Mountain, Ultra & Trail Running
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 2008 Oregon MUT racing calendar.
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Check out the following links and resources to mountain, ultra and trail running activities:
2008 USATF Oregon Mountain Running Series - This inaugural mountain running series will consist of 4 existing races around the state between May and October. USATF Oregon will be partnering with a La Sportiva to provide series scoring and additional prizes for USATF members in open, master, senior & veteran age groups. Modeled on the successful USATF New England Mountain Running Circuit, the Oregon series is designed to promote competition and increase awareness of the most scenic and challenging off-road running races the state has to offer.
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
503-781-0407
MUT News
The USATF Oregon mountain, ultra & trail news webpage is your source for the latest stories, press releases, shoe reviews and first hand accounts of MUT runs, races and general happenings.
March 6, 2008 - USATF 100 Kilometer U.S. Championship Running Race - Registration is now open! Yuba City, CA. Sunsweet Growers Inc., the Willamette Pass Ski Resort, the City of Oakridge, and Team Sunsweet Ultrarunning are pleased to announce the U.S.A Track and Field selection of the Where's Waldo 100K at Willamette Pass, Oregon as the 2008 Open and Masters National 100K Trailrunning Championship............to read the full article click here.
February 26, 2008 - Hagg Lake 50K Race Report from Neil Olsen - February in the Willamette Valley predictably means rain, so I was mentally preparing myself for a long cold soggy windy mud-fest like last year. The weather report even the day before predicted rain at least into the morning............to read the full article click here.
January 6, 2008 - Shoe Review: New La Sportiva Crosslite tested in rainy Portland, Oregon. As is typical this time of year in the Pacific Northwest, we had a lot of rain and even a bit of snow making the trails very wet and muddy - perfect conditions for the burly outsole of the Crosslite. I had to hose down the shoes (and myself) after nearly every run............to read the full article click here.
January 15, 2007 - Shoe Review: The Inov-8 F-Lite 300 - England's premier off-road shoemaker takes on an Oregon winter. The F-Lite 300 has the fantastic, no-frills fit of other Inov-8 shoes with a trim mid-sole and medium tread for mixed on and off road use. Once again Inov-8 has given us a lightweight training shoe with the durability of a hiking boot............to read the full article click here.
MUT Race Calendar
2008 looks to be another great year for mountain, ultra and trail 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.
2/23/08 - Hagg Lake, 25k & 50k, Forest Grove, OR - Ultra, Trail Race
3/30/08 - XTERRA Dirt Dash, 5 miles, Forest Grove, OR - Trail Race
4/13/08 - Peterson Ridge Rumble, 30k & 60k, Sisters, OR - Ultra, Trail Race
4/19/08 - Deer Leap Half Marathon, 13.1 miles, Glide, OR - Trail Race
5/10/08 - MacDonald Forest, 50k, Corvallis, OR - Ultra, Trail Race
5/17/08 - XTERRA Havoc at the hideout, 6 miles, North Plains, OR - Trail Race
5/25/08 - Forest Park Trail Runs, 10k, 20k, 30k, 50k, Portland, OR - Trail Race
5/26/08 - Ridgeline Ramble, 10k & 20k, Eugene, OR - Trail Race
6/1/08 - Run for the Hills, 8k, Corvallis, OR - Trail Race
6/7/08 - Granite Man Mountain Run, 10 miles, Jacksonville, OR - Mountain, Trail Race
6/7/08 - Silver Falls Challenge, 5k, Silverton, OR - Trail Race
6/8/08 - FootZone Dirty Half, 13.1 miles, Bend, OR - Trail Race
6/14/08 - Mt Tabor Challenge, 5k & 8k, Portland, OR - Mountain Race
6/15/08 - Mt Hood Scramble, 6 miles, Mt Hood, OR - Mountain, Trail Race
6/28/08 - Cape Mountain Trail Run, 5 & 10 miles, Florence, OR - Trail Race
6/30/08 - OHSU Tram Run, 5k, Portland, OR - Mountain Run
7/12/08 - Siskiyou Out Back, 15k & 50k, Mt. Ashland, OR - Ultra, Trail Race
7/12/08 - Clackamas River Runoff, 8k & 15k, Estacada, OR - Trail Race
7/20/08 - McCubbins Gultch Scramble, ?? miles, Bear Springs, OR - Mountain, Trail Race
7/26/08 - Mt. Hood PCT Ultramarathon, 50k & 50 miles, Timothy Lake, OR - Ultra, Trail Race
8/2/08 - Steens Mountain Rim Run, 10k, Burns, OR - Mountain Race
8/2/08 - Mt. Ashland Hillclimb Run, 13 miles, Ashland, OR - Mountain, Trail Race
8/10/08 - Haulin Aspen Marathon, 13.1 & 26.2 miles, Bend, OR - Ultra, Trail Race
8/16/08 - Where's Waldo Ultramarathon, 100k, Willamette Pass, OR - Ultra, Trail Race
8/17/08 - XTERRA Tillamook Burn, ?? miles, Pacific City, OR - Trail Race
8/30/08 - Sunrise to Summit Race, 3 miles, Mt. Bachelor, OR - Mountain, Trail Race
9/1/08 - Wildwood Trail Trial, 10k, Portland, OR - Trail Race
9/6/08 - McKenzie River Trail Run, 50k, McKenzie Pass, OR - Ultra, Trail Race
9/13/08 - Timberline Marathon, 26.2 miles, Mt Hood, OR - Ultra, Trail Race
9/14/08 - Ole's Assault Adventure Run, 6-8 miles, Astoria, OR - Trail Race
9/14/08 - Timberline Half Marathon, 13.1 miles, Timothy Lake, OR - Trail Race
9/21/08 - NW Mountain Running Championships, 7 miles, Mt. Hood, OR - Mountain, Trail Race
10/12/08 - Rumble at the Ranch Trail Run, ?? miles, Yamhill, OR - Trail Race
10/12/08 - FootZone Dirty Dozen Trail Race, 12 & 6 miles, Bend, OR - Trail Race
10/25/08 - Autumn Leaves Run, 10k, 50k, 50 miles, Champoeg Park, OR - Ultra Race
10/26/08 - MacDonald Forest, 15k, Corvallis, OR - Trail Race
11/8/08 - Kevin's Cup XVII, 8k, West Linn, OR - Trail Race
MUT Race Results
Page under construction. Information Soon...Oregon Mountain Series Calendar
2008 La Sportiva USATF Oregon Mountain Running Series
This inaugural 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 2008 series consists of the following four races:
June 7, 2008 - Granite Man Mountain Run, 10 miles, Jacksonville, OR
http://roguemultisport.com/eventcalendar/graniteman.html
Race Director - Chuck Neely - cneely@roguemultisport.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.
August 2, 2008 - Mt. Ashland Hillclimb Run, 13 miles, Ashland, OR
Race Director - Torsten Heycke - mailto:info@mtashlandrun.com
Now in its 31st 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). Dolores Bergman set the women's record in 2004 in a time of 2:13.39.
August 30, 2008 - 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 the shortest race in the series but it is also 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).
September 21, 2008 - NW Mountain Running Championships, 7 miles, Mt. Hood, OR
http://www.xdogevents.com/scheduleandresults.html
Race Director - Kevin Foreman - kevin@xdogevents.com
This will be a brand new race from experienced race director Kevin "x-dog" Foreman. The 7-mile course will run both up and down the slopes of Mt. Hood from historic Timberline Lodge.
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 3 of 4 races are totaled to determine overall series scoring.
AWARDS: Gift certificates for running shoes will be provided by La Sportiva for the top man and women in four age groups (open 0 - 39, masters 40 - 49, seniors 50 - 59 & veterans 60+) for each of the four races. The series awards a special technical t-shirt to "Mountain Goats", USATF members who run all four races. 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.
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.
Oregon Mountain Series Scoring
coming soon!