Jurek Wins Spartathalon

Our good friend Scott Jurek has won the 2008 Spartathalon for the third consecutive year, in a time of 22:20:01. Congratulations, Scott! We look forward to seeing pictures and hearing the stories.

Preview

We threw a big party for the Cascade Crest volunteers this weekend and for the festivities I put together a slide show culled from thousands of pics taken all over the course. While we work on getting posted either here or on the race website, I thought I'd put up one of my favorite pictures, of Idahoans Jodi and Dennis Aslett as they crossed the finish line.

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.

The Guy Behind the Lens

Glenn Tachiyama is heading to Greece to shoot his speedy pals Lisa Bliss and Scott Jurek, the latter of whom is chasing three in a row at the Spartathalon. Could one of Glenn's photographs become the next cover of a glossy you know and love? The odds would seem strong. It's a good chance to mention just how much of a contribution Glenn makes to the sport of ultrarunning here in the Pacific Northwest. For starters, we wonder whether Cascade Crest would have gotten so popular so fast without his pics, which help keep the story alive long afterwards. Good old Glenn says that he just takes pictures to document and share the chapters in his life with his family and friends, and I don't think he's being falsely modest. But I also don't think it's overreaching to say that Glenn's pictures have become an important piece of the history and memory of the sport. We just can't recognize this guy enough.

Another Race Report

Here's the '08 Cascade Crest race report from local runner Judy, who blogs with the H.U.R.T. team. It's an inspiring story that starts with her breaking a few ribs in a car accident.

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.

Angeles Crest 100

AC100 has a very slick system to track runners on the web and this year there were a few familiar Cascade Crest names in the results. Seattleite Justin Angle, who paced past two CCC winners, came in third. Pat Ackley, who made bacon a food group while captaining the French Cabin aid station, put his Western States training to good use and finished. Coming in a bit after Pat was his friend Victor Zamudio who did not make it up to Cascade Crest this year but who was a huge help at the race in 2007. Congratulations to Justin, Pat, Victor and all of the other AC finishers!

By the way, the state of Oregon cleaned up once again in a high profile California ultra. Hal Koerner and Prudence L'Heureux took top honors and both ran the 2nd or 3rd fastest times ever.