Unique Gifts

If you're still on the hunt for a unique gift -- and who isn't -- check out the beautiful rings and necklaces created by our good friend Leah Kangas Jurek.

Leah, of course, is the artist responsible for those gorgeous hand-carved block prints that all Cascade Crest finishers received in recent years.

Leah's jewelry is handmade from a variety of natural materials, including metal, leather, and wool, silk, bamboo and cotton fibers, the latter of which are massaged together in a process known as felting, aka the oldest-known form of fabric-making. You can now find Leah's jewelry at the Seattle boutiques KOBO on Capitol Hill, Bitters Co. in Fremont, and Juniper in Madrona. Out-of-towners can also contact her via her website.

For the Ultrarunner on Your List

The Tribute to the Trails 2010 Calendar makes a perfect holiday gift for the active or aspiring ultrarunner on your list. The calendar features twelve months of Glenn Tachiyama's beautiful trail photography and a handy ultramarathon schedule for the Pacific Northwest and Western U.S. -- very helpful for making next year's training and racing plans. Plus, all profits go to the Washington Trails Association, a group that protects and enhances trails statewide, including some of the Cascade Crest 100 course.

Purchase calendars for $20 in person or online at the Seattle Running Company; Rogue Valley Runners in Ashland, Ore.; and Zombie Runner in Palo Alto, Cal.; and in person at the Balanced Athlete in Kent, Wash.; Everyday Athlete in Kirkland, Wash.; Fairhaven Runners in Bellingham, Wash.; Fit Right Northwest Walking and Running in Vancouver, Wash. and Portland, Ore.; and Fleet Feet in Bend, Ore. And become a fan on Facebook, if you're so inclined.

UPDATE: Glenn tells me that the calendar raised an amazing $15,000 for WTA last year and more than $35,000 since 2006. Thanks for supporting those who support us.

Ultrarunning Magazine Race Report

Charlie's Cascade Crest 100 race report is the spotlight article in November's Ultrarunning Magazine. It's a great summary of this year's event and includes such gems as this one about fourth place finisher Wouter Hamelinck, of Belgium:

"Wouter Hamelinck impressed everyone he met with his adventurous spirit and cheerful, helpful nature. He flew from Belgium to Seattle with his bike and pedaled to the start on Thursday. Friday he volunteered a full day on his feet helping race staff sort and pack gear for the aid stations. After scorching through the Cascades to a fourth place finish and grabbing a nap and shower, he loaded up his panniers and took off bicycling to the East, heading for Minnesota and the Superior 100 two weeks away. Keep that in mind the next time you plan what Wouter described as "a quick vacation from work".

New Assistant RD for Cascade Crest

Lucy Crissman finally arrived on the scene Tuesday morning. Her parents are so grateful to have a healthy little girl back at home. Thanks so much to all of you who have shared your good wishes and offered support. We've put our ultra skills to use and found a new use for duct tape!

2009 Splits

Apologies for the delay stats lovers but I've finally got the splits entered. If you see any obvious errors send me a note (charliecrissman at gmail). Splits are in an excel file. They are entered by aid station arrival using time of day and the excel entries are text strings.

2009 Race Reports

Check out race reports from runners, pacers, and others involved in this year's Cascade Crest 100. Among our favorites are runner reports from Jen, Christian, Scotty, Franz, Dan, Miles, Scott, Van, and a newspaper writeup about Matt. Also of interest: narration from pacers Cheri and Heidi, runner crew Jessica, sweepers Becky and dogs, and volunteer Jon. And check out a fun race summary from local endurance athlete and coach Matt Hart.

Late additions: More runner reports, from Linda and Rod, and a pacer report from Bruce.

Randy Returns

Among the many great stories from this year's race was that Cascade Crest 100 founder Randy Gehrke returned as an entrant for the first time. Randy, a retired King County Sheriff's deputy, used to mark the entire course in one push, unsupported, under the 32 hr time limit (check the old results) and accompanied only by his dogs and a couple of friends. This year almost a dozen runners shared that same course-marking job.

To Randy's right in the photo above are Tim Stroh who helped with course marking and Ron Behrmann, who co-directed the run and handled logistics in the race's early days. Tim finished an impressive 7th overall in this year's race, in 21 hours and 44 minutes.

Glenn Tachiyama's Race Photos

Seattle-based photographer Glenn Tachiyama has posted his photographs of this year's race as seen from Goat Peak, Stampede Pass, and Thorpe Mountain. As usual, Glenn delivers amazing images of the course and the runners. Check them out!

Quick recap

Results for this year's race are up. The highlights: Phil Shaw notched his second win and set a new course record of 19 hours and 47 minutes. Samantha Sigle from Boulder, CO, led her first 100-miler wire to wire to win the women's race.

Jamie Gifford became the first ten-time finisher and received a 1000-mile jacket and a one-of-a-kind buckle that would make Liberace jealous. Jerry Bloom smiled his way to a silver buckle for his fifth finish.

We had a record 75% finisher rate despite a replacement trail section from miles 47 to 53 that proved to be more challenging than intended. Cool and overcast weather on Saturday led to fast times in a very competitive field, with a record 20 runners breaking the 24-hour barrier. In total, 96 of the 128 starters finished the race. Temps on Sunday were significantly warmer and runners were treated to excellent views of Mount Rainier and the central Cascades on the back section of the course.

Thanks to an absolutely stellar cast of 200-plus volunteers. It is humbling to have such a fantastic crew. Please visit this blog and our website for more post-race news and photos in the days and weeks ahead.

NW Forest Pass - crew vehicles

If you are crewing this weekend, you should get a Northwest Forest Pass, which is required for trailhead parking at several areas where we have aid stations. The Forest Service does ticket. The passes are $5 per day.

You can purchase a Northwest Forest Pass in North Bend or in Cle Elum on your way to the run, or can buy them at any local REI store.