Mountain, Ultra & Trail Running (updated February 15, 2009)


Welcome to the online home of mountain, ultra and trail (MUT) running in Oregon.  The goal of this page is to keep you up to date on MUT running races, race results and runners from around the state and beyond. 

USA Track & Field (USATF) is the national governing body for all running sports including lesser-known sports like mountain, ultra and trail running.  While none of these are Olympic disciplines, there is a World Championship for Mountain and Ultra (100k) running.  To better understand MUT running sports, let’s start with some general definitions: 

Mountain Running:  Any running race with extreme amounts of climbing or climbing and descending – generally more than 300’ per mile.  While most mountain races are held on trails, there are many – generally hill climbs – held on steep mountain roads.  The oldest and most prestigious of which is the Mt. Washington Road Race in Pinkham Notch, New Hampshire.  First held in 1936, this classic mountain race climbs 4200’ in 7.6 miles (www.mountwashingtonroadrace.com).  While mountain races can be any distance, the World Mountain Running Championships are generally 9k in length for women and 12k for men.   

Ultra Running:  Races longer than a marathon (26.2 miles) are considered ultra-marathons, or “ultras”.  Ultra races can be any length over 26.2 miles, but many have been standardized at 50k, 50 miles, 100k, 100 miles or 24 hours.  Ultra races are held on both on and off road as well as on flat, hilly or even mountainous terrain.  One of the most famous ultra races is the Western States Endurance Run (100 miles) held in the Serria Nevada mountains of California (www.ws100.com). 

Trail Running:  As the name suggests, “trail running” races are held off-road.  There are many long trail races that could also be considered ultra races.  Likewise, there are many very hilly trail races that could be considered mountain races.  While there is no specific world championship in trail running, this sport is growing in popularity and is enjoyed by both elite runners and the occasional “jogger”.

Now that you know what MUT running is; are you ready to race? 

Check out the 2009 Oregon MUT Race Calendar

For up to date news, results and race information please visit the USATF Oregon MUT blog.  

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Check out the following links and resources to mountain, ultra and trail running activities: 

2009 USATF Oregon Mountain Running Series - features 6 premium races from around the state.  The inaugural series featured scenic races on Mt. Hood, Mt. Bachelor, Mt. Ashland as well as a superb up and won challenge on the high ridges above crystal clear Applegate Lake.  In addition to these 4 races the 2009 series adds a short but steep 2 mile challenge in the Columbia River Gorge and a new up / down format race in Oakridge, OR just East of Eugene.


Oregon Trail Ultramarathon Series – This series was founded in 1999 by Melissa Berman who suggested to Clem LaCava, Phil Vaughn, and Marilyn Bailey that several existing Oregon trail races could be organized as a trail series.  In the first year, there were 5 races: Jack Frost, McDonald Forest, Siskiyou Out Back, PCT 50/50 and the McKenzie River Trail run.  2008 promises to be an exciting year, with the USATF 100K Trail Championships being held in conjunction with the Where's Waldo race.

Teva US Mountain Running Team – The US Mountain Running Team competes each fall at the World Mountain Running Trophy (WMRT) race.  The team faces stiff competition from the world's best mountain runners.  This 2008 WMRT will take place at Crans Montana in Switzerland. 

American Trail Running Association – ATRA’s mission is to represent and promote trail and mountain running.  Every individual member of ATRA receives a one year subscription to both Trail Runner and Running Times magazines as part of their annual membership.  

World Mountain Running Association – The WMRA is the international governing body for mountain running and is charged with staging championships at World and IAAF area levels.  The WMRA also promotes the sport of mountain running worldwide and operates within the framework of IAAF and in accordance with its rules.  Additional objectives are to encourage formal relationships between mountain runners and their IAAF affiliated athletic federations and to foster international friendship, understanding and co-operation through the sport of mountain running.  

For information or questions, please contact:
Bob Latham, LDR Chair BobLatham@bendcable.com
-or-
Richard Bolt, Mountain, Ultra & Trail Coordinator r_boltski@yahoo.com 

MUT Race Calendar

 

MUT Race Calendar

2009 looks to be another great year for mountain, ultra and trail (MUT) running races in Oregon.  For a comprehensive national race calendar please visit American Trail Running Association website.  Below is a list of MUT races in Oregon.

1/3/09 - The Bad Ass, 9, 13, 22 miles or 50k, Bend, OR - Ultra, Trail Race

1/31/09 - Mad Ass Ultra, 25k & 50k, Madras, OR - Ultra, Trail Race

2/7/09 - Pier Park Trail Runs, 3 hour & 6 hour, Portland, OR - Ultra, Trail Race

2/21/09 - Hagg Lake, 25k & 50k, Forest Grove, OR - Ultra, Trail Race

3/7/09 - Barlow Trail Fun Run, 5k, Gresham, OR - Trail Race

3/14/09 - Tar N Trails Run, 6 miles, Ashland, OR - Trail Race

3/29/09 - Footzone Horse Butte 10 Miler, 10 miles, Bend, OR - Trail Race

4/5/09 - Peterson Ridge Rumble, 30k & 60k, Sisters, OR - Ultra, Trail Race

5/9/09 - Tough as Nails Mountain Run, 10 miles & 5k, Medford, OR - Mountain, Trail Race

5/9/09 - MacDonald Forest, 50k, Corvallis, OR - Ultra, Trail Race

5/16/09 - Deer Leap Half Marathon, 14 miles, Glide, OR - Trail Race

5/17/09 - Havoc at the hideout, 6 miles, North Plains, OR - Trail Race

5/24/09 - Forest Park Trail Runs, 10k, 20k, 50k, Portland, OR - Trail Race

5/25/09 - Ridgeline Ramble, 10k & 20k, Eugene, OR - Trail Race

5/31/09 - Run for the Hills, 8k, Corvallis, OR - Trail Race

6/6/09 - Silver Falls Challenge, 5k, Silverton, OR - Trail Race

6/6/09 - Granite Man Endurance Races, 11 miles, 30k & 60k, Jacksonville, OR - Ultra & Trail Races

6/13/09 - Steep Hill Chase, 5k, Eugene, OR - Trail Race

6/14/09 - Footzone Dirty Half, 13.1 miles, Bend, OR - Trail Race

6/20/09 - Cape Mountain Trail Run, 5 & 10 miles, Florence, OR - Trail Race

6/21/09 - Mt Hood Scramble, 6 miles, Mt Hood, OR - Mountain, Trail Race

7/11/09 - Siskiyou Out Back, 15k & 50k, Mt. Ashland, OR - Ultra, Trail Race

7/18/09 - Mt Tabor Challenge, 5k & 8k, Portland, OR - Mountain Race

7/19/09 - McCubbins Gultch Scramble, 6 miles, Bear Springs, OR - Mountain, Trail Race

7/25/09 - Mt. Hood PCT Ultramarathon, 50k & 50 miles, Timothy Lake, OR - Ultra, Trail Race

8/1/09 - Mt. Ashland Hillclimb Run, 13 miles, Ashland, OR - Mountain, Trail Race

8/2/09 - Tillamook Burn, 6 miles, Pacific City, OR - Trail Race

8/9/09 - Haulin Aspen Marathon & Half-Marathon, Bend, OR - Trail Race

8/16/09 - NW Mountain Running Championships, 7 miles, Mt. Hood, OR - Mountain, Trail Race

8/22/09 - Where's Waldo Ultramarathon, 100k, Willamette Pass, OR - Ultra, Trail Race

Where's Waldo is also the 2009 USA Track & Field National 100k Trail Championship

9/5/09 - Sunrise to Summit Race, 3 miles, Mt. Bachelor, OR - Mountain, Trail Race

9/6/09 - World Mountain Running Championships, 12k, Campodolcino, Italy - Mountain, Trail Race

9/7/09 - Wildwood Trail Trial, 10k, Portland, OR - Trail Race

9/12/09 - McKenzie River Trail Run, 50k, McKenzie Pass, OR - Ultra, Trail Race

9/12/09 - XTERRA National Trail Running Championships, 13.1 miles, Bend, OR - Trail Race

9/13/09 - Ole's Assault Adventure Run, 6-8 miles, Astoria, OR - Trail Race

9/19/09 - Timberline Marathon, 26.2 miles, Mt Hood, OR - Ultra, Trail Race

9/20/09 - Timberline Half Marathon, 13.1 miles, Timothy Lake, OR - Trail Race

9/26 - 9/27/09 - PCT Ultra 100 Miler, 100 miles, Mt. Hood, OR - Ultra, Trail Race

10/17/09 - Sisters Poker Run, 34 miles, Sisters, OR - Ultra, Trail Race

10/19/09 - Pre's Trail XC Challenge, 7k, 5k & 3k, Eugene, OR - Trail Race

10/31/09 - Autumn Leaves Run, 10k, 50k, 50 miles, Champoeg Park, OR - Ultra Race

11/7/09 - Lithia Loop Trail Marathon, 26.2 miles, Ashland, OR - Trail Race

The Lithia Loop Trail Marathon is also the USA Track & Field National Trail Marathon Championship

11/14/09 - Kevin's Cup XVII, 8k, West Linn, OR - Trail Race

Oregon Mountain Series Calendar (updated Feb 27, 2009)

 



2009 La Sportiva USATF Oregon Mountain Running Series

 

Compete for a chance to win a spot on the pre-eminent Mountain Running Team in the world!  This mountain running series is designed to promote competition in the Oregon mountain running community.  Most the races in the series are well established and represent some of the very best mountain races in Oregon. The 2009 series consists of the following six races:

 

 

May 2, 2009 - Larison Rock Hill Climb, 4.5 miles, Oakridge, OR

Race Directors -Alan and Bev Abbs  - Larison Rock Hill Climb - alabbs@clearwire.net
                        Sarah and Catrina - Salmon Run and Walk - catmaried@gmail.com

This will be an uphill trail race beginning in Greenwaters Park and climbing 2300' to Larison Rd.  Race start is at 8:00 AM.  In addition to the hill climb race there will also be the Salmon Run - a 4.5 mile
road / trail race and 2.5 mile walk.  The Larison Rock Hill Climb is organized by some of the same people who put on the famed Where's Waldo 100k just up the road at Willamette Pass Ski Area. Register for the Larison Rock Hill Climb online at active.com 

June 6, 2009 - Granite Man Mountain Run, 10 miles, Jacksonville, OR

Race Director - Krista Peterson - graniteman2009@hotmail.com

The Granite Man is an exciting off-road event held at beautiful Applegate Lake nestled at 2,000 feet in the Rogue River National Forest.  This is an exceptional 10-mile up & down mountain run that features a steep one-mile section of course that climbs 1000' of in elevation gain. The race information is on RogueMultiSport.com.  Registration is open.  $30 per runner includes a shirt and finisher medal.  Also top finisher awards.  All USATF members get $3 off by putting in their USATF number.

 

July 4, 2009 - Corbett Hillclimb, 2 miles, Corbett, OR

http://www.usatf-oregon.org/

Race Director - Harry Simonis - usatforegon@msn.com

This is a new race held in conjunction with a 6 mile rolling road race that starts at the same time.  The 2 mile race starts in downtown Corbett and goes down NE Corbett Hill Rd.  After descending 500 feet in 1 mile, the out & back course brings the runners back up NE Corbett Hill Rd to the finish.  While this is not a long race, it should be a challenge for even the fittest runners.

 

August 1, 2009 - Mt. Ashland Hillclimb Run, 13 miles, Ashland, OR

http://www.mtashlandrun.com/

Race Director - Torsten Heycke - info@mtashlandrun.com

Now in its 32ND year, the Mt. Ashland Hillclimb Run is the oldest continuously run mountain race in Oregon.  Starting in downtown Ashland, this race climbs 5600' over 13 miles to finish on the summit of scenic Mt. Ashland.  The course record at this race was set in 1986 by Los Angeles Marathon winner Ric Sayre (1:42). Evelyn Dong set the women's record in 2008 in a time of 2:08:40.

August 16, 2009 - NW Mountain Running Championships, 7 miles, Mt. Hood, OR


http://www.xdogevents.com/scheduleandresults.html

Race Director - Kevin Foreman - kevin@xdogevents.com

The inaugural 2008 version of this race featured a head to head battle between Joe Gray (US Mountain Running Team) and Max King (US Olympic Trials - Steeplechase) making it the fastest race in the Oregon Mountain Series. The 7-mile course runs both up and down the slopes of Mt. Hood from historic Timberline Lodge. 

 

September 5, 2009 - Sunrise to Summit Race, 3 miles, Mt. Bachelor, OR

http://www.mbsef.org/events/sunrise2summit/

Race Director - Molly Kelly - molly@mbsef.org

Organized by the Mt. Bachelor Ski Education Foundation, the Sunrise to Summit may be one of the shortest race in the series but it is the steepest.  This uphill only course climbs 2600' in about 3 miles under ski lifts, thru volcanic rock strewn slopes to finally finish on the barren summit of Mt. Bachelor.  The course records are held by Max King (35:32) and Jennifer Sventek (43:45).

 

SCORING: Runners score points based on their time as a percentage of the winner's overall time, making every second count!  For example, a winning time of 41:08 gets 100.00 points; a time of 42:21 is worth 97.13, and 1:20:32 gets 51.08 (the winning time being just about 50 percent of that runner's time. Women's scoring is based on 100.00 points for the first female finisher. A runner's top 4 of 6 races are totaled to determine overall series scoring.

 

AWARDS: The title and primary sponsor is La Sportiva, with additional support at events from the USATF Oregon Association.

 

ELIGIBILITY: As a USATF Oregon program, the series scoring is limited to individuals who are USATF members. Though all races are open to all runners, USATF membership is required to score and win awards in the series.  Some of the other benefits of membership are:

 

1. Eligibility to score and win prize money in the USATF Oregon Grand Prix and other selected USATF Oregon races.

2. Eligibility to score in USATF Association and National championships.  The 2008 USATF National 100k Trail Championships are being held in conjunction with the Where's Waldo 100k Ultramarathon where cash prizes for top open and master runners are for USATF members only.

3. Elite runners who want to make the Teva US Mountain Running Team or the USA 100k Team must first be USATF members.

4. 10% discount in the USATF Online Store, including Nike Dri-FIT gear.

5. Subscription to Fast Forward magazine.

6. Access to enter exclusive members-only contests.

7. Sport accident insurance.

8. Special discounts and offers from over 25 companies.

 

Click here to become a USATF member.  If you have additional questions, feel free to email the series coordinator Richard Bolt at r_boltski@yahoo.com or contact the USATF Oregon office at usatforegon@msn.com. 

 

* The grand prize will be awarded at the discretion of La Sportiva


Oregon Mountain Series Scoring

coming soon!