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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 2010 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:

Fast Forward MUT edition ->



2010 USATF Oregon Mountain Running Series - features 4 premium off-road foot races from around the state.  The inaugural series in 2008 featured scenic races on Mt. Hood, Mt. Bachelor, and Mt. Ashland.  3 of the 4 original races return for the 2010 series as well as the much loved but under-rated Larison Rock Hillclimb 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 blog page

2009 Oregon Mountain Running Series Scoring ›
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