Upcoming Ultras

A week from tomorrow the local ultra scene yields up not one but two great local races. There's the Cle Elum Ridge 50K, co-directed by Cascade Crest finisher Marty Fagan and his wife and pacer Chris Fagan. The race is full but Marty and Chris are still looking for volunteers, so click on the link and give them a holler if you can help out. And by the way, that was their niece, Jessica Oliver, who sang the show stopping rendition of the Star Spangled Banner before Cascade Crest.

Also on tap is the famous Plain 100, a beautiful and remote race that isn't marked and provides no aid. The race, which starts in Blaine and features 21,000 feet of up and down, is the brainchild of Chris Ralph and Tom Ripley, who were running ultras when Kyle Skaggs was in diapers. In '07 the finisher numbers at Plain hit double digits for the first time ever; the defending champion and course record-holder is none other than the fabulous Tim England, who did a tremendous job marking long sections of Cascade Crest this year. Check out Tim's '07 Plain race report, featuring bears, stars, and voices in his head, plus a five-dog finish. Plain is also closed to entrants.