2009 Entrants List

The list is posted here. Contact Charlie at charliecrissman@gmail with questions or spelling, age or gender corrections. Thanks everyone for being patient.

Registration Update #2

If you mailed your entry on Feb 9 you can count on running this year. We will be able to admit some runners with later postmarks but we are going to wait for another mail delivery on Tuesday before posting an entrants list. Thanks for your patience.

Registration Update

We've removed the entry form from the race website and are waiting for the remaining entries to arrive from further-flung locales before determining the entrants list. If needed, we'll draw names according to postmark date. Thanks for your patience! Our hope is to have an entrants list posted this weekend.

Cascade Crest Registration is Open

We're taking all qualified entries that are postmarked starting today until the field is closed at 150 runners. Expect not to hear about the entrants list until the week is out, as we want to make sure all entries are accounted for first. Hope to see you at the starting line!

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.

Tunnel Closure

The Seattle paper carried a story this week on the closure of several tunnels on the John Wayne trail. The longest of the tunnels closed for repairs is the one we use to get runners over to the Hyak aid station.

It is possible the tunnels will be reopened by August but that seems unlikely. We'll probably have a new route between Olallie Meadows (47m) and Hyak (53m) and it won't include a dripping, 2+ mile tunnel journey.

Postmark Your Entry on Feb. 9 or After

OK. Just a friendly reminder to NOT send in your entry form until February 9, 2009. Any that we receive prior to February 9 are being recycled and checks will be shredded.

If you messed up, just re-send your entry like the directions tell you to do, by US mail and postmarked no earlier than February 9, 2009.

We are accepting entries on a first come, first serve basis starting with the February 9 postmark. Thanks for your help in making this process as fair as possible.

Some details on the trail work requirement

Answers to a few questions about the trail work requirement for Cascade Crest:

-Where can I complete my trail work?
Wherever it is convenient based on your schedule and location.

-Can I do it on my own?
We expect you to do trail work through an organization like the Forest Service, Washington Trails Association or a similar state or local government or non-profit organization in your area. If you want clarification from us just ask.

-Does the trail I work on have to be part of a race?
No.

-Can I volunteer at a race instead?
No. While we strongly encourage runners to volunteer at races, we expect all entrants to complete 8 hours of trail work.

-Why the focus on trail work?
Trail work makes a difference for non-running trail users. By improving trails in your area you make a contribution towards all sorts of trail recreation.

-How do I report my trail work?
You'll do that via the website. We'll have you tell us the location, the date and the name and email of a contact at the organization you helped out.

-Will there be organized work parties around Seattle and Easton?
There are plenty of great opportunities around Seattle to help maintain and restore trails. We encourage you to consider events organized by EarthCorps and WA Trails Association. Work party details are updated frequently on their websites.

Other questions? Leave a comment and we'll get them answered.

Profile

Get all the facts on your favorite race director in this month's Ultrarunning -- like that he's missing most of his right lung and also fears alligators (two apparently unrelated items), that his favorite race food is cheeseburgers, and he can claim 70-plus ultra finishes. And the thing about him swearing off crew after my sandals melted on the dash at Western States, well, I can confirm that one's true.

Snow in the Mountains

Recent conditions at the top of Tiger Mountain 3, as brought to you by the good Glenn Tachiyama. Looks more like a ski area than the setting for your weekend trail run. In any case, Happy New Year from us here at Cascade Crest 100, and all of our best wishes for good running in 2009!