Race Reports

“The scree field; the scree field; the scree” …this topic was the major focus of the Beaverhead Endurance Runs 100k and 55k pre-race meeting. “You have to make it through the scree field by dark”

I’ve been associated with the Finger Lakes 50s Trail Races for about 10 years, either running, volunteering or directing, and I thought the 2014 race was the muddiest year ever. So muddy that I didn’t think it could get any worse. I was wrong. With above average snowfall this past winter and relentless rain in the Finger Lakes region this year, the 27th annual running of the races was the muddiest by far.

On a high mountain ridgeline, early morning rays glance off your face as you stride over undulating single-track with never-ending views. Perfection. This is the setting of the Siskiyou Out Back Trail Runs (SOB). Starting and finishing only 30 minutes from downtown Ashland, OR, atop the Siskiyou Crest, all three races (15k, 50k, and 50-mile) traverse west along the backbone of the range and return to the Mt. Ashland lodge.

Mt. Disappointment 50K is back! The news was very welcoming to the ultrarunning community after a year of disappointing hiatus. Race directors Gary and Pam Hilliard and their band of volunteers spent numerous hours to bring the race back to its original course.

The 25th Howl at the Moon 8 Hour Ultra in Danville, IL, attracted runners from 15 states, some running their first ultra and others returning for the 20th time or more. The race bills itself as a perfect first-timer’s event because of its multi-surface 3.29-mile loop course, personal lap scorers and the abundance of on-course aid.