Ashland Hillclimb Run and has a much better idea of what it's going to take to break 1:42.

On the women's side cross country ski racer Stephanie Howe (Bend, OR) came off a recent injury to finish 12th overall and beat the 2nd woman Jenn Shelton by almost 12 minutes.

A story from the Medford Mail Tribune can be found here.

The Rogue Valley Runners will have a blog post about the race very soon at: http://roguevalleyrunners.blogspot.com/

Complete results can be found at: http://www.mtashlandrun.com/results.html

Race photos can be found at: http://picasaweb.google.com/RichardABolt/2009MtAshlandHillclimbRun#

Also look for photos from Andy Atkinson here.

2009 La Sportiva USATF Oregon Mountain Running Series Announced

The La Sportiva USATF-Oregon Mountain Running Series is back again in 2009 - this time with 6 premium races around the state. The inaugural 2008 series featured scenic races on Mt. Hood, Mt. Bachelor, Mt. Ashland as well as a superb up and down challenge on the high ridges above crystal clear Applegate Lake. In addition to these 4 races the 2009 series adds a short but steep 2 mile challenge in the Columbia River Gorge and a new up / down format race in Oakridge, OR just East of Eugene. Great races also come with great rewards with one the top runners in the overall series winning a spot on the La Sportiva Mountain Running Team. Will Max King get a rematch on Mt. Hood against US Mountain Running Team member Joe Gray? Can Ashland speedster Erik Skaggs repeat his double victories at the Graniteman and Mt. Ashland? Who will win the 2009 series? It could be you!

For more information on the series visit:
http://www.usatf-oregon.org/node/322

Mt. Ashland Hillclimb Run - Results

First run in 1978, the 5600' of vertical climb of the Mt. Ashland Hillclimb Run has always been challenge for race participants. After 30 years of erosion and weathering by wind, rain and snow, the summit didn't feel any closer to runners of the 2008 race. 1 hour and 53 minutes after leaving the 1900' start line, local favorite Eric Skaggs was the first runner to the finish circle at 7533' above sea level. Eric was followed not so closely by Zach Violett (Bend, OR) - 1:57:23 and Richard Bolt (Portland, OR) - 2:00:30. On the women's side, 2007 race winner Evelyn Dong (Bend, OR) repeated as champion in a time of 2:08:40, smashing the record set by Dolores Bergman of 2:13.39 in 2004. Evelyn's time was fast enough to put her in 11th place overall and was nearly 10 minutes faster than her 2007 time of 2:17:24.

As usual, the race organizers did a fantastic job of providing cool temperatures and an overcast sky for most of the race only bringing in the sun when runners reached the summit. This was particularly helpful since the view from the summit of Mt. Ashland provides a panorama of northern California and southern Oregon. The race organizers kept the sun shinning for the post race festivities held in the parking lot of the Mt. Ashland Ski Area which included plenty of food, refreshments, raffle prizes and live music.

Official results are available at:
http://www.mtashlandrun.com/results.html

You can find more first-hand accounts and pictures from the race at:
http://roguevalleyrunners.blogspot.com/

Here is a very unofficial list of results:

1. Eric Skaggs - 1:53:01
2. Zach Violett - 1:57:23
3. Richard Bolt - 2:00:30
4. Matt Barnhart - 2:03:48
5. John Leuthold - 2:04:38
6. Hal Koerner - 2:05:59
7. Brayton Osgood - 2:06:02
8. Ian Torrence - 2:06:22
9. Thomas Ferrell - 2:06:30
10. Bob Julian - 2:07:17
11. Evelyn Dong - 2:08:40
12. Adam Seibert - 2:09:45
13. Colin Mahood - 2:12:10
14. Todd Ragsdale - 2:12:30
15. Jeremy Eisen - 2:13:52
16. Aaron Coe - 2:13:54
17. Jason Tedrow - 2:14:36
18. Joe Griffin - 2:15:50
19. Greg Mueller - 2:15:56
20. Chris Rennaker - 2:17:10

The 3rd race in the La Sportiva USATF Oregon Mountain Running Series will be the Sunrise to Summit 3 miles race up Mt. Bachelor near Bend on August 30. Complete race info at:
http://www.mbsef.org/events/sunrise2summit/