White River 50

Yesterday's White River 50 miler down near Mt. Rainier was a fun preview for Cascade Crest. A number of this year's CCC entrants were out fine-tuning things on the White River trails, and we're looking forward to seeing how all that hard work will pay off.

It was great to catch up with many of the folks who've been involved with Cascade Crest in previous years as runners and volunteers, including Scott Railton, Dan Probst, Wendy Wheeler-Jacobs, Jeff Wright, Janet Rosenfeld, and Kent Holder. There isn't a bright line between who's a runner and who's a volunteer at Cascade Crest lately. So many folks have done both, and we're proud of that.

Below is Pat Ackley, an '07 finisher who volunteered in '08 and '09, assisting Jenny Uehisa, an '07 finisher and '08 volunteer, at Buck Creek aid station. Photo of start above thanks to Glenn Tachiyama.

Lost Lake 50k

My wife graciously covered the home front today so I could slip up to Bellingham for the Lost Lake 50k. For those of you who have not run it (and that's most of you since there were around 35-40 runners this morning) you missed something really special. I feel like I discovered an unknown bar band that will be selling out Madison Square Garden in a couple of years.

The clear blue sky and high 60s temps made any outdoor activity more appealing but great weather aside, Lost Lake delivered everything that makes Northwest ultrarunning rewarding. Race Director Alvin Crain gave us miles of gorgeous single track, impeccable course marking, friendly competent volunteers and a semi-sadistic scenic detour for a close up view of the Lost Lake waterfall. The course and the logistics were stellar.

Lost Lake is challenging (34 miles and > 8k of climb), very pretty, and very well organized. Put it on your calendar for next year. You won't regret it.

White River 50

Good luck to all running at White River this weekend. Go slow and stay cool out there. At least the race is going to be over before the real heat wave hits with temps forecast in the mid to high 90s on Monday and Tuesday in Seattle.

I will be at Buck Creek aid station with Pat Ackley and a stellar crew of volunteers. If you're running, we look forward to seeing you. If you are looking for something to do on Saturday we can put you to work. Buck Creek aid station is right next to the start / finish area. See the White River site for directions.

Charlie

Ain't Easy Being Green

We wouldn't have missed James Varner and Alison Hanks' Orcas Island 50K for anything this weekend. It's a terrific race on a beautiful course, and it proved just how green these two are.

By green, of course, I'm talking about the recycled t-shirts screened with the race logo. How they asked all runners to carry a water bottle, eliminating the need for single-use paper cups. Even the black bean stew at the finish was served in reusable containers. In all, the garbage generated by a race with this many runners was impressively small, and the trails they left behind were pristine.

We've tried greening up Cascade Crest before, and it's not as easy as it seems. Last year we attempted to separate garbage from recycling and compost, for example, but we still generated a jumbo Dumpster of cardboard boxes and banana peels. What's the message when an event to purportedly celebrate the outdoors is actually populating a landfill somewhere?

A 100-mile race faces somewhat different constraints than your basic fat ass, but even so we know there's plenty of room for improvement. So look for further efforts coming this year to keep the trails looking good during and after the race. And if you're running or crewing, thanks in advance for your help in minimizing the waste we generate.

Unofficial Word on Baker Lake 50K

We're hearing that James Varner won today's Baker Lake 50K in 4:07, which sounds like a new course record. James, who looks faster and stronger with every race that he runs, is also the guy who pulled an all-nighter to aid runners coming through No Name Ridge at Cascade Crest this year.

Big congratulations to James and to all of the Baker Lake runners including long time Cascade Crest runner and volunteer Marlis de Jongh, above, who ran like a champ and was waiting at the finish line with beer in hand for our good friend Sam Warren. Sam broke his neck in a climbing accident and was temporarily paralyzed a couple years ago, not very long after running his first ultra. That ultra was Baker Lake. He's been through much rehab and training since, and it's great to know that he's back on the trails again. Photo by John Pearch.

First Plain 100 Finishers

Our sources tell us that Allen Belshaw of Steamboat Springs, Colo., has unofficially won Plain in a new course record time of 25:22:30. Tim Stroh of Arlington, Wash., placed second, and Ian Mcllvenna of Quesnel, B.C. was third.

Baker Lake 50K is This Weekend

The spectacular Baker Lake 50K takes place this Saturday, Sept. 20. Race director Shawn Lawson says there's still space for runners who are thinking of signing up. She's also looking for extra folks to help haul drop bags and supplies two miles from the downed bridge to this year's new turnaround point. Email her at shawn@bakerlake50k.com if you want to run or can lend a hand.

We have no doubt that Shawn will be a star in her race directing debut. She's the ultrarunning goddess who at Cascade Crest not only checked in the starters and volunteered for the Cole Butte aid station, but also crewed and paced runner Arthur Martineau to another impressive PR. So get out there and support her race!

Cle Elum 50K

Official results are posted at the race web site!

Plain 100 Update

All we know about the '08 Plain 100 is that Tim Stroh, Cascade Crest veteran, finished in second place. Not to state the obvious, but that means at least two finishers, more than in some previous years. Actually, we're betting on double-digit finish numbers and we'll keep you posted as news comes in off the wire.

Cle Elum 50K Winners

What perfect conditions for yesterday's Cle Elum 50K, where we're told that Canadian runner Gary Robbins broke the course record, with James Varner just minutes behind him and Erik Brooks in third. We've confirmed that James, along with Alison Hanks, will be taking over race directing for Cle Elum next year. Nice job, guys!

First female at Cle Elum was Alaska native Lia Slemons, a first-time ultramarathoner who finished just 5 minutes shy of Krissy Moehl's course record. Looks like Krissy now has another reason to get herself back up to Seattle. Congratulations to all of the runners!

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.